KINGMAN, Ariz. – Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) wildlife officers never know what they’ll face from one day to the next.

Two weeks ago, the department’s radio dispatch center received a call about a deer fawn in Chloride, Ariz., that was covered in cholla cactus. They relayed the information to AZGFD wildlife officer Troy Moody in Kingman, who contacted the reporting party and was told the fawn typically came onto the person’s property around 2:30 p.m. each afternoon. Officer Moody arrived to find several deer, but the fawn was nowhere to be seen.

About 15 minutes later, however, the fawn and its mother approached the property. Officer Moody noticed the fawn had cholla spines by the hundreds all over its body, not just the clumps visible on its face. He was able to chemically immobilize the fawn and began removing the cholla while the fawn’s mother watched from a distance.

“Most concerning,” said Officer Moody, “were the spines in the fawn’s eyelids, nose, and mouth, keeping it from eating or drinking.”

After a lot of time—and plenty of cholla spines in his hands and legs—Officer Moody was able to remove all of the cholla from the fawn’s entire body. Read more

For the first time in more than 100 years, cougar cubs have been discovered living in the Michigan wild.

State biologists on Wednesday confirmed the existence of two cougar cubs on private land in Ontonagon County in the western Upper Peninsula. The spotted cubs, believed to be 7 to 9 weeks old, were verified from photographic evidence of the cubs taken March 6 by a local resident.

This is the first time cougar cubs have been verified since the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s, said Brian Roell, large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Roell, a wildlife biologist for 26 years, led the team that verified the cubs.

“It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states,” said Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. “It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this.” Read more

March 12, 2025

Washtenaw is now the 15th Michigan county where chronic wasting disease has been identified in the wild deer population, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. An adult buck found acting ill in Salem Township recently tested positive for CWD.

The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which works with the DNR to identify CWD in Michigan’s wild deer herd, confirmed the CWD finding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory, in Ames, Iowa, also confirmed the test result.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. The disease is chronic, slow developing, and spreads slowly across the landscape. To date, CWD has also been detected in wild deer in the following Michigan counties: Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm and Ogemaw.

Prior to focused CWD surveillance in Washtenaw County, voluntary sampling between 2016 and 2019 resulted in 824 deer tested. In 2021 and 2022, focused CWD surveillance efforts were conducted to gather additional samples, and 875 more deer were tested. While this is the first positive in Washtenaw County, 39 deer in neighboring Jackson County have tested positive for CWD, through combined DNR collections and direct hunter submissions to the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

“The expansion of chronic wasting disease to Washtenaw County is consistent with the slow spread we’ve seen throughout Michigan,” said Chad Fedewa, acting DNR deer, elk and moose management specialist. “This case was identified thanks to a resident who saw a deer that appeared ill and reported it to us. Every piece of data is valuable in helping us make science-based decisions to support Michigan’s wildlife. We are grateful that Michigan residents value deer and stay engaged in this way.” Read more

A male American Kestrel surveys the area outside a big nest box that a pair has adopted for the nesting season. Big nest boxes supplement the lack of safe, natural nesting cavities and help to reduce competition for nest sites.

A female Wood Duck perches atop a big nest box during an incubation break. You can position a big nest box for ducks near a wetland, or in the midst of a marsh.

For another level of birding fun, consider adding a big nest box to your property, or to a nearby park or nature center – with permission of course. Big nest boxes provide additional, safer nesting locations for large cavity nesting birds, including such impressive birds as Screech Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers. Large natural cavities suitable for these nesting birds are in especially short supply, and we can provide safer nesting options for larger cavity nesting birds by providing Big Nest Boxes with all the right features.

The larger cavity nesting birds – owls, kestrels, and ducks – primarily rely on large natural holes in tree trunks and large cavities in branches, but these are not always safe from predators like raccoons, large snakes, and tree squirrels. Large woodpecker cavities can be used by small owls and kestrels, but ducks can only use larger natural cavities that have a bigger entrance hole. Read more

Fire experts within the DNR occasionally plan strategic fires called prescribed burns to manage the ecosystem on state lands. These burns help control invasive species, improve wildlife habitat, promote healthy forests and grasslands, and reduce wildfire fuel.

Our stewardship team, comprised of foresters, wildlife biologists and other natural resources experts, develop detailed burn plans, ensuring responsible habitat management and enhanced recreational opportunities.

This means you may notice fire activity when visiting or driving by a state park this spring and summer. To sign up to receive prescribed burn updates in your inbox, visit the DNR’s Prescribed Fire page.

The “Prescribed Burns” story map – including stories, photos and videos – takes a detailed look at how prescribed burns work.

On Monday, March 3, 2025, it was announced that the latest (end-of-year 2024) population census of Mexican wolves had increased for the ninth straight year, to a record 286 wolves in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

To get a glimpse of the numerous activities that take place during the wolf count, including counting techniques, affixing radio collars, processing/health check, and release, see this video by David Majure of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s video production section:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaQnEdYOPpA Read more

This BirdCast live bird migration radar map shows the migration intensity at 12:30am early Monday morning, while the second BirdCast map below shows bird migration action at 8pm Monday evening (both images courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology).

Each spring and fall modern birders benefit from a package of 4 futuristic versions of online equipment with which we can glean information about bird migration night after night across the Lower 48 States. BirdCast provides an exceptional experience to monitor ongoing migrations each night and review migrations for any spring night flight, even alerting you to what species you can expect to see locally day by day. A favorite among the 4 webpages is the real-time migration analysis maps that show intensities of nocturnal bird migration as detected by the US weather surveillance radar network. Read more

2024 population survey revealed a minimum of 286 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico

The wild population of Mexican wolves saw another year of growth in 2024, according to the results of the annual census.

The 2024 population survey revealed a minimum of 286 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico. This increase marks the ninth consecutive year of population growth, the longest continuous streak since recovery efforts began.

The 2024 minimum count represents an 11% increase from the minimum of 257 wolves counted in 2023. Survey results show the population is distributed with a minimum of 162 wolves in New Mexico and 124 in Arizona. Read more