Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

New Funding Encouraged for Non-Game Species

GW:  I find this proposal to be a sincere approach to the manner in which funding by animal-rights groups has been decimated through frivolous lawsuits by gaming the system.  Equal Access to Justice reforms have been stalled by Democrat leadership in the U.S. Senate by Harry Reid and will never happen, because his animal-rights supporters count on the money to fuel anti-hunting drives across the country.  “…Goals and actions [include] identifying and developing new sources of dedicated, long-term funding for federal, state, and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to support conservation and hunting…”

MISSOULA, Mont.- Four Boone and Crockett Club members are serving on a panel charged with developing new funding mechanisms for conservation. The goal is bridging the funding gap between game and nongame species – a concept heartily endorsed by the Club.

The 20-member Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources was announced at a recent Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies meeting.

Download Blue Ribbon Panel
brochure here.

The panel is co-chaired by Johnny Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops and regular member of Boone and Crockett Club. The panel also includes three professional members of the Club including Becky Humphries, Steve Williams and John Tomke. Read more

Animal Rights, Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Maine Bear Hunting Issues and HSUS

On Nov. 4, Maine residents will vote on Question 1, a ballot initiative foisted upon them by a special-interest group and funded almost entirely by out-of-state monies. At stake is the ability of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to properly manage black bear populations in the Pine Tree State. Question 1 seeks, in effect, to ban bear hunting. The initiative would make it illegal to hunt bears over bait, with dogs or by trapping. In the impenetrable forests of Maine, those three methods account for 93 percent of the yearly harvest from the state’s robust population of 30,000 black bears.

Question 1 would hamstring the fish and wildlife department’s ability to scientifically and effectively manage black bears in Maine. The consequences being an unhealthy increase in bear populations, increased human-bear conflicts, increased management costs to taxpayers and economic losses that reverberate throughout the state. This has proven true in other states where the Washington D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States, which has organized and funded more than 97 percent of the $2.1 million campaign, has successfully passed similar measures – most notably in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Ohio Confirms First Case of CWD in Captive Deer Herd

REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO – The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) today confirmed the first positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state in a captive deer herd in Holmes County. The state continues to take quarantine action to control the further spread of the disease. There is no evidence that CWD has affected the wild deer population in the state. Read more

Wildlife

New Bird Biology Website Awakens the Sense of Discovery

Enjoy interactive activities about bird song, feathers, and more

Ithaca, N.Y.-We know birds have feathers-but what are they made of, how do they work, and how many kinds are there? Birds sing songs-but how do they produce those sounds, what do they mean, and can you learn to identify birds by sound alone? If just knowing the name of a bird isn’t enough, then it’s time to make new discoveries at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Bird Biology website. The new site is designed to appeal to anyone who’s even a little bit curious about what makes birds tick. Read more

Wildlife

NRC Youth Conservation Council invites youth bloggers to share stories about Michigan’s great outdoors

One year after launching its blog, the Natural Resources Commission Youth Conservation Council is opening up that public platform – http://michiganycc.wordpress.com/ – to young outdoor voices across the state. The Youth Conservation Council, established by a Natural Resources Commission resolution in 2012, provides a forum where a diverse group or conservation-minded teens can talk about and take action to protect, promote and enhance Michigan’s outdoor recreation opportunities – including everything from hunting, fishing and trapping to hiking, wildlife viewing and camping.

The YCC blog was one of the council’s first projects, initially providing a place where members could share their own outdoor experiences. Now the Youth Conservation Council wants to hear from the rest of Michigan’s young outdoor enthusiasts. Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

How to Save A Hooked Shore Bird

Wherever fishermen and birds overlap, sooner or later a bird gets hooked or entangled in fishing line. What happens next will determine the fate of the bird: If the fisherman cuts the line, the bird likely will die from starvation, as its capacity to forage is impaired, or dehydration, if the line becomes entangled in the trees at its roost site. Or a savvy fisherman will reel the bird in, set it free, and save its life. But to protect him or her self from the bird, which will flap long wings, squawk loudly, and snap its beak, a fisherman needs to take some basic precautions:

Read more

Wildlife

11-year-old hunter bags rare albino deer

While it was once illegal to kill albino deer, it is perfectly legal now in Michigan as of 2008.

This amendment –

Removal of Protection for Albino and All-White Deer Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 8 of 2008 removes the protection for albino and all-white deer, and establishes the open/closed status for antlerless deer license sales for each DMU.

It is burdensome to the hunter to determine if a deer is an albino deer or meets the definition of an all-white deer while afield. There is no compelling scientific reason to protect these deer.

Details of the deer killed by an Oceola Twp. youngster are here…

 

Archery, Hunting, Wildlife

Texas Duo Convicted in Illegal Deer Breeding Operation

AUSTIN – The latest chapter in a decade long series of criminal and wildlife disease investigations involving a former South Texas deer breeder ended recently when a Corpus Christi area couple pleaded guilty to 50 charges of Unlawful Possession and/or Sale of Live Game Animals.

Frank Thomas Shumate Jr., 51, and Kalub Rogers Shumate, 31, were each assessed $14,127.50 in fines and agreed to surrender the ability to apply for a deer breeder permit or a hunting lease license for all time. Mr. Shumate also agreed to surrender his hunting license through the end of the 2015 license year and Ms. Shumate through the end of the 2017 license year. Read more

Wildlife

DNR joins Forest Service to treat oak wilt in northern Lower Peninsula

The Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service have joined forces to treat oak wilt on state and federal lands in the northern Lower Peninsula. The oak wilt suppression project is jointly funded with state and federal funds.

This year’s project will include areas of state forest land in Alpena, Benzie, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Missaukee, Otsego and Roscommon counties. Read more

General, Wildlife
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