Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Vermont: New Laws on Coyote Hunting with Dogs, Recovery of Game and Furbearers, and Trapping Best Management Practices

Hunters and trappers need to be aware of new legislation taking effect

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says three new hunting or trapping related laws passed by the Vermont Legislature during the 2022 session are going into effect.

Under the new laws: hunting coyotes with dogs and training dogs to hunt coyotes will be temporarily banned in Vermont starting July 1; the retrieval and use of game and furbearing animals by hunters and trappers are now required with some exceptions; and the Fish and Wildlife Department is beginning a process with the Fish and Wildlife Board and Legislature to identify and implement new best management practices for trapping in the state.

“These laws are the outcome of a collaborative approach by legislators and the Fish and Wildlife Department,” said Christopher Herrick, Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife. “Vermonters care deeply and sometimes disagree vehemently about topics like wanton waste, hunting with dogs, and trapping. The three laws passed this session show that good public process backed by good science can guide us towards compromises that benefit wildlife and people.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: UP Motorists Cautioned to Be on Lookout for Moose

Moose: A moose stands in a wetland area alongside U.S. Highway 41 in Marquette County.

Motorists traveling in the Upper Peninsula are being urged to keep an eye out for moose and to exercise extra caution when driving after dark.

Over the past week, five bull moose have been struck and killed by vehicles along portions of M-95 and U.S Highways 141 and 41 West in Marquette and Baraga counties.

“All of the moose killed were struck after darkness fell, when moose, especially the darker colored bulls, are more difficult for motorists to see,” said John Pepin, Michigan Department of Natural Resources deputy public information officer. “Each of these accidents occurred in areas marked with ‘moose crossing’ signs.”

Specifically, three crashes occurred on June 10, two in Baraga County and one in Marquette County. The incidents in Baraga County were located a mile west of Nestoria on U.S. Highway 41 and 1.5 miles south of Covington on U.S. Highway 141. The mishap in Marquette County happened on M-95, a half-mile south of its intersection with U.S. Highway 41. Read more

Wildlife

Montana: Biologists Set To Begin Grizzly Bear Captures For Research Purposes In The Southern Madison Mountains

BOZEMAN – As part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, is informing the public that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again beginning within the Gravelly and Madison Ranges of Montana. Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will begin work in southwest Montana beginning June 21st and will continue through July 30th. Capture operations can include a variety of activities, but all areas where work is being conducted will have primary access points marked with warning signs. It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs.

Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution and other activities are vital to ongoing recovery of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In order to attract bears, agency biologists use natural food sources such as fresh road-killed deer and elk. Potential capture sites are baited with these natural foods and if indications are that grizzly bears are in the area, culvert traps, or sometimes foot snares, will be used to capture the bears. Once captured, bears are handled in accordance with strict safety and animal care protocols developed by the IGBST and approved by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Whenever bear capture activities are being conducted for scientific purposes, the area around the site will be posted with bright warning signs to inform the public of the activities occurring. These signs are posted along the major access points to the capture site. It is important that the public heed these signs and do not venture into an area that has been posted. For more information regarding grizzly bear capture efforts call the IGBST trapping hotline at 406-994-6675. Information about the grizzly bear research and monitoring is available from the IGBST website: https://www.usgs.gov/science/interagency-grizzly-bear-study-team

Wildlife

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces 2022 Florida Python Challenge®

MIAMI — Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that registration for the 2022 Florida Python Challenge® has opened and the annual 10-day event will be held August 5-14, 2022. Members of the public are now able to take the required online training and register to compete to win thousands of dollars in prizes while removing invasive Burmese pythons from the wild. The competition is open to both professional and novice participants.

“The Everglades is one of the world’s most prized natural resources, and we have invested record funding for Everglades restoration projects, including record funding for removal of invasive Burmese pythons which wreak havoc on the ecosystem,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Because of this focus, we have removed record numbers of invasive pythons from the Everglades. I am proud of the progress we’ve made, and I look forward to seeing the results of this year’s Python Challenge.”

“The Florida Everglades is an iconic habitat in Florida and removing Burmese pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the species that live in this vast wild area,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, the FWC and our dedicated partners continue to have great success conserving our native wildlife and managing this invasive predator.” Read more

Wildlife

Fledging Time

Everyone enjoys seeing new fledglings, such as an Eastern Bluebird, and observing interactions with an adult (Wild Birds Unlimited photo).
During the post-fledging period, fledgling birds like these robins are fed and protected by the adults while they learn to fly and find food on their own (photo by Paul Konrad).

It’s an exciting time as the nesting season becomes more obvious with each passing day, and you may already be seeing some new fledglings that are leaving their nests. As fledglings appear, witnessing the successes of the nesting season is a wonderful experience and a fulfilling part of of providing nesting habitat in our yard, along with foods and fresh water for adults and fledglings. It’s a time we can all learn more about the behavior of birds when they venture beyond their nest, which is a time that’s not often described.

This week we’ve been watching the progress of a particular fledgling American Robin, that on first encounter looked like it was so young that it had fallen out of the nest. But it could fly short spurts to collect food from an attending adult. By the next day, it left its ground-based hangouts for low branches in nearby trees – obviously moving around and flying better. By day 3, it was beginning to stand in a more upright posture, which made it look larger and more adult-like in stature; and by day 4 the fledgling was flying especially strong and reacting immediately to human movements in the area.

And that’s what’s really fun about this time of the year: Everyone enjoys seeing new fledglings such as bluebirds, robins, cardinals, chickadees, screech owls, and others. Part of the learning process for birders is that by observing young birds when they leave the nest, we find out that fledglings are not on their own. The next step is really just a continuation of birds’ development known as the “post-fledging period,” which takes place after new fledglings leave the nest and continue to be protected and fed by adults.

The Post-fledging Period

During this interesting period, Read more

Wildlife

Growing network of radio stations provide important data on small animal migration

Iowa joined other Midwestern states, and researchers in Canada and Central and South America to create a network of radio receiver stations to learn more about the long-distance migration patterns of birds, bats and insects.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System, motus being the Latin word for movement, began in 2013 by Birds Canada near Toronto. Motus is a system of coordinated automated radio telemetry station used to track long-distance movements of small animals.

Automated antenna array connected to radio receivers are being installed throughout the Western hemisphere and birds, bats and insects are netted and trapped then outfitted with small tags that emit a radio signal every few seconds. When the tagged animal passes near a receiver station, it records the tag and identifies the animal to which it was attached. So multiple detections over time can build a map of migration for a tagged individual. Read more

Wildlife

Kirtland’s Warbler Tours in Michigan

Joining a Kirtland’s Warbler Tour will provide the best chance to observe a rare Kirtland’s Warbler in its jack pine habitat (photo by Roger Eriksson).

Michigan Audubon is conducting Kirtland’s Warbler Tours thru June 26 for birders to see a recovering species that was formerly one of the most endangered species in the United States. Kirtland’s Warblers remain a difficult species for birders to find considering that only a few counties in central Michigan represent its primary nesting range, but during June, Michigan Audubon in collaboration with Hartwick Pines State Park is offering Kirtland’s Warbler Tours daily at 7am, with an additional 11am tour on Saturdays and Sundays. The tours are based at Hartwick Pines State Park just north of the town of Grayling. Read more

Wildlife

Dogs that Learned to Love the Water

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

My pal, Joe, has a large German Shorthair dog which has learned to love the water.  Even though he had experienced a life-threatening experience not knowing how to swim properly, he has overcome his fears thanks to his owner, who coaxed him into his arms in deep water.  (Dogs that do the “dog paddle” have not learned to use their back legs and will tire before long.)  In any event, it’s a joy to watch the fearless canine, which will simply swim for the joy of it.

Watching Junior at a lake recently brought back memories of my black Labrador Retriever, Otis, about 50 years ago.  He suffered a similar experience and nearly drowned in the Au Sable River and carried with him the fear of deep water until one fine day frolicking around in a small creek chasing butterflies.  Then it happened.

He got caught in the current and was heading downstream and it was sink or swim!  Something within Otis instantly transformed his fear, as he engaged those hind legs and powered out of trouble.  He never looked back and became a strong swimmer.

Like many loyal dogs, he didn’t like being separated from his owner, who in this case was me.  What follows is a case in point.

The scene played out at a small lake in Oakland County, where my pal, Don and I planned to spend some time in my tiny inflatable boat fishing.  Otis was along for the trip but was to be left ashore, where I figured he’d be able to watch us.  I commanded Otis to stay, as Don and I took the “yacht” to deep water.

The farther away we paddled, the more Otis became concerned.  Back and forth along the shore he ran and barked.  “You stay there” I shouted across the water.  But, he wasn’t having any of it, as separation anxiety took over his brain.

Otis was motoring directly toward us now and there was no stopping him.  His plan was to join us in my two-man boat.  That little boat was barely big enough for two and we were headed for a sink-and-swim lesson of our own, as the dog did his best to climb aboard.

We poked at Otis with our paddles in a losing battle to keep him from his plan.  The frantic dog sunk his teeth into Don’s paddle and now owned it.  Foolishly, I tried to paddle away, but the dog’s will and pure muscle overpowered my single-paddle effort.  Like it or not, we were being escorted to shore, as Otis towed us against our will with a paddle full of teeth holes.

That was the end of our “fishing” excursion for the day – a true testament to the connection that can develop between man and his loyal companion.

General, Wildlife

Nuisance geese ruffling your feathers?

Canada geese are a common sight on Michigan’s waters. In fact, they nest in every Michigan county, but are most common in the southern third of the state. You may even see and hear Canada geese all year in some parts of the state.

In June and July, these birds often are found on lakes and golf course ponds, feeding on lush lawns while molting – the annual loss of their flight feathers, which takes about two weeks. Canada geese are unable to fly during molting, so putting up a temporary barrier between your yard and the water may help keep flightless geese away from your property. Geese are especially attracted to lawns that are heavily fertilized, watered and mowed.

“If you live on a lake and geese frequently visit your yard, try making your lawn less attractive to them by allowing your grass to grow long and cutting down on fertilizer and water, or try planting shrubs to create a barrier between your lawn and the water,” said Barbara Avers, waterfowl and wetland specialist with the DNR.

Intentionally feeding Canada geese can attract them to the area as well, so don’t – especially if you are having conflicts with geese. Such artificial feeding can make them comfortable around people; it also can increase overcrowding and potentially spread disease among the birds.

Read more

Wildlife

TACTACAM launches REVEAL X Gen 2.0 Cellular Camera

Caledonia, MN (June 1st, 2022) – Over the last several years, the market has seen a major shift, and now more hunters than ever are using the cellular option to scout and locate game. The REVEAL by TACTACAM continues to be at the forefront of helping hunters break away from the confines of SD cameras and elevate their scouting experience with cellular cameras. Now with the ever-expanding market for cellular scouting cameras, TACTACAM has continued to innovate and push the technology forward to meet consumer demands, introducing the REVEAL X Gen 2.0 in June 2022.

Jeff Peel, President of TACTACAM, “We absolutely love seeing how well the REVEAL products have been received and the following they have created. We feel a great responsibility to the new REVEAL cellular users, and work diligently to create new products and app features that will make the user experience better every year.”

The REVEAL X Gen 2.0 holds all the positive attributes of the REVEAL X but delivers new features combined with innovative technology making scouting easy, fun, and affordable for the everyday sportsman.

Key features of the REVEAL X Gen 2.0 include: Read more

Wildlife
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