We all love antlered animals, but what is it made of?
By Austin Delano

Antlers. They have fascinated man since the beginning. Going back thousands of years, one can see man’s love for animals with antlers etched and painted on the walls of caves. Antlers were a trophy in a different way before they were used to decorate walls of our hunting camps and game rooms. Before modern civilization, antlers were used to make tools, ceremonial wear, and weapons just to name a few. So how do these intriguing bones grow? What are they made out of? How do they go from this soft looking, furry velvet, to a durable set of rock hard fighting gear? Read more

MISSOULA, Mont.—New statistics recently released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) show hunters and anglers generated $1.1 billion in 2014. That funding will be distributed to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to support America’s conservation and recreation projects.

“‘Hunting Is Conservation’ is not just a motto or a theme or a mantra. It’s truth,” said David Allen, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “Sportsmen and women who hunt and fish are the people who generate the funds for on-the-ground conservation and wildlife management efforts from coast to coast.”

The funding is raised through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs which place excise taxes on the sale of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment, electric boat motors, and from taxes on the purchase of motorboat fuel.

“These funds are the cornerstone of state-based efforts that are critical to the preservation of America’s wildlife and natural resources,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “But they are also the fuel for a massive financial engine that benefits outdoor recreationists, hunters, boaters and anglers, equipment manufacturers and retailers, and local and regional economies. Their value cannot be overstated in providing opportunities for the next generation of Americans to get outdoors, experience our wild places and learn the importance of conserving our natural heritage.” Read more

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. — An alarmingly large and rapidly expanding burro population is damaging wildlife habitat, crowding out wildlife species and incurring costs to state and federal taxpayers, according to testimony at the May meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission in Bullhead City.

In addition to the animal’s impact to other species and habitats, Arizona residents are also being impacted by an over-abundance of burros, said Bullhead City Mayor Tom Brady.

“This is a significant issue that is having a direct impact on our community – and others around the state – and must be resolved,” Mayor Brady said. “Due to a lack of proper management, the population of burros is now expanding at an alarming rate and is creating a public safety and ecological concern for our residents.” Read more

Mexican wolf biologists remain vigilant for cross-fostering opportunity

Technique promises to improve genetics of wild population

PHOENIX — The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) is observing from a distance the potential denning behavior of Mexican wolf packs in the wild looking for a cross-fostering opportunity. Cross-fostering is a technique to move very young pups from one litter into a different, similar-age wild litter with the hope that the receiving pack will raise them as their own. Cross-fostering is undertaken to introduce genetically-desirable pups into the litter of an experienced female and wild-proven pack.

Last year, two pups were successfully cross-fostered from a wild, but inexperienced female, into the den of the proven Dark Canyon pack in New Mexico – a first for the Mexican wolf recovery program. A key to cross-fostering is timing. Donor pups and the litter of a receiving female must be whelped within days of each other.
This year, that requires close coordination between captive rearing facilities in the binational Species Survival Plan rearing facilities and packs in the wild. Read more

Things are shaping up nicely at the Maple River State Game Area Wetlands Unit this spring!

The last two springs have brought excessive amounts of rain, which caused the Maple River to remain at flood stage well into the late spring/early summer. The Maple River State Game Area Wetlands Unit, located north of St. Johns on U.S. 127, is a designated flood storage area.

“Things are looking pretty good so far this spring. It was pretty dry until we received about 3 inches of rain in early April,” said Chad Fedewa, DNR wildlife biologist for Gratiot, Clinton, Ingham and Shiawassee counties. “That heavy rain flooded some of our crop units, but the river has already receded enough that we should be able to start pumping out water soon.” Read more

Spring is here, which brings warmer temperatures, longer days and wildlife emerging from their winter homes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds residents that black bears are among those animals that are now awake and have left their dens.

At this time of the year, wildlife officials receive many calls about bear sightings and bears damaging bird feeders, trash cans and grills.

“Bears are hungry,” said DNR bear specialist Kevin Swanson. “They are looking for food after spending months in their dens. While we might not think of bird feeders and trash cans as food sources, a hungry bear certainly may.”

Bird seed especially is attractive to bears because of its high fat content and easy accessibility. Once bird feeders are discovered, bears will keep coming back until the seed is gone or the feeders have been removed. Read more