Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
Food plots are one of the most important tools for deer hunters and managers. The best food plot programs are designed for both bigger antlers, healthier deer, and healthier soils. GrowingDeer.tv’s newest video has tips on how it can be done in a variety of conditions and budgets. Click here to watch this video online today! Read more
Each September, thousands of visitors make their way to Pennsylvania’s elk country to experience for themselves the wonder of the bugling season.
And while there’s nothing quite like seeing a giant bull up close, or feeling your rib cage resonate as it lets loose an ear-splitting bugle, there’s an opportunity this year to get a glimpse of Pennsylvania’s prime time for elk – without ever having to leave home.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that is off limits to people, but that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. The camera was installed with help from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry. Video and sound from the camera are being live streamed on the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us, and some good-sized bull elk, not to mention turkeys, deer and other wildlife, already have made appearances. Read more
It’s no secret that Michigan offers some of the best Canada goose hunting anywhere in the world. But many waterfowl hunters, whose perspective only covers the last 30 years or so, might have a hard 
time believing it wasn’t always that way. Michigan’s resident Canada goose population – which produces the lion’s share of the annual harvest – was virtually nonexistent a century ago and not especially noteworthy five decades later.
“Back in the ’50s, it was a rare thing to see a Canada goose in this state,” said Barbara Avers, the waterfowl specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “It was rare for hunters to kill a goose. It was a pretty big deal. Read more
Whether you’re a hunter, a wildlife enthusiast or just someone who enjoys an occasional walk in the woods, this 60-second video will help you properly identify the black rat snake, should you ever come across this species in your travels. If you are fortunate to see one of these important Michigan residents, take some time to enjoy it, but please leave it in the wild. Look for more videos in our series into the fall.
“We’re really excited about the survey results for the Great Lakes piping plover and Kirtland’s warbler,” said DNR Field Operations Manager Keith Kintigh. “To have both of these species reach record numbers this year shows what great partnerships can do for wildlife conservation over time.”
Piping plovers are migratory shorebirds that nest in three distinct populations in the northern United States and Canada (the Great Plains, the Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes) and winter mainly along the Gulf Coast. In the Great Lakes, they live near shorelines and beaches and will nest in depressions of sand with rocks, shells or sticks, which can be easily disturbed by beachgoers. To protect their young, they often will distract perceived predators with a “broken-wing” act.
In 1983, there were only 13 breeding pairs of Great Lakes piping plovers in Michigan. This year, more than 158 chicks have been banded in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada, with more than 58 nests found in Michigan alone. Of the 58 Michigan nests, 43 were in the northern Lower Peninsula and 15 in the Upper Peninsula. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore had the highest occurrence of nests in the region. Read more
Join Kodiak Island author, photographer, and guide, Joseph Classen, as he explores the art of wildlife photography from a hunter’s perspective. In this just released book, the reader will learn:
* How to select and use the appropriate gear required for the rigors of wildlife photography
* How to mentally and physically prepare for an outing in which your wits must be as keen as your eye
*Detailed insights into planning and packing for a wilderness adventure *Choosing the best clothing and accessories to ensure a safe, productive time in the field *Scouting out prime locations, tracking and attracting photographic subjects using time-honored techniques
*How to read animal behaviors and know where your best photographic opportunities will arise. And much, much, more Read more
DALLAS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department-mandated killing and post-mortem study of deer potentially exposed to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) illustrates an urgent need for the use of live testing for white-tailed deer, elk and other cervids.
Currently, post-mortem testing of brain tissue is the only form of CWD testing approved by the USDA even though an effective, non-lethal alternative test exists.
Results of a study of rectal mucosa testing for CWD in white-tailed deer published by the USDA’s National Veterinary Research Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, shows extremely high diagnostic accuracy, one which could eliminate the need to destroy herds simply suspected to have been exposed to the disease.
“The overall diagnostic specificity was 99.8 percent. Selective use of ante-mortem rectal biopsy sample testing would provide valuable information during disease investigations of CWD-suspect deer herds,” states the report “Diagnostic Accuracy of Rectal Mucosa Biopsy Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease within White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Herds in North America: Effects of Age, Sex, Polymorphism at PRNP Codon 96, and Disease Progression.” Read more
The Department of Natural Resources today announced that the next step to remove the Lyons Dam on the Grand River in Ionia County will proceed as officials start searching for threatened and endangered mussels and moving them out of harm’s way. Read more
SCI’s Litigation attorneys are looking for Arizona and New Mexico coyote hunters. SCI’s Litigation Department will soon attempt to join litigation that could affect coyote hunting in Arizona and New Mexico – particularly in areas occupied by Mexican wolves (south and central Arizona and New Mexico). Please contact us if you hunt coyotes in these areas, have concrete plans to do so in the future and would be willing to work with SCI attorneys to provide a sworn statement to assist SCI in court. Contact Anna Seidman, Director of Litigation at aseidman@safariclub.org
Non-cable subscribers or those who live outside the viewing area will have the opportunity to view the meeting through a live video stream on HOMTV’s website at www.homtv.net. Read more