Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
ATHENS, Ga. — The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is holding a Post-Convention Online Auction with 20 items up for bid including hunts, fishing trips, deer hunting equipment, NASCAR tickets and more. The online auction is now open and will run through Tuesday, September 9 at 3 p.m. ET.
The Post-Convention Online Auction can be accessed by clicking here.
Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act now law, renders anti-hunting referendums moot
LANSING, MI – The Michigan House of Representatives passed the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act today with a bipartisan vote of 65-43 . The citizen initiative, which passed the Senate on August 13 and was supported by the signatures of almost 300,000 registered voters, allows the Natural Resources Commission to name game species and issue fisheries orders using sound science, creates a $1 million rapid response fund to prevent Asian carp, and provides free hunting and fishing licenses for active military members.
“We are very thankful to the legislators who voted for sound science, the voters who signed the petition, the organizations who supported it, and the tireless volunteers who collected the signatures of almost 300,000 registered Michigan voters,” said Dan Eichinger, executive director for Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “This is an important step to protecting the rights to hunt, fish and trap in Michigan from radical animal rights organizations.”
The initiative also renders moot two referendums sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a Washington, D.C.-based anti-hunting organization, which sought to repeal two bills that would allow a regulated hunting season for wolves in certain areas of the Upper Peninsula where they have killed pets, dogs and livestock. Because the initiative contains an appropriation, it is not subject to a third referendum by HSUS or its front group, Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
“We thought it was important to listen to the will of the 300,000 registered voters who brought this initiative to us,” said Representative Jon Bumbstead (R-Newago). “This is about more than wolves. It’s about protecting the rights of our constituents to hunt and fish by managing our fish and wildlife with sound science.”
Passage of the citizen initiative settles the wolf hunt controversy, which has moved back and forth over the past two years, providing the certainty that Department of Natural Resources biologists need to move forward with wolf management.
Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management is a coalition of conservation, hunting, fishing and trapping groups and individuals including the Michigan chapters of Safari Club International, the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association, the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, the Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance, U.P. Whitetails, Inc., the U.P. Bear Houndsmen, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the United States Sportsmen’s Alliance. The act has also received the endorsement of the National Wildlife Federation, the Michigan Salmon and Steelhead Fishermen’s Association, the Lake St. Clair Walleye Association, the Lake St. Clair chapter of Muskies, Inc., and numerous local conservation groups throughout Michigan.
The usual suspects are bellyaching about wildlife officials working with hunters to take out some wolves after their attacks have killed some 17 sheep in five attacks. Details are here…
The Department of Natural Resources, along with the Harsens Island Waterfowl Hunters Association, will host a swap meet Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DNR Wildlife Field Office, at the corner of Columbine and Voakes on Harsens Island, Michigan.
Hunters, anglers and trappers can buy, sell and trade gear, including duck and goose calls, decoys, boats, motors, traps, fishing lures, waders and more. This free event will be fun for the whole family. Read more
September 1-7 marks the first early teal hunting season that Michigan has seen in nearly 50 years.
Barbara Avers, waterfowl and wetlands specialist for the Department of Natural Resources, talks about this great opportunity for waterfowl hunters. Click the play button to find out more!
August 25, 2014 (Washington, D.C.) – Efforts led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) over the last two years in Michigan have put the state’s ability to properly manage its natural resources at risk. Thankfully, those from Michigan’s sportsmen’s community and the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus have joined forces to combat HSUS’s objective of stripping the Natural Resource Commission’s (NRC) authority to manage wildlife based on scientific principles. These sportsmen efforts translated into nearly 300,000 certified signatures in support of enacting the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (SFWCA). This citizen-initiated law will safeguard the NRC’s authority to manage Michigan’s fish and wildlife using the best available science.
On August 13, the Michigan Senate demonstrated its commitment to conservation by voting in favor of the SFWCA. The decision now goes to the House of Representatives, whose approval would codify the SFWCA without the need for the governor’s signature. Lack of approval would send the SFWCA to the November ballot for popular vote where the emotionally charged and ill-informed campaigns of HSUS could sway voters from making the best decision for Michigan’s wildlife resources. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
Before the internet days, most of our information came from the printed word in the form of newspapers, magazines, and books. Back in the ‘80s, a friend, Don, introduced me to The Varmint and Crow Hunter’s Bible by one Bert Popowski (1962) – a 185-page collection of black and white photos, drawings and expert advice on varmint hunting strategy. I was able to borrow the book and gobbled up and digested as much as possible about crow hunting, in particular.
So exciting were the revelations to me, that I shared some of the wisdom with a work associate and let him take the book home to review. That’s the last time I ever set eyes upon the how-to reference manual. And, when it came time to break the news of the book’s disappearance to Don, I could sense the disappointment; he cherished the book, as well.
Many years later, I was able to obtain a copy of the book from ebay and decided to wrap it up as a Christmas gift for Don. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he exclaimed that the “present” was the best gift he had ever received. As I’m sure anyone will understand – given the circumstances of my generous giving – I sure couldn’t ask to borrow the book again, so I found a copy for myself and have held it closely ever since. (By the way, the book is available in used format yet today on sites such as Amazon for a couple of bucks!)
Ol’ Bert was knocking down crows by the hundreds on a good day and tallied some 80,000 to 100,000 crows in his lifetime. And, he did it without aid of electronic calls and battery-operated decoys. He mastered the myriad crow calls and enticed them within close range through mouth-blown calls in a day when there was no closed season or limit on the number that could be taken.
Crows have since been protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1975 – a federal act resulting from a formal treaty signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, under this act, crows may be controlled without a federal permit when found “committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance.” In addition, states are permitted to regulate crow hunting through established seasons of no more than 120 days per year; Michigan’s seasons are August through September and February through March.
One question frequently asked is why one would hunt crows. I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten crow voluntarily – only figuratively. However, when it comes to crows – those critters that spread diseases, destroy agricultural crops, and kill baby song birds and eat the eggs of game birds – it’s not about what I eat; rather, it’s about what they eat and destroy.
Recently, I watched helplessly, as a lone crow robbed the nest of robins and flew off with a newly hatched baby bird. All the neighboring birds could do was scream bloody murder. All I can do is to fight back with my shotgun.
No doubt, few will measure up to the likes of Bert Popowski, but in our own way, we can even the score incrementally, while honing our wing shooting in the “off season” that’s now in. For those in states other than Michigan, make sure to check your regulations.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – They were almost absent from Ohio until 2009. But since then, the number of blacklegged ticks found in Ohio has grown significantly. The bad news: Blacklegged ticks carry Lyme disease.
A new study conducted by Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health has found that blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease are now an emerging public health concern in Ohio, as tick populations carrying the disease have become established, particularly in the eastern half of the state.
“Ohio had a low incidence of human Lyme disease, which is largely attributed to the absence of the transmitting vector, the blacklegged deer tick, in the state, ” said Glen Needham, professor emeritus of entomology in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and one of the study’s authors.
“However, evidence presented in this study suggests that the blacklegged deer tick is becoming established in certain areas of Ohio. ” Read more
On state-managed land in southern Marquette County, there stands a grove of nearly 500 mature Siberian crabapple trees that are thriving – branches heavy with fruit, ready to feed a variety of wildlife this fall, including deer, bear, ruffed grouse, turkeys and songbirds.
The trees will provide a critical food source for wildlife still recovering from a tough, long winter and late spring – a time when the presence of abundant mast (fruit and nut)-producing trees and shrubs can make or break the game of survival in the Upper Peninsula.
While the crabapple trees today look like a natural part of the state forest’s landscape, they actually were hand-planted by Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division staff in 1983 as part of an effort to enhance habitat in forest openings – a goal that remains a priority for the Wildlife Division today.
In fact, in 2014 Wildlife Division staffers in the Upper Peninsula were able to greatly ramp up tree and shrub planting efforts for the first time in years due to recent increases in hunting license fees and the addition of the $11 base license required of all hunters, which specifically funds improvement of habitat and hunting opportunities. Read more
Washington D.C. – Today, Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister, Jean Kapata, announced that the ban on hunting, which was enacted in January 2013, has been lifted. Safari Club International (SCI) and SCI Foundation maintained that the ban was counter-productive to the conservation needs of Zambia, and today’s decision should be heralded as a win for sustainable-use conservation.
“SCI and SCI Foundation commend Minister Kapata on his decision,” said SCI Foundation Joe Hosmer. “Like most range states, Zambia relies on hunting revenue for most of their conservation funding, so maintaining sustainable hunting is crucial to their wildlife’s survival.” Read more