Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Enter to Win ALPS OutdoorZ Raptor X Optics Pack on Facebook

In an effort to unite, promote and educate people on conservation initiatives, ALPS OutdoorZ is gearing up to give away FREE Raptor X optics packs through their “Capture Conservation” social campaign.

ALPS OutdoorZ is gearing up to launch their “Capture Conservation”social campaign on Facebook. The goal is to encourage members to share how they contribute to wildlife conservation through storytelling and photos. ALPS OutdoorZ knows there are endless ways to contribute to conservation. Whether it’s establishing food plots, providing clean water sources, supporting conservation organizations that help us protect our hunting traditions or by simply buying a hunting tag each season, ALPS OutdoorZ wants to promote and educate others to the fact that hunting truly is conservation.

With the support of RMEF, they will be announcing the campaign through a variety of media outlets that will be sent out to all RMEF members encouraging them to follow links to a pinned post on the ALPS OutdoorZ Facebook page. Participants enter to win a FREE Raptor X optics pack by commenting on the post, making sure to include the hash tag #CaptureConservation along with a summary of their conservation efforts. The campaign is open to all, not just members of the RMEF. Winners will be announced via Facebook two weeks after the start of the campaign. Click here to enter http://bit.ly/2s1QFdV.

Hunting, Wildlife

Boone and Crockett Club: Wildfire Funding Fix Picks Up Support

MISSOULA, Mont. – The group behind the creation of our national forest system – the Boone and Crockett Club – applauds Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) for introducing a bill to fix the chronic funding shortfall for catastrophic wildfires. The National Flood Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2017 includes a title allowing the Forest Service to tap disaster funding, appropriately treating catastrophic wildfires like hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Fighting forest fires is the responsibility of the U.S. Forest Service, as is maintaining these lands for the betterment of the people. In a bad fire year fighting wildfires eats up to 53 percent of the Forest Service’s annual budget. The consequence of which is the Forest Service’s inability to do the forest thinning work necessary to keep fire events small and contained in the first place. Read more

Wildlife

Of Mice and Moles

By Glen Wunderlich

From time to time, innovative products come to market that are game-changers.  If you are bothered by moles or mice, here are two inventions that have become my go-to tools to control these nuisance animals.

Recently, ground moles have become active in search of their food sources near the surface of the soil and are doing substantial damage to lawns and gardens.  Although poisons can be used to kill their food sources such as grubs, they can also wipe out beneficial earthworms.  Apart from the exorbitant cost of such products and their limited usefulness on larger tracts of land, who wants unnecessary poison to leach into the ground water that many of us rely upon for drinking?

The best American-made mole trap has been improved since last I wrote about it years ago:  the Wire Tek 1001 EasySet Mole Eliminator Trap.  Although the older model of this trap was effective, often times it was temperamental to set. The folks at Wire Tek solved this issue by upgrading the trap’s base to a flat steel design instead of the previously used round rod concept.  In addition, the trigger mechanism has been enhanced.

 

Once mole activity is discovered, the raised tunnels must be tamped down and marked in some visual manner.  (Those utility flags work great!)  When particular runways reappear, that’s where to set the traps.  However, there’s no need to purchase numerous traps – at least not initially – because one mole can damage up to 18 feet of lawn per hours.  When one varmint is caught, you’ve accomplished a lot.

Product features include safely setting the trap with foot motion only – no digging.  And, since the business end of the trap is underground, it is safe around pets and youngsters.

The cost is under $40 shipped from online sources such as Ebay and Amazon.  If you find them substantially cheaper, watch out!  They are most likely imitations from China with very similar names, or they are the older discontinued models that don’t perform as well.

When it comes to mice, most of us have had experience with antiquated wooden and wire traps that are difficult to set, or even some more modern models made of plastic.  Certainly, there are other methods to control mice, but nothing has impressed me more than a recent discovery:  the Tomcat Press ‘N Set Mouse Trap.  I’ve been using these traps for a number of weeks in my hunting shacks and each time one of these modern marvels is sprung, it contains one very dead mouse.  These traps have a trigger design that’s astonishingly light but at the same time easy to set.  Once set, slide them into a small box fashioned to force mice in from the front direction rather than just leaving them in the open.

A little peanut butter in the small cup and that’s it.  And, mice can be released without touching them and the trap can be reset. 

Sometimes “new and improved” is just that!

Wildlife

Deer Private Land Assistance Network grant application period opens

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that the application period has opened for the Deer Private Land Assistance Network (Deer PLAN) grant program. It is designed to support private-land deer habitat improvement projects in the northern Lower Peninsula.

The Deer PLAN program is funded by the state’s Deer Range Improvement Program funds. In 2018, a total of $50,000 will be made available. The focus area will include private lands in the following counties: Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle. Funds will be allocated across these six counties based on a competitive grant application scoring process. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan DNR conservation officer recruits begin rigorous journey


Candidates will be pushed to their limits as 8th Recruit School begins SundayTwenty-five candidates will try to make the grade as Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers when the 8th Conservation Officer Recruit School gets under way Sunday, July 16, in Lansing.Recruits face 23 weeks of intensive training that taxes their bodies, minds and spirits. This year’s class is composed of 18 men and seven women. Four candidates are from the Upper Peninsula, 18 are from the Lower Peninsula and three are from out of state.

The DNR will provide weekly blogs that offer a closer look at life in this year’s Conservation Officer Recruit School. The blogs highlight weekly training events and challenges. You can subscribe to the blogs, which also will be posted on the Michigan DNR Facebook page.

“These men and women have the chance to be part of something special, but they have to earn it,” said Gary Hagler, chief of DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. “Anyone who wears the green and gray uniform of a Michigan conservation officer must carry on our 130-year tradition of service and excellence. Those who have what it takes can look forward to an exciting, rewarding career protecting Michigan’s natural resources and the people who enjoy them. But it all starts at Recruit School.” Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

NSSF Sportsmen/Sportswomen Survey

Your input helps shape the outdoor industry

The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms and outdoors industry, is conducting the following consumer study in an effort to better understand sportsmen’s and sportswomen’s hunting and target shooting participation.

Your individual responses will remain fully confidential and will not be shared with anyone for any reason and you will not be contacted as a result of taking this survey.

Manufacturers, retailers, state wildlife agencies and industry organizations rely on feedback from outdoor enthusiasts to shape future programs, products and wildlife restoration efforts so your input is extremely valuable and we appreciate you completing this survey in its entirety.

TAKE THE SURVEY

For additional information on National Shooting Sports Foundation, please visit www.nssf.org

Hunting, Wildlife

Dallas Safari Club Grant Will Support Delta Waterfowl’s Drone Research

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — A $10,000 grant from the DSC Foundation, a charitable arm of the Dallas Safari Club, will boost Delta Waterfowl’s breakthrough research into using drone-mounted, thermal-imaging cameras to locate nesting ducks and other wildlife.

The grant will fund Delta Waterfowl studies aiming to use drone technology to find over-water nesting ducks such as canvasbacks, monitor densities of waterfowl predators, and detect the nests of upland-nesting birds such as mallards, pintails, teal, pheasants, songbirds and piping plovers.

“DSC Foundation and the Dallas Safari Club are proud to support Delta Waterfowl’s drone research, as well as its Predator Management program,” said Richard Cheatham, president of the DSC Foundation. “Delta Waterfowl’s willingness to commit time and money to study emerging technology with the goal of integrating that technology into waterfowl research is both admirable and exactly the type of forward thinking that wildlife management needs.”

In 2016, a team led by Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta’s president and chief scientist, performed an initial test-flight using a drone carrying a thermal-imaging camera over grassland cover. Rohwer was able to pinpoint nesting ducks indicated by the camera’s heat signature. The discovery led to formal research that could revolutionize the way ducks are studied and surveyed.

“Even in the digital age, waterfowl researchers are required to painstakingly search for duck nests,” said Joel Brice, Delta’s vice president of waterfowl and hunter recruitment programs. “Drones are an innovative, potential game-changer. Delta is pleased to have the backing of the DSC Foundation, whose shared goals include supporting science-based research, conserving wildlife and securing the future of hunting in North America.” Read more

Wildlife

Boyt Harness Joins Boone and Crockett Hunt Fair Chase Initiative

MISSOULA, Mont. – Iowa-based Boyt Harness Co. is the latest name added to a growing list of supporters behind a new initiative led by the Boone and Crockett Club intended to highlight the core values of fair chase and to strengthen the image of the North American hunter.

“There was a time when sportsmen were openly admired and praised for their commitments to wildlife and habitat conservation,” said CJ Buck, the Club’s vice president of communications. “Today we’re subject to increasing attack and misrepresentation. As grossly unfair as this has become, no one is going to restore the positive image of hunters and hunting other than sportsmen themselves. The Hunt Fair Chase initiative seeks to help sportsmen become better brand ambassadors for hunting by rallying behind the time-honored traditions of fair chase and putting our best foot forward.”

The Hunt Right: Hunt Fair Chase initiative hopes to inspire sportsmen to unite behind an effort to improve their own public image and control the narrative about hunting that others have taken. The initiative will launch later this summer.

“Our society is governed by laws. Hunting too is governed by laws, but out of a sense of responsibility for the game we hunt and the country they live in, sportsmen go one step further,” said Buck. “A sporting approach ensures the game is respected and never threatened; the privilege of hunting is honored, and the no-guarantees nature of hunting and the memorable experiences we seek remain intact. There is a lot tucked up under the umbrella of what we know as fair chase.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Dakotaline Introduces Complete Land Management Predator Trapping Package


GW: A good idea for the beginner, but make sure to check your state’s regulations as to the specific legality of these snares and traps.
Predators are threatening game species everywhere, it’s time to fight back, here’s howLennox, SD – Serious hunters and land management experts know that maintaining a healthy deer herd is not just about food plots and waterholes. To truly maximize your lands wild game potential, you must also manage your predator population. With their new Complete Land Management Predator Package, Dakotaline has streamlined this sometime intimidating and arduous process. This kit has all of the tools a land manager may need to successfully manage predators on their property.

For most large predators, the foothold trap is the way to go. With a bit of bait, and a properly set trap, the coyote will walk in on a string, paying more attention to the setup than his steps, and be waiting for his moment of fate when you arrive back the next day. The Dakotaline Predator Management Package comes with everything you need to quickly and effectively set up the six included Bridger #1.75 traps.

Along with footholds, neck snares work well for large predators like for coyotes. Simply find the trail the animals are using, brush it in a bit to funnel their movement, and wait. The Dakotaline Predator Management Kit comes with everything you’ll need to run 12 neck snares. Read more

Wildlife

Food Plots Lead the Way Among Hunter Land Management Practices

FERNANDINA BEACH, FL. —While roughly three out of 10 surveyed hunters are actually involved in managing or attracting wildlife on the land where they hunt, of those who do, more than 80 percent of their efforts are spent on creating food plots. In fact, the HunterSurvey.comsurvey conducted by Southwick Associates found that food plots were the leading practice by nearly double most other practices.

Following are the top five management practices as revealed by the survey:
Food plots 81 percent
Mineral sites 49 percent
Timber management 45 percent
Plant management 42 percent
Feeders 39 percent
Other practices measured included creating man-made water sources (17 percent), controlled burns (15 percent), maintaining water level or flow (11 percent) and other (6 percent).

The survey also examined the interaction of hunters around their feeding sites. Of those hunters who do use feeders (where legal) to enhance opportunities, 86 percent monitor those sites with trail cameras, 67 percent of them do so year-round, 33 percent run feeders year-round, and 83 percent hunt over them or near them.

“This survey shows that food plots and other means of attracting and holding game in an area or on a particular property are important management tools among a third of today’s hunters,” says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which designs and conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com.

To help continually improve, protect and advance hunting, shooting and other outdoor recreation, all sportsmen and sportswomen are encouraged to participate in the bi-monthly surveys at HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and/or AnglerSurvey.com. Every other month, participants who complete the surveys are entered into a drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of their choice.

Wildlife
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