Hunter Attacked by Barn Owl
An Oklahoma hunter in a treestand was attacked by a barn owl and ends up with eye damage. His story is here…
Category: Wildlife
Goldfinch
African Conservation Leaders Deliver Strong Message to U.S. Government
Last week, Safari Club International Foundation held its 12th annual African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) in Livingstone, Zambia. Conservation leaders attending included wildlife management authorities from the nine African counties of Botswana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from the safari industry, NGO and wildlife science sectors.
The government representatives attending the AWCF delivered this week a letter to the Co-Chairs of the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Attorney General Eric Holder. The letter presents their
The letter recommends that the Task Force appoint Safari Club International Foundation to its Advisory Council to act as a liaison for the African governments who are the principle agents for conserving wildlife on their continent. “It is distressing that Africa’s governments were not included or even consulted on the U.S. government’s new Task Force to stop poaching. This policy decision of the U.S. government directly affects Africa’s communities, wildlife, and economies. To ignore these countries is an obvious misstep that needs to be rectified,” SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer said. Read more
Camping Fees Proposed to Increase for the 2015 Camping Season
The Parks and Recreation Division of the Michigan DNR has proposed adjustments to the State Park camping fees to take effect for the 2015 camping season. This could be approved by the DNR Director at the NRC meeting in December.
Red Swamp Crayfish Prohibited as Bait in Michigan
It has recently come to the attention of the DNR that anglers are purchasing red swamp crayfish from food markets and using them as live bait in the Grand River and Kalamazoo River. These species are considered highly invasive and have already been found in Ohio and Indiana. New restrictions were just enacted to protect Michigan’s waters from yet another invasive species.
Michigan’s first managed wolf hunt begins Friday
Michigan’s wolf hunt begins Nov. 15 in three distinct units in the Upper Peninsula. These units were designed around areas of chronic wolf-human conflict where other methods of controlling that conflict have proven ineffective. Read more
MINOX DTC 1000 Trail Camera with GSM
Trail cameras have become a vital tool for scouting out new and established hunting areas or keeping track of game, as well as for home and business security. Now, MINOX has taken them to a new level with the introduction of their DTC 1000 Trail Camera, with an integrated wireless GSM feature. Read more
Bald Eagle Shot Near Strandburg, South Dakota
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the shooting of an immature bald eagle six miles south and two miles east of Strandburg, South Dakota. The eagle was shot on or before October 31, 2013. Read more
Napier Outdoors Truck Tent Features Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity
NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Blend in with Napier Enterprises’ 57 Series Sportz Camo Truck Tent featuring Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity.
Why camp in an ordinary ground tent or an expensive RV when you can camp right in the back of your truck? The Sportz Camo Truck Tent assembles in the back of your open-bed pickup truck, creating a comfortable, restful sleeping area for two people with over 5.6 feet of headroom. With its patented sewn in floor, you won’t’ have to worry about cleaning out your truck bed before using it. Read more
The Circle of Life
By Glen Wunderlich
As consumers, we are all connected to nature. In this age of specialization, however, we go about our daily lives – commuting, turning wrenches, or punching keyboards or time clocks – never giving it much thought. But, for hundreds of thousands of Michigan firearms deer hunters heading afield on Friday, November 15th, that connectivity is renewed and realized no matter how obscure it has become through modern societal evolution.
For humans never having been exposed to the realities of the circle of life – sacrificing the lives of plants and animals so that we may live – it can be downright incomprehensible.
As an illustration, I am reminded of a family gathering in celebration of our granddaughter’s seventh birthday many years ago. Our favorite meals were selected – mine being trout. Sitting beside me, my granddaughter was introduced to just how stark our relation to nature can be, when the waitress placed the plate in front of me, complete with a rainbow trout from head to tail. “Grandpa! Grandpa! It’s a real fish!” she shrieked. You see, to her, fish were physically configured as squares.
Certainly, such a reaction is understandable to a youngster never having taken part in the procurement of one’s own food. To the ignorant, food comes from a store, just like money comes from an ATM; they’ve seen it with their own eyes. Perception has become their reality.
Yet, there is hope, as evidenced by an engaging young lady who participated in Michigan’s Liberty Hunt in September. At the Perry Youth Hunt Extravaganza, I noticed a vehicle backing toward the buck pole, obviously preparing to hang a deer.
A small girl only 9 years old, orange hat still in place, stepped out, as her hunting mentor/partner began to hoist her first buck for the many spectators to see. Movie camera in hand, I began my interview, when I was abruptly interrupted. “I have the heart in my pocket”, she offered unabashedly. When I asked what she was going to do with it, she was almost incredulous when she replied, “Eat it.”
Mere hours before, the youngster had taken a life. Yet, she was mature enough to understand the connection to life itself. In fact, she even field dressed the animal she would eventually consume.
Given that she may not be able to grasp how modern hunters are able to remove game while sustaining it, there is still plenty of learning ahead for her. But, at the age of 9, she’s wise beyond her years. She may not be able to understand that true conservationists/hunters may take from nature, while at the same time work diligently to give even more back. It’s what hunters do.
We hunt. We kill. We give back.
We love nature. We understand the balance of nature. Why else would we spend countless hours and dollars to preserve and protect it?
Some of us hunt for the meat, while others hunt for the adventure. Some of us don’t hunt at all.
It matters not, because in the end, we are all connected to the circle of life.
Note: Here is the video interview of the young hunter mentioned above:
Delaware Hires Former HSUS Employee as Director of Animal Welfare
Posted on November 7, 2013
Sportsmen and women of the state of Delaware are expressing concern after a former employee of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was recently appointed as the Director of the newly formed state office of Animal Welfare. Read more