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FINDLAY, OH -Two Seneca County men were sentenced in July for the illegal taking of a deer in the 2009 deer hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Restitution of $4625 was ordered paid by Judge Mark Repp of the Tiffin Municipal Court. The revised restitution law went into effect March 2008 and allows the ODNR Division of Wildlife to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested wildlife.

Tyler J. Nye, 22, and Derek M. Depinet, 20, of Republic, Ohio pled no contest in the Tiffin Municipal Court. Nye was charged with aiding another in jacklighting, failure to immediately attach a temporary tag, provide false information to a check station, use a falsified temporary deer tag, hunting before/after hours, hunt deer with an unlawful firearm, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway, and from the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office receiving stolen property (for stolen Wildlife Area signs). Depinet was charged with jacklighting, possession of an untagged deer, aiding another in the hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, and aiding another in shooting from the roadway. Nye paid $1656 in fines and court costs, was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 40 days suspended (20 days jail served), lifetime revocation of his hunting rights, and restitution of $4625 for the deer. Depinet paid $1513 in fines and court costs, was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, and a 2 year revocation of his hunting rights. A deer head and a New England Firearms .22-250 rifle with scope were forfeited to the state.

Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Laporte County, Indiana
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect that kills ash trees, has been detected in LaPorte County. Infested ash trees were detected during an inspection of a nursery and, after the insect was confirmed, the trees were destroyed.

State entomologist Phil Marshall has recommended that movement of regulated ash material and hardwood firewood within LaPorte County be limited to reduce further spread of the insect. The process to quarantine LaPorte County has been started. The start of the official quarantine will be announced later. To view quarantined areas and EAB sightings in Indiana, see http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/5349.htm

The EAB quarantine in LaPorte County will restrict the movement of regulated ash materials outside of the county, including whole ash trees, limbs, branches or debris of ash trees 1 inch or more in diameter, ash logs or untreated ash lumber with bark attached, and cut firewood of any hardwood species. These materials may be moved within the LaPorte County, but special permission in the form of a signed compliance agreement must be obtained from the Indiana DNR to move regulated materials outside the county borders. A compliance agreement can be applied for by contacting the Indiana DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at (317) 232-4120.

EAB, first found in Indiana in 2004, has now been identified in 38 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Brown, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Noble, Orange, Porter, Randolph, Ripley, St. Joseph, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Washington, Wells, White and Whitley.

In addition to the state-level quarantine, all of Indiana is under a federal quarantine that prohibits the movement of regulated material out of Indiana without a compliance agreement or permit from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For a federal compliance agreement application, contact USDA-APHIS at (765) 497-2859.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Work on this season’s deer food plots began a few months ago – in May to be exact – when last year’s annual plots ran their natural course and weeds took over. With a non-selective herbicide application in mid-May, followed with another approximately two weeks later, all but the toughest weeds succumbed, although some desirable clover survived. Another venture into farming for deer was well under way.

Once the ugly weeds turned brown and were undeniably dead, it was time to disk the food plots. According to Ed Spinazzola, author of Ultimate Deer Food Plots, disking no deeper than 4 inches is the way to go. Plowing is not advised in Ed’s book and we have found that it is unnecessary. While plowing is understandable to break up tangled weed structure and heavy soil, it has a way of moving valuable top soil to lower levels where it cannot be utilized. And, when soils are weak and contain substantial amounts of sand, a little topsoil can sure help to hold much-needed moisture for germination and beyond. It doesn’t help to bury it!

That’s why we go along with the light disking operation to cut up the fully decomposed weeds and their roots. In years past, fertilizer and lime applications were made at planting time, but this year I managed to get the job done immediately before disking, which is the preferred method. Oh, how the weeds began to flourish shortly thereafter; they must have loved all the fertilizer and lime, because they shot up like Jack’s beanstalk. Never fear, however, one more spray was in order before planting, but no more tillage. Although the final and third spray could be applied the day of seeding, it was done one week prior.

The disking operation had left the ground somewhat uneven – certainly not conducive to a good, smooth seedbed, so I began the seeding day with a pass of the cultipacker behind my 62-year-old Farmall Cub. With the new hard-maple, wood bearings recently installed, which had been soaked in boiled linseed oil and then thoroughly greased, the cultipacker smoothed out the ground without any further tillage. This is important if you want to minimize weed growth. Tillage at this point may make the soil look “clean”, but it also gives dormant weed seeds a better chance at life.

The next step was to broadcast the brassica mix (and even some winter peas and forage oats) over the soil with a hand-held spreader. If you are up for a brisk workout, time can be minimized by a quick pace and fast hand-cranking. Seed is spread about 8 feet from one end to the other. It’s important not to overdo the seeding however, because too many plants only crowd each other and stunt growth. It’s best to set the gauge on the light side and have some left over. The remaining seed can then be cut back a little more and broadcast again. Since the peas and oats are much larger seeds than the tiny brassica mix, a second pass with a calibration change on the spreader was necessary.

The final step simply involved one more pass with the Cub and cultipacker. With fingers crossed, I now wait for Mother Nature’s help. Some people question the rationale of planting in August, but we know better and so do the deer and other wildlife that feast on the bounty throughout the fall and winter.

Montana wildlife officials decried today’s federal court decision that placed the recovered Rocky Mountain gray wolf back on to the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

“We believe we made arguments to the judge that he could have relied on to uphold the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist the wolf,” said Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “We will carefully examine the ruling to determine what options remain open to Montana’s wildlife managers.”

While today’s decision by Federal District Judge Donald W. Molloy in Missoula takes away state management of the wolf, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission officially asked FWP to immediately appeal the ruling to the 9th Circuit Court and to aggressively seek management options with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“If we understand the ruling correctly, Judge Molloy is telling the federal government that because Wyoming still doesn’t have adequate regulatory mechanisms to manage wolves, you can’t delist the wolf in Montana and Idaho.” Maurier said. “We simply can’t manage wildlife successfully in that environment. We must have the ability to manage wildlife, to do our job, to seek a balance among predator and prey. As a practical matter, as wildlife managers, we need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day.”

Today’s federal court decision reinstates Endangered Species Act protection for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, with federal law guiding Montana’s wolf management options. With today’s ruling, a general wolf hunting season in Montana is prohibited.

Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains were removed from federal protection in March 2009, a decision that was almost immediately challenged by a coalition of 13 groups seeking to put wolves back on the endangered species list.

The recovery of the wolf in the northern Rockies is one of the fastest endangered species comebacks on record. In the mid 1990s, to hasten the overall pace of wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies, more than 60 wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.

The minimum recovery goal for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains was set at a minimum of 30 breeding pairs-successfully reproducing wolf packs-and a minimum of 300 individual wolves for at least three consecutive years. This goal was achieved in 2002, and the wolf population has increased every year since.

The wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountain Recovery Area, which comprises parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, was estimated to be at least 1,706, with 242 packs, and 115 breeding pairs at the end of last year. About 525 wolves were estimated to inhabit Montana, in 100 packs and 34 breeding pairs.

Contact:
Ron Aasheim, (406) 444-4038; Dave Risley, 406-444-9817; or visit FWP’s Web site at fwp.mt.gov

“After reviewing Ms. Kagan’s record and testimony at her confirmation hearing, the GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA concluded that, ‘The available evidence portrays her as a forceful advocate of restrictive gun laws and driven by political considerations rather than rule of law.'” — Sen. John Thune (R-SD), August 5, 2010

Applications for antlerless deer licenses in areas with restricted quotas are on sale through Sunday, August 15, at all license vendors or online.

In all, 776,500 antlerless deer licenses will be available in 2010, an increase from 728,100 last year. The number of both public- land and private-land licenses has been increased.

Hunters will find fewer antlerless licenses available in the Upper Peninsula. In 2009, 12 U.P. Deer Management Units (DMU) did not have antlerless deer licenses. This year 17 DMUs will not offer them.

In the northern Lower Peninsula, antlerless permits have increased somewhat, largely due to more licenses available on private land on the east side of the region. Five DMUs will not offer antlerless licenses, compared to four in 2009. All private-land licenses for DMU 487 – which includes Alpena, Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle counties – may be used throughout the DMU. There will not be any private-land licenses for the sub-unit DMUs within DMU 487. As another option for taking antlerless deer only within DMU 487, hunters in the unit may use an antlerless or combination license for antlerless deer within the Nov. 15-30 firearm season or the Dec. 10-19 muzzleloader season.

In southern Michigan, where deer populations remain significantly above goal, the number of available antlerless licenses has been increased. As with the change made for DMU 487, all private-land licenses for DMU 486 – the multi-county unit which includes all but six DMUs in southern Michigan – will be good throughout the DMU. There will not be any private-land licenses for the sub-unit DMUs within DMU 486.

Applications, which remain on sale through Aug. 15, are $4. Hunters may apply for just one antlerless license.

By Steve Hickoff

Need some hunting action? Check your state’s regulations. Chances are there’s a crow season slot offered sometime soon. Local to my northern New England home base, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont all offer August options. Maybe your hunting location does too.

Some history: Back in the 1970s, crows were first recognized as migratory game birds. These days states around the country establish seasons. Summer offerings, and split-season fall or even winter time periods, aren’t uncommon. Typically springtime nesting periods offer a break in the action, but hey we’re usually busy with the turkeys. Crows even help us find gobblers then. How do you hunt crows now? A few ideas follow:

DECOYING: Decoying is crucial to your crow hunt. Crow-hunting traditionalists use the classic owl decoy trick, as the birds are arch enemies, but I’ve learned that varying tactics is required if you hunt one area frequently. Plastic-bodied crow fakes work fine when established in front of a treeline you can hide in. Blinds (natural are best) are essential as crows are wary as wild turkeys, and they can view you from above as well. To enhance decoy sets, we’ve used a propped-up fox pelt in a field, a deer hide (as if to imitate downed carcass-imitating crow food), plastic eggs, and so on, anything that might draw in a crow’s curious attention. As always, check state regulations.

CALLING: Electronic crow calling, peppered with your own real imitations, works too. Set it nearby in your blind. As calling goes, with decoys in place, calm, still mornings work best. You can begin with casual vocalizations, work in excited calls, and also the slam dunk of them all, the wailing moan of a distressed crow. So-called dying rabbit predator calls draw their attention too. Fooling them into range is half the fun. Shooting, often between a roost and feeding area, rivals the best that waterfowling can offer. Really. It’s fast-shooting action, and a real challenge.

As with all forms of hunting, it pays to scout as you would for any other species. Late-summer sees migratory groups gathering as they shift ranges. This is a super time to decoy and call them. I have yet to encounter a farmer who hasn’t granted permission to hunt crows.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis announced the discovery of a well-established Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation in northern Ulster County that includes land within the Catskill Park’s Forest Preserve. EAB is a small but destructive beetle that infests and kills North American ash tree species, including green, white, black and blue ash.

The discovery comes as a result of surveying efforts by DEC, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) and the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) after the initial discovery of an adult EAB specimen in Saugerties on July 15.

“This latest discovery of EAB is particularly troubling because it occurred within the boundaries of one of the state’s two constitutionally protected forest preserves,” Commissioner Grannis said. “This should be a wake-up call for everyone who enjoys New York’s forests and woodlands. We know that the transportation of firewood causes the spread of this destructive pest, so everyone should do their part to protect our trees: Don’t transport firewood. Buy your wood locally.”

Staff from DEC, APHIS and DAM have begun further investigative surveying of the initial site and the surrounding area. Evidence of EAB has since been found at a total of 19 sites spread over an area of approximately 15 square miles, encompassing the Ulster County towns of Saugerties, Ulster, Kingston, Woodstock and Hurley. Infested trees are now estimated to be in the hundreds and the center of the infestation appears to be in the vicinity of the hamlet of Ruby.

EAB has also been confirmed in two new counties. A specimen on private land in Catskill, Greene County, was confirmed this week and is likely an extension of the Ulster County infestation. The agencies confirmed the presence of EAB in a federally-deployed trap on a public right-of-way in Caledonia, Livingston County. Staff are continuing surveys to delineate the EAB presence in those and surrounding areas.

“New York State and our partners are evaluating the options available to us and learning from the experiences of other states that have battled EAB,” said Director of DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests and New York’s State Forester Robert K. Davies. “Our strategy will focus on measures that have been shown to slow the spread of EAB infestations. Meanwhile, in order to protect our forest resources, we want to re-emphasize that the public can help by complying with our restrictions on firewood movement.”

It is suspected that the spread of EAB is primarily due to the movement of infested firewood and wood products from one place to another. The recent discovery of EAB within the Catskill Forest Preserve is a reminder that many of New York State’s forests and parklands are high-risk areas due to firewood movement by campers. Identification of dead and dying ash trees, especially within popular campgrounds and parklands, may require additional measures to ensure the safety of campers and other visitors.

New York has more than 900 million ash trees, representing about 7 percent of all trees in the state.

DEC is receiving significant cooperation from the state Department of Transportation and Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation and numerous other educational and not-for-profit partners. In response to the new EAB detections, DEC has also requested assistance from the state’s Forest Products Industry in restricting the movement of ash.

GW: Reference previous post below this one…

NEWTOWN, Conn.-The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, has announced its opposition to a petition filed today with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking to ban the use of traditional ammunition, containing lead-core components, by America’s sportsmen and women. The petition, filed by several agenda-driven groups including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), erroneously claims that the use of traditional ammunition by hunters is inconsistent with the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. The petition goes on to suggest that the use of traditional ammunition poses a danger to wildlife, in particular raptors such as bald eagles, that may feed on entrails or unrecovered game left in the field.

“There is simply no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations that would require restricting or banning the use of traditional ammunition beyond current limitations, such as the scientifically based restriction on waterfowl hunting,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti.

Helping to demonstrate the validity of Sanetti’s statement are recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) showing from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

Also fueling concerns over the CBD petition is the likely ramification a ban on traditional ammunition would have on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding and the financial backbone of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The bald eagle’s recovery, considered to be a truly great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition – the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

“Needlessly restricting or banning traditional ammunition absent sound science will hurt wildlife conservation efforts as fewer hunters take to the field,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “Hunters and their ammunition have done more for wildlife than the CBD ever will. And the CBD’s scientifically baseless petition and endless lawsuits against state and federal wildlife managers certainly do not serve the wildlife that the organization claims to protect.”

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,500 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.
Contact:

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C.- A coalition of conservation, hunting and veterinary groups today filed a formal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a ban on the use of toxic lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle. Major efforts to reduce lead exposure to people have greatly reduced the amount of lead in the environment, but toxic lead is still a widespread killer in the wild, harming bald eagles, trumpeter swans, endangered California condors and other wildlife.

“It’s long past time do something about this deadly – and preventable – epidemic of lead poisoning in the wild,” said Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Over the past several decades we’ve wisely taken steps to get lead out of our gasoline, paint, water pipes and other sources that are dangerous to people. Now it’s time to get the lead out of hunting and fishing sports to save wildlife from needless poisoning.”

An estimated 10 million to 20 million birds and other animals die each year from lead poisoning in the United States. This occurs when animals scavenge on carcasses shot and contaminated with lead bullet fragments, or pick up and eat spent lead-shot pellets or lost fishing weights, mistaking them for food or grit. Some animals die a painful death from lead poisoning while others suffer for years from its debilitating effects.

“The science on this issue is massive in breadth and unimpeachable in its integrity,” said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy. “Hundreds of peer-reviewed studies show continued lead poisoning of large numbers of birds and other animals, and this petition is a prudent step to safeguard wildlife and reduce unacceptable human health risks.”

American Bird Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, Association of Avian Veterinarians, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the hunters’ group Project Gutpile are asking for the ban under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates dangerous chemicals in the United States.

“As a hunter in California, compliance with the recent state nonlead ammunition regulation has been simple,” said Anthony Prieto, a hunter and co-founder of Project Gutpile, a hunter’s group that provides educational resources for lead-free hunters and anglers. “I still get to hunt, there is no toxic impact on wildlife or my health, and copper bullets shoot better.”

The petition references almost 500 scientific studies, most of which have been peer-reviewed, that starkly illustrate the widespread dangers from lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Lead is an extremely toxic substance that is dangerous to people and wildlife even at low levels. Exposure can cause a range of health effects, from acute poisoning and death to long-term problems such as reduced reproduction, inhibition of growth and damage to neurological development. In the United States, 3,000 tons of lead are shot into the environment by hunting every year, another 80,000 tons are released at shooting ranges, and 4,000 tons are lost in ponds and streams as fishing lures and sinkers. At least 75 wild bird species are poisoned by spent lead ammunition, including bald eagles, golden eagles, ravens and endangered California condors. Despite being banned in 1992 for hunting waterfowl, spent lead shotgun pellets continue to be frequently ingested by swans, cranes, ducks, geese, loons and other waterfowl. These birds also consume lead-based fishing tackle lost in lakes and rivers, often with deadly consequences.

Lead ammunition also poses health risks to people. Lead bullets explode and fragment into minute particles in shot game and can spread throughout meat that humans eat. Studies using radiographs show that numerous, imperceptible, dust-sized particles of lead can infect meat up to a foot and a half away from the bullet wound, causing a greater health risk to humans who consume lead-shot game than previously thought. A recent study found that up to 87 percent of cooked game killed by lead ammunition can contain unsafe levels of lead. State health agencies have had to recall venison donated to feed the hungry because of lead contamination from lead bullet fragments. Nearly 10 million hunters, their families and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations may be at risk.

For more information, read about the Center’s Get the Lead Out campaign and the ABC web page on lead threats to birds.

Read the petition to EPA
Photos of lead-poisoned wildlife for media use
Frequently Asked Questions
Timeline of lead hazard reduction for wildlife and people
Summary of recent scientific studies

Background

Lead has been known to be highly toxic for more than 2,000 years. Its use in water pipes, cosmetics, pottery and food is suspected as a major contributing factor in the collapse of the Roman Empire. Lead causes numerous pathological effects on living organisms, from acute, paralytic poisoning and seizures to subtle, long-term mental impairment, miscarriage, neurological damage, and impotence. Even low levels of lead can impair biological functions. There may be no safe level of lead in the body tissues of fetuses and young. Despite knowledge of how dangerous lead is, it continues to be used in hunting and fishing products that expose wildlife and humans to lead. In recent decades the federal government has implemented regulations to reduce human lead exposure in drinking water, batteries, paint, gasoline, toys, toxic dumps, wheel balancing weights, and shooting ranges.

The California condor, so near extinction in the mid-1980s that the last nine wild birds were captured for an expensive captive-breeding program, had a healthy enough captive population to begin reintroduction into the wild in the mid-1990s. Yet reintroduced condors are far from safe since they feed on carcasses often containing lead bullet fragments. At least 30 condors in California and Arizona have died from lead poisoning since reintroductions began, and chronic, sub-lethal lead poisoning is rampant throughout the four reintroduced condor flocks in the United States. In 2008 California passed the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act requiring use of non-lead bullets for hunting in the condor range. This law has reduced lead exposure, but lead bullets are still available in California and condors, eagles, and other wildlife continue to be poisoned.

Because there are now numerous, commercially available, non-toxic alternatives, the petitioning groups are urging the EPA to develop regulations to require non-lead rifle bullets, shotgun pellets, and fishing weights and lures throughout the nation. Non-toxic steel, copper, and alloy bullets and non-lead fishing tackle are readily available in all 50 states. Hunters and anglers in states and areas that have restrictions or have already banned lead have made successful transitions to hunting with non-toxic bullets and fishing with non-toxic tackle. Over a dozen manufacturers of bullets have designed and now market many varieties of non-lead, nontoxic bullets and shot with satisfactory to superior ballistic characteristics – fully replacing the old lead projectiles. The Toxic Substances Control Act gives the EPA broad authority to regulate chemical substances that present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, such as lead. The EPA can prohibit the manufacture, processing, and distribution in commerce of lead for shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers.

American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement.

The Center for Biological Diversity (www.biologicaldiversity.org) is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 255,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is a national nonprofit alliance of local, state and federal scientists, law enforcement officers, land managers and other professionals dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values.

The Association of Avian Veterinarians is an international professional organization of practitioners advancing and promoting avian medicine, stewardship, and conservation through education of its members, the veterinary community and those they serve.

Project Gutpile is a grassroots hunters’ organization dedicated to educating hunters and anglers and to saving wildlife from lead poisoning through encouraging the use of nontoxic ammunition.
Contact:
Robert Johns, American Bird Conservancy, (202) 234-7181 x 210
Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 499-9185