August 2023, Accokeek, MD – “The most difficult bird there is to hunt is the ruffed grouse,” says Darin Melton in the new Benelli short film Raising Habitat release. “Folks call them the King of the Woods; they call them the Ghost of the Woods. They figure out a way to elude you. One minute you think you got them figured out and the next minute you don’t. You’ll hunt eight, ten miles a day…one point, one find, one flush makes it worth it — makes you keep coming back to it.”

Within living memory, fans of the ruffed grouse once enjoyed plying the fall woods in search of this magnificent and challenging game bird, whose territory spanned much of the northern tier of the U.S. down through the Appalachians. Many changes, though, over the last half-century have contributed to a plummet in ruffed grouse populations throughout their traditional range. A recent study concluded that ruffed grouse populations have declined “at least 50% throughout the Eastern U.S. over the last 20 years.” Read more

Bats are everywhere! It may feel that way to some of Vermont’s human residents. Summer is when some species of bats gather in colonies, to raise their young in human-made structures such as houses, barns, office buildings, and bat houses but fall is the safe time to get them out.

“Summer is the time of year when the greatest number of unwanted bat-human interactions are reported,” according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s Small Mammals Biologist Alyssa Bennett, who works on the conservation and recovery of Vermont’s threatened and endangered bat species.

“Bats can end up in your living space for many reasons, including young bats that are weak, disoriented or lost while coming and going from the roost, bats moving within a structure to find warmer or cooler roosting space as temperatures fluctuate, and bats being displaced from their roosts due to building repairs and renovations.” Read more

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — As part of its 2023 investment in wild turkey research, the NWTF is helping fund, for the second year, a unique wild turkey research project conducted by Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

The research project utilizes recent advances in genetic analysis to better understand wild turkey ecology and how certain factors — such as hunting seasons, land type and management practices — can affect population densities.

In its second year, the project is improving estimates of various population data, which will allow state wildlife agencies and turkey managers to make better-informed decisions regarding management actions and hunting season frameworks, ultimately leading to a stronger population.

However, accurately gauging the number of wild turkeys on a particular landscape is complicated. Population estimates are often made using rough approximations that rely on anecdotal accounts, volunteer surveys and catch-per-unit information.

The other, more labor-intensive way wild turkey researchers and managers can estimate wild turkey numbers is by trapping and marking birds. While this method has provided valuable and insightful information for decades, it is expensive, takes a lot of personnel, is time-consuming and involves risks. Read more

The species’ remarkable combination of colors is evident in this Painted Bunting photo taken by David Hollie. Are you lucky enough to see male and female Painted Buntings at one of your seed feeders?

The oldest Painted Bunting on record was banded 14 years ago, and still returns to the same yard each spring (photo by Jim Konrad).

A program that enlisted the help of birders who attracted Painted Buntings to their feeding stations was initiated by a group of biologists centered in the Carolinas – the Painted Bunting Observation Team (PBOT) – a research program that banded and monitored buntings across the East Coast side of the species’ range. Feeder hosts let the group know when they were attracting Painted Buntings to their feeders, which would elicit a response by a team member to capture, band, and release the colorful songbirds to learn more about them.

Thereafter, the host birders recorded the activities of banded Painted Buntings at their feeders, sometimes over the course of years, which revealed information about their longevity, site fidelity, and other behaviors to the team, and to science. This all started 14 years ago, when Lex Glover, a retired wildlife biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Jamie Rotenburg, a professor at the University of North Carolina, started the PBOT. During that first season, one special male Painted Bunting was banded that would make this story even more significant.

After the Painted Bunting was banded, its activities were monitored and documented by Ann Knolte and Hank Stallworth at their feeding station at their stunning farmhouse surrounded by flower gardens in South Carolina. In fact, even after the PBOT program ended, Ann Knolte continued taking detailed notes of bunting behavior in her yard that included information about the banded bunting that continued to visit the area for years. Read more

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — For the third year, the National Wild Turkey Federation is hosting NWTF Conservation Week — Sept. 17-22 — to bring awareness and emphasis to its national conservation mission and the critical role hunters play in creating Healthy Habitats and Health Harvests.

“Conservation Week showcases the scope of our year-round mission delivery, which is made possible through our organization’s volunteers, staff and partners,” said NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff. “While the spring season may be over, our work to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage never stops. This is a week all about putting the spotlight on our incredible work and celebrating the people who make our unfaltering mission possible.” Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is concluding a two-year long investigation into illegally harvested and dealt ginseng. The operation involved the illegal trafficking of ginseng in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. The operation was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The investigation, which ran from 2018 to 2020, spanned 21 Ohio counties and resulted in 110 defendants being charged with a combined 259 violations. Charges included the illegal harvest of ginseng, falsification or failure to keep ginseng records, illegal purchase of ginseng, and harvest of ginseng without permission. During the investigation, seven individuals were charged for the manufacture, possession, or sale of illicit drugs.

Defendants in the case combined to pay $76,178 in fines and $21,633.05 in court costs, with an additional $20,871.68 in cash being forfeited. Courts ordered a total of 7,986 days of jail time; 2,068 days were served, and the rest was suspended. Those charged with drug-related crimes were ordered to serve 12 to 15 years in prison. Additional penalties included probation, community service, home confinement, suspension of ginseng dealer permits, and suspension of digging ginseng. Read more

Game Warden K9 Gordon and Game Warden Preston Pomerleau located a missing 64-year-old man early Thursday morning after he became lost behind the vacation house he was renting while looking for moose tracks.

At approximately 10:15 last night, the Maine Warden Service received a call that Donald Cook, age 64 of Harrisburg, Virginia, was reported missing by his family. The family had returned home to their rental place at about 3:30 and Cook was missing, and they could not find him despite searching for several hours.

Several game wardens responded to the scene to search for Cook at approximately 11:00 p.m. last night, including a warden K9. K9 Gordon and Warden Pomerleau searched the area, and after nearly two hours of searching, K9 Gordon located Cook in the woods at a little after 1:00 a.m. this morning, approximately one half mile from the rental home.

Cook was dehydrated and cold. Game Wardens gave Cook some water, and warm clothes, then assisted him out of the woods. Cook said he had gone out back to look for moose tracks, but got lost after he left the trail behind the house. Cook was examined by emergency medical personnel from Caribou Ambulance but did not need to be transported to the hospital and he was released.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted by the Aroostook Sheriff’s Office and caribou ambulance. This release will be updated if more information becomes available.

Private landowners from Missouri recently attended a workshop to learn about the importance of private land habitat management and the programs available to facilitate it.

The NWTF recently partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation to host 17 private landowners on a field-tour workshop in Wright County, presenting information about active management and its benefits for private landowners.

“While the terms forest and woodland are often used to mean the same thing in everyday language, they are two distinct habitats,” said Will Rechkemmer, NWTF Missouri wildlife biologist. “Forests have a predominately closed canopy and allow little light to reach the ground. Woodland habitats, however, have an open canopy that allows sunlight to reach the forest floor and allows native grasses and wildflowers to flourish, creating the early successional habitat that wild turkeys and many other species need. It enhances overall ecological value while providing landowners with better wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities. Restored woodlands also provide high quality nesting and brooding cover for wild turkeys, which is severely lacking across the landscape.” Read more