Duck Breeding Population Estimates Show Promising Numbers

While just below last year’s record numbers, 2013 duck populations are still well above long-term averages

PRATT­- Duck populations are strong, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 2013 Report on Trends in Duck Breeding Populations. The preliminary estimate of total duck populations from the traditional survey area (northcentral United States, southcentral and northern Canada, and Alaska) is 45.6 million birds­- a six percent decrease from last year’s estimate of 48.6 million birds, but a 33 percent increase from the long-term average. In addition to estimating duck populations, the survey also examines habitat conditions. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Day 6 PlotWatcher Pro Technology

Day 6 Outdoors, an industry leader in time-lapse cameras, is challenging you to stop guessing where to hunt and use its PlotWatcher Pro instead. With time-lapse technology, HD capability and an unmatched battery life, the PlotWatcher Pro is the only tool you need to take the guesswork out of choosing a location for your treestand or ground blind. Read more

Hunting

ZEISS Announces The New CONQUEST RIMFIRE Riflescope

NORTH CHESTERFIELD, VA., July 24, 2013 – Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, the world’s leading manufacturer in high performance sports optics, is pleased to announce the launch of the new CONQUEST RIMFIRE 3-9×40 Riflescope. This new addition to the CONQUEST line is the perfect choice for various types of target plinking, small game or turkey hunting.

The product is based on the tried and tested, compact 1-inch CONQUEST line delivering bright images and generous eye-relief. CONQUEST RIMFIRE has ¼ MOA, is parallax adjusted for 50 yards, and features the Z-PLEX (#20) reticle in the second image plane for fast, precise shot placement on small targets. Read more

Firearms, Hunting

1.7 Million Acres Accepted for CRP, Acre Totals Now at 26-Year Low

Pheasants Forever has grave concerns regarding continued massive habitat losses through weakening CRP

Washington, D.C. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept 1.7 million acres offered under the 45th Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up, lowering Conservation Reserve Program total acreage to 26.9 million acres. Now at a 26-year program low, Pheasants Forever calls this depletion a modern low point for conservation, one which will have serious ramifications not only for wildlife, but for the nation’s soil and water quality as well. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

By Glen Wunderlich

Once again, it’s time to establish wildlife food plots.  According to experts, the first week in August is the best time to plant and if the soil has not been prepared, it’s now or never.

Success is never guaranteed, because Mother Nature holds the trump cards which can spoil the most valiant efforts.  If seeding can be timed with rainfall – either before or after – the plot has a chance.  But, it takes more than one soaking to establish plants, so watch the weather to minimize failure risk.

A few years ago, I became concerned that seed had actually been killed from lack of rain, so I replanted.  When the rain finally arrived, the double dose of seed was too much and excessive plants meant under-developed plants and a waste of expensive seed.  Sometimes there is no winning in this guessing game. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Now That’s a Woodpecker!

by Doug Reeves, assistant chief, DNR Wildlife Division

A crow-sized bird lit on the specially made suet feeder, a flash of white on its otherwise dark wings. A good look revealed a long beak, bright red crest on the head and mostly white neck and throat. A pileated woodpecker! That would be a good sighting any day. At this location though, it is a regular occurrence because the suet bags are attached to a rough-sawn board that makes a great place for the big woodpeckers to grip so they can feed. They come every day to this spot.

 

pileated woodpeckerWhen you see your first pileated woodpecker, your thought might well be, “Now that is a serious woodpecker!” Michigan’s other woodpeckers are substantially smaller, starting with the downy and working up through the hairy, red-headed, black-backed and red-bellied woodpeckers and also including the migratory yellow-bellied sapsucker and northern flicker for good measure. Over the years several people have insisted to me that they have seen ivory-billed woodpeckers in Michigan. Ivory-billed woodpeckers never did nest in Michigan, and if they still exist at all, anywhere, they are extremely rare. There is no doubt that our birds are pileateds. Read more

Wildlife
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