Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
The National Trappers Association, a partner of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will hold its annual convention in Escanaba Thursday, July 24 through Sunday, July 27, at the Upper Peninsula state fairgrounds. Read more
Piping plovers are special and beautiful birds – there are only 50-60 nesting pairs in the entire Great Lakes area and less than 7,000 individuals worldwide. Cryptically colored for a life among rocky and sandy soil, these birds can be distinguished from most other shorebirds by their black headband and the single black band around their neck. They may legitimately be described as “cute” throughout their lives.
The Great Lakes population of piping plovers is one of only three small populations in the U.S. During the winter all of these birds congregate on the Gulf Coast, but they travel to the separate areas during the breeding season. When it comes time to nest, piping plovers prefer gravelly beaches. Nests can be found on the Michigan shorelines of the Great Lakes, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, from early April through mid-August.
Disturbance can cause the birds to abandon their nests. Serious threats to these birds include dogs and careless off-road driving. Raccoons and raptors are common natural predators.
Both parents participate equally in incubating (sitting on) the eggs. When it is time to trade duties, one bird hops off and quickly runs away while the other scurries over and pops onto the nest, quite a comedic sight. Comedians and occasionally actors, piping plovers have a clever distraction tactic when threatened by a predator. Adult birds act as if their wing is broken and wobble and chirp to draw the predator away from their nest. Once the predator has been duped the bird flies off! Read more
WASHINGTON- Officials from Ducks Unlimited (DU) voiced strong support for the Federal Duck Stamp Act of 2014, a bill introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate that would raise the price of the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) to $25 from its current level of $15. Read more
DALLAS — Reacting to egregious, alleged violations in hunting ethics and laws, Tanzanian wildlife officials have revoked all hunting licenses and concessions for Green Mile Safari Co. The Dallas Safari Club (DSC) had urged the crackdown and is praising the move as a strong step for hunting and conservation.
According to media reports, the safari company, a private outfit owned by United Arab Emirates families, is threatening to sue the Tanzanian government for lost revenue caused by the revocation.
Allegations against Green Mile include hunting with automatic weapons, hunting female and young animals, using vehicles to chase and knock down animals and hunting protected species. Read more
The Department of Natural Resources has banded 15 peregrine falcon chicks in the Southeast Region this spring. The Southeast Region, extending from the Ohio border to the Thumb, includes Monroe, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Jackson, Washtenaw, Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay and Huron counties.
At about three weeks of age and before they can fly, peregrine falcon chicks are given two bands on their legs – one bi-colored band with large numbers that can be read from a distance and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Band, which is usually purple and bears a serial number specific to that bird. These bands are placed on young birds so that scientists can monitor and track the dispersal, migration, life span, reproductive success, behavior and population growth of the falcons. Read more
Let’s face it, sometimes planting in the late summer through the early fall can be tough. Except for the extreme North, the ideal planting time for cool season food plots coincides with three of the driest months of the year, August-October. Much of the country starts seeing the summer thunderstorms dry up around the first of August. With many landowners, hunting clubs, and outfitters planting in August and September, the conditions can be really dry. With the absence of rain in the forecast and soil moisture being almost non-existent, a lot of folks will have fields that are not up and growing until late fall. Not having a nice, lush, tender field to hunt over on opening day of bow season seems like the worst thing to some guys, but don’t give up yet. Late planted plots can be plenty effective for attracting deer and also providing cold season nutrition. Read more
The Department of Natural Resources today announced that Sleepy Hollow State Park’s newest cabin, complete with plenty of features to offer a relaxing stay at this popular mid-Michigan park, is now available for reservations. The cabin is nestled atop a hill near the beach and offers a beautiful view of Lake Ovid. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
When Michigan’s new hunting and fishing license structure was introduced, along with increases in license fees, reactions were predictably mixed. With jaundiced eyes, many of us took a wait-and-see attitude.
With the cost of food and fuel at all-time highs, who wants to pay more for anything? Nobody. Government, on the other hand, likes to employ code words and phrases, such as “investments in the future” to soothe our trepidation. “Grants” is another word which meets with widespread approval from those on the receiving end but raises suspicion from those funding them – and, in this instance, it’s the outdoors enthusiasts that pay to hunt and fish.
Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has expanded its efforts to do what it said it would do with our money through the issuance of wildlife habitat grants, specifically designed to enhance food and cover for deer on private land. Again, this is only one means cited in a dizzying array of grant programs available to applicants, but evidence of the new thinking has already materialized. Read more
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New Haven, MO – Browning Camping introduces the Shadow Hunter Blind Chair for 2014 offering the ultimate in adjustability and comfort for the blind this fall. This blind chair is perfect for hunting in a permanent blind or to be used in a pop-up hunting blind on the ground The Shadow Hunter blind chair features a silent 360° swivel seat that is equipped with a sturdy base and a TechMesh seat with a backrest for unmatched comfort. When hunting on uneven ground, the Shadow Hunter has independently adjustable legs and large swivel feet to help with positioning that prevents the feet from sinking in. The Shadow Hunter has an adjustable seat height from 17”-23”, and has a weight capacity of 275 pounds. The Shadow Hunter blind chair has an MSRP of $119.99 Read more
Have you ever had a really nice food plot that the deer just didn’t seem to use that much, especially during the daylight? One really easy way to encourage whitetails to use a food source is making them feel safe. The older age class of both bucks and does can be really shy of big, open fields or food plots that are void of close cover. Here are a few suggestions you can try to make your food plots as effective as possible. Read more