Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

DNR confirms third deer positive for CWD; hunter participation is critical this fall

Today, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced that a third free-ranging deer in Meridian Township (Ingham County) has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The deer was a 5-year-old doe. All three CWD-positive deer detected thus far have been discovered within a mile of one another.

“As we stated with the second positive deer, this news is not surprising,” said Dr. Steve Schmitt, DNR wildlife veterinarian. “The good news is that all three deer came from the same small area.” Genetic analyses carried out by Michigan State University’s Molecular Ecology Laboratory indicate that all three positive animals were related as part of an extended family. Previous research has shown that CWD often is transmitted within family groups because of their close contact.

Hunters are critical to helping the DNR understand the prevalence and geographic distribution of the disease.

“We have focused our efforts thus far in the area around the first case,” Schmitt continued. ”We need individuals who have always hunted in Ingham County and surrounding counties to keep hunting. The DNR can’t fight this disease without their support. Hunters need to have their deer checked and tested so we can determine if this disease is established over a broad area or just persisting in a local pocket.”   Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

New Michigan elk education program for 9th- through 12th-grade educators

The Department of Natural Resources invites educators looking for a fun way to integrate Michigan’s unique flora and fauna into their curriculum, while still meeting the required educational standards, to explore some of the DNR’s free educational opportunities.

New this year, for 9th- through 12th-grade educators, is the Elk University – Educating Tomorrow’s Wildlife Managers program. Elk University is a semester-style curriculum, developed to meet educational standards while touching on Michigan history, forest management, elk biology, wildlife disease and social considerations for wildlife management. Students will learn about how the DNR manages and maintains a healthy elk herd for current and future generations.

Beginning its second year, A Year in the Life of a Michigan Black Bear is available to 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade educators. Throughout the school year, students will learn about the life cycle of the Michigan black bear and general black bear biology and behavior, as well as how the DNR manages and maintains a healthy black bear population. Over the school year, students also will get to “follow” a bear through its seasonal movements by using actual data points from a radio-collared Michigan black bear.

The deadline to sign up for the black bear education program for the 2015/16 school year has been extended through Sept. 1 to coincide with the Elk University registration deadline.

To sign up and learn more about these and other DNR wildlife education and outreach opportunities, please visit www.michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the “Education” button.

Read more

Wildlife

Florida Father and Son Sentenced for Deer Trafficking

White-tailed deer. Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS.

Donald W. Wainwright, Sr., 49, of Live Oak, Florida, was sentenced August 3, 2015 in U.S. District Court to 21 months in prison and a $125,000 fine for 12 charges related to violating the Lacey Act, one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. His son, Donald W. Wainwright, Jr., 29, of Live Oak, Fla., was sentenced to four months of house arrest and three years of probation for eight charges related to violating the Lacey Act.

Carter Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Gregory Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, Chief Scott Zody, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced the sentences handed down by U.S. District Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Read more

Poachers, Wildlife

Michigan Charges Four for Buying and Selling of Black Bear Parts

GW:  Interesting how the Obama administration has been reluctant to investigate Planned Parenthood for selling baby parts, but we’ll pursue anyone selling wild game in any manner.

Three residents from Kent County and another from Chippewa County have been arrested on charges related to buying and selling wildlife, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced. The arrests are the result of a multiyear investigation by the DNR’s Special Investigations Unit.

The complaint originated from information gathered from confidential informants who were concerned about the illegal trade in black bear parts.

“Individuals soliciting for the purchase of black bear parts creates a market for the illegal parts and provides a financial incentive for poachers to take the animals during closed seasons, in excess of established limits and by unlawful methods,” said DNR Detective Lt. Jason Haines, who heads the investigative unit. “There is a black market for black bear parts in Asia, where the parts are used for medicinal purposes.”

In all, 11 misdemeanors were charged among the three male, and one female, defendants.

Each of the charges carries a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail, plus $1,500 reimbursement for each animal illegally purchased. Read more

Wildlife

Whitetail’R PhoneRead’R™ takes scouting to new level

Check your trail camera images directly on your smart phone

Plymouth, WI -While good things sometimes come to those who wait…Who the heck wants to wait until getting home to see what bucks are on the trail camera? The answer is NO ONE!

Serious Whitetail’Rs’ want to see what bucks are in the inventory so they can be hunted immediately!

The PhoneREAD’R™ provides instant knowledge that allows hunters to react to deer movement fast without the need of an expensive separate card reader- just use your smart phone and its cutting edge technology. The days of having to run home to check a card on a computer, and then having to contaminate the woods to replace the card, are over. Less human interaction with trail cams means less chance of spooking game and greater chances of filling your tag. Read more

Wildlife

Check trees for Asian longhorned beetle in August

August is national Tree Check Month, which makes it a great time for Michiganders and travelers alike to be on the lookout for invasive, destructive pests threatening the state’s forest landscape. The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Environmental Quality and Natural Resources, along with the U.S Department of Agriculture, are asking people to take time out this month to examine trees for signs of Asian longhorned beetle, a highly destructive invasive pest.

TAsian longhorned beetleake just 10 minutes this month to check trees around homes for Asian longhorned beetle or any signs of the damage it causes. Out for a stroll? Look for signs around the neighborhood, at local parks and favorite recreation spots. Early detection and response are vital to protecting Michigan’s trees.

Adult Asian longhorned beetles are distinctively large, ranging from three-quarters of an inch to 1 and one-half inches in length, not including their long antennae. The beetles are shiny black, with random white blotches or spots, and their antennae have alternating black and white segments. They have six legs that can be black or partly blue, with blue coloration sometimes extending to their feet. Read more

Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Protects Rare Hummingbird under the Endangered Species Act

Honduran emerald. Credit: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will list the rare Honduran emerald as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Measuring less than four inches in length and the only bird species endemic to Honduras, this hummingbird is in decline due to degradation, fragmentation, and loss of its dry thorn forest habitat as a result of cattle grazing and agriculture. Read more

Wildlife

Elite Performance in a Small Package: Browning Trail Cameras Dark Ops HD

Birmingham, AL: A year after the Browning Trail Cameras Dark Ops turned heads in the marketplace by becoming one of the smallest high-performance cameras ever manufactured, one may have wondered how in the world you could improve on one of the most versatile and reliable cameras available. Well the team at Browning Trail Cameras did not disappoint and for 2015 the Dark Ops HD Sub Micro Series camera is positioned to leave a more lasting impression than the previous model.

From the optimum trigger speeds and recovery times to the self-adjusting IR illumination feature to the highest quality images available, these cameras were already destined to remain a staple for game camera enthusiasts around the country, but now equipped with their cutting edge BuckWatchHD™ technology, these cameras are positioned to become one of the hottest items in the entire outdoor industry this year.
With the ability to capture stunning 1280 x 720 HD videos with sound, users will immediately see how the improved video quality will enhance their overall game camera experience while seeing things they’ve never seen before with their old trail cameras. Whether it is two-weeks away from your deer season or the early stages of the rut, using these videos to strategically scout the wildlife in your area will arm you with more knowledge than ever before and increase your chances of harvesting that trophy of a lifetime. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan Duck Stamp Competition and Michigan Duck and Goose Calling Contest at Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival Aug. 1-2

man using duck callThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host the 19th annual Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at Bay City State Recreation Area. The 2016 Michigan Duck Hunters Association Michigan Duck Stamp Competition and the 2015 Michigan Duck and Goose Calling Contest will be held during this event. Read more

Wildlife

Food Plot from Scratch

By Glen Wunderlich

Creating and planting wildlife food plots over the years has been a learning and rewarding experience. In most cases, the plots have been from less than an acre to multiple acres, allowing the use of my trusty 1948 Ford 8N tractor. While some may consider the little tractor under-powered – and, it certainly would be for larger work – it’s what I have. It has just enough horsepower, utilizing half of Henry Ford’s V8, to pull a 6-foot disk harrow under most conditions and has done an admirable job. However, creating a new plot site, much too remote and small such as this, would mean even the diminutive tractor would be too much.

 

The project actually began years ago, when I decided a tiny knob overlooking a swamp would be the perfect location for a secluded hunting hideout. The challenge was complicated by the fact that an old truck frame, complete with wheels and flat, dry rotted tires was discarded precisely on top of the tiny hill. Since it had been left there for so long, woody shrubs, vines, and trees had proliferated the area.

 

Rather than making a project out of removing the old iron, it was decided to build a hunting shack on top of the aging frame. Doing so meant a working path would have to be created to merely get to the location. With the laborious chore behind me, the functional shack was constructed and looks like a doodlebug right out of the Beverly Hillbillies – except for the non-functioning satellite dish.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Now it was time to tackle the menacing poison ivy, autumn olive, wild berry bushes, and anything else that was green. Fortunately, a few good friends were willing to battle the brush and when the chainsaws and perfectly capable DR mower were put away, the plot site had been cleared.Running the DR mower

 

That was last fall and since then, the wild plants grew back, as big and bad as ever, making visibility from the shack impossible, once again. As good as the DR mower is, it only mows brush down to about 5 inches or so, leaving problematic, tire-poking stubby growth everywhere. Since a clover mix was to be planted, it would be necessary to mow it throughout the years necessitating the removal of the tire spikes.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Back for another attack – this time with the Stihl KombiSystem hedge trimmer – the brush was busted right down to the ground and treated with a strong mix of Roundup (41 percent glyphosate.)

 

With a hand-spreader, fertilizer and pelletized lime has been applied and during the first week of August the clover and brassica seed will be broadcast to finish the remote ground-cover food plot. After that, it’s sit back, hide and watch for the years to come.

Hunting, Wildlife
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