Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb --(AmmoLand.com)- The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners on Friday adopted regulations designed to increase the harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer in 2010.

A record deer harvest was expected in 2009, but a late crop harvest, a cold winter with record snowfall and low interest in the October Antlerless season resulted in an antlerless white-tailed deer harvest that fell below objectives.

In 2009, 29,711 antlerless whitetails were harvested. The goal for this year is 42,000.

Commission deer management goals are to reduce white-tailed deer populations, especially in eastern Nebraska, and along the major river corridors, and to allow mule deer populations to increase in eastern and southwestern mule deer units.

Among the deer regulations the board adopted at its regular meeting in Lincoln are:

• Expanding the October Antlerless season – The season is lengthened from three days to 10, and the hunting area is expanded. The hunting area includes land in the following Season Choice Areas: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 River, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. An unlimited number of permits, which allow the harvest of two antlerless whitetails each, will cost $10 for residents, $54 for nonresidents. Hunter orange no longer is required of archers during the October Antlerless season, but the requirement remains in place for firearm hunters.
• Earn-a-Buck – This tool, designed to increase doe harvest, requires hunters with Elkhorn and Wahoo unit November firearm permits to check in a doe before or at the same time as they check in a buck. The November firearm season will be extended two days for hunters in these units.
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – The area is comprised of the Buffalo, Frenchman, Republican, and Platte units. The only hunters who may harvest a mule deer buck are youth, landowners and those with the new Republican mule deer buck, Buffalo, Platte, or Frenchman permits. These permits allow harvest in archery, muzzleloader and November firearms seasons. Restricted statewide buck, archery and muzzleloader permits will not be valid for mule deer bucks in the Mule Deer Conservation Area.
• Establishing new Season Choice Areas – The following Season Choice Areas are established within existing areas: SCA 8 West, SCA 9 North, SCA 9 River, SCA 17 White River, SCA 24 River, and SCA 25 North. These are intended to allow for additional pressure on white-tailed deer in riparian areas and to allow for mule deer doe harvest where needed.
• Expanding January late antlerless season – The season is lengthened from 15 to 24 days and begins Dec. 26. Hunter orange is required for archers.
• Using bow with firearm permits – Archery equipment will be allowed as a legal weapon on firearm permits in November and January. Hunter orange is required.
• Establishing new Statewide Whitetail Buck permit – This permit will be unlimited in number and valid in archery, muzzleloader and November firearm seasons. The bag limit will be one whitetail buck and one antlerless whitetail. The permit price is $72.50 for residents, $521 for nonresidents.

More permits available – An additional 45,000 antlerless permits and bonus tags will be available statewide.

Regulation changes to antelope hunting include increasing the landowner quotas from 20 percent of general tags to 50 percent, making electronic checking available for archery and muzzleloader seasons, establishing a new Cherry Late firearm unit and a corresponding late doe season for that unit.

Regulation changes to elk hunting include increasing permit quotas in most units and expanding elk zones in many units to increase landowner eligibility.

Following are the 2010 big game season dates:

Deer

• Archery – Sept. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – Sept. 15-Dec. 31
• October Antlerless (any weapon) – Oct. 2-11
• November Firearm – Nov. 13-21
• Earn-a-Buck November Firearm (Wahoo and Elkhorn units) – Nov. 13-23
• Muzzleloader – Dec. 1-31
• Season Choice (antlerless) – Sept. 15-Jan. 18, 2011 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader and Nov. 13-21 and Jan. 1-18, 2011 with firearm
• Youth and Landowner – Sept. 15-Dec. 31 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader; Nov. 13-21 with firearm; and Dec. 26-Jan. 18, 2011 (antlerless only) with bow or firearm
• DeSoto Muzzleloader – Oct. 16-17; Oct. 30-31; Dec. 11-12; and Jan. 8-9, 2011
• Boyer Chute – Oct. 23-24; Nov. 20-21 and Dec. 18-19

Antelope

• Archery – Aug. 20-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31, but closed during firearm antelope season in all areas open to firearm antelope hunting
• Muzzleloader – Sept. 18-Oct. 3
• Firearm – Oct. 9-24
• Late Firearm (Cherry Late unit) – Oct. 9-Nov. 12

Elk

• Bull Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24
• Antlerless Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24 and Dec. 1-21
• Boyd Unit – Aug. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31

In other business, the board:

• – Adopted changes to underwater spearfishing regulations. The regulations give underwater spearfishers the same daily bag and possession limit on walleyes as hook-and-line anglers: four walleye over 15 inches, of which only one can be 22 inches or longer. This replaces regulations allowing the take of two fish greater than 15 inches, one of which had to be 22 inches or longer.
• – Approved regulations allowing the Commission to sell expired permits and stamps for no more than $25.
• – Adopted a resolution to expand the focus area of activities for the Focus on Pheasants plan in Nebraska. The plan is an effort of landowners and conservation partners to increase pheasant habitat and populations as well as hunter opportunities.
• – Approved a gift of the O. John Emerson Tract in Holt County from the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation. The land has been managed by the Commission as O. John Emerson Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
• – Approved the acquisition of 40 acres of land in York County for wildlife diversity and hunting and designated it as an addition to Kirkpatrick Basin WMA.

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Commissioners Adopt Big Game Hunting Regulations

DragBuddy Game Drag Device

DragBuddy

ALDA, Neb. --(AmmoLand.com)- Bullet Weights®, a leading manufacturer of fishing sinkers, is now offering hunters a game drag tool that can be used to easily and safely drag, tow and hang game.

DragBuddy is designed to be versatile and durable when hauling field-dressed game from the field.

Bullet Weights acquired the production and marketing rights for DragBuddy last fall from Peitz Industries of Pierce, Neb. The product was introduced into the marketplace in 2008.

“The DragBuddy is a good fit into our marketing and production operations,” said Bullet Weights President Joe Crumrine. “We are continuing efforts to expand distribution and look forward to the 2010 hunting season.”

A video demonstrating how to easily use DragBuddy can be viewed at dragbuddy.com. Designed to be compact and lightweight, DragBuddy is constructed of high-tensile steel for excellent durability. It is covered with a rubberized “hunter-orange” coating to provide a firm grip even when wet.

DragBuddy has been used to transport whitetail deer, antelope, wild boar and even bear. It is designed to install in the animals mouth so it can pull from the skeleton and not the hide, thus preventing damage to the cape. The handle is designed so that it can be pulled by one or two people.

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The Versatile DragBuddy Game Drag Device

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

PRATT, KS --(AmmoLand.com)- On March 2, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) announced that 10 white-tailed deer from northwestern Kansas had tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

These were animals taken by hunters in the 2009 hunting seasons. The agency is still awaiting the result from another deer sample that was presumed to be positive after preliminary testing at the K-State Diagnostic Veterinary Lab in Manhattan.

That “presumptive positive” has been sent to the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa, for confirmation.

The one presumptive positive deer was taken by a hunter in Decatur County, and another four deer from that county have been confirmed positive. The other confirmed positives include two from Rawlins County and one each from Sheridan, Graham, Logan, and Thomas counties. One deer each from Sheridan and Thomas counties were exhibiting clinical symptoms of CWD.

In total, 2,702 animals were tested for CWD, including 16 elk, 278 mule deer, and 2,408 white-tailed deer. Although the agency has completed testing of its target sample for this hunting season, biologists are still collecting heads from road-killed deer in northwest Kansas. In addition, the agency is collecting road-killed deer in Harper County, near an area where a captive elk herd had to be destroyed in 2001 because of CWD.

Annual testing is part of ongoing effort by KDWP to monitor the prevalence and spread of CWD. The fatal disease was first detected in a wild deer taken in Cheyenne County in 2005. Three infected deer were taken in Decatur County in 2007 and 10 tested positive in 2008, all in northwest Kansas.

CWD is a member of the group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other diseases in this group include scrapie in sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or Mad Cow Disease) in cattle, and Cruetzfeldt-Jacob disease in people. CWD is a progressive, fatal disease that results in small holes developing in the brain, giving it a sponge-like appearance under the microscope. An animal may carry the disease without outward indication but in the later stages, signs may include behavioral changes such as decreased interactions with other animals, listlessness, lowering of the head, weight loss, repetitive walking in set patterns, and a lack of response to humans. Anyone who discovers a sick or suspect deer should contact the nearest KDWP office.

There is no vaccine or other biological method that prevents the spread of CWD. However, there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans or livestock. Still, precautions should be taken. Hunters are advised not to eat meat from animals known to be infected, and common sense precautions are advised when field dressing and processing meat from animals taken in areas where CWD is found. More information on CWD can be found on KDWP’s website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us or at the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website, www.cwd-info.org

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Ten Kansas Deer Confirmed Positive In CWD Tests

GlenDale Archery Targets

SUPERIOR, Wisconsin --(AmmoLand.com)- The GlenDel Full Rut, the largest 3-D deer archery target on the market, is offering a promotion designed to provide an added incentive to consumers considering purchasing this award-winning 3-D target that offers a 4-sided, 14×14x14 inch PolyFusion core with 10 times more shooting surface area than the nearest competition.

Those who purchase a GlenDel Full Rut before December 31, 2010 can receive a complimentary black fleece jacket embroidered with the GlenDel Full Rut logo.

With a retail value of $49.99, this great promotion makes it even easier to choose the largest and best 3-D whitetail target on the market. Redemption of the free GlenDel Full Rut logoed fleece jacket is simple. Consumers just fill out the redemption certificate provided at their retailer, and mail it along with a copy of the sales receipt and the UPC barcode from the package.

A PDF version of the certificate also can be downloaded at www.glendel.com, where you will find complete promotion details and a copy of the official Terms and Conditions. This offer only applies to the purchase of the GlenDel Full Rut; it is not valid on any other 3-D targets. A similar promotion is running on BLOCK Fusion F-21 and F-24 targets.

Headquartered in Superior, WI, Field Logic is the manufacturer of the award-winning BLOCK and the new BLOCK Fusion. For additional information, visit the company website at www.fieldlogic.com.

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Buy A GlenDel Full Rut Deer Target, Get A Free Fleece Jacket

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Raymondville Tx, – -(Ammoland.com)- A Willacy County grand jury has returned indictments against three Valley men charged with illegally killing a deer on the King Ranch.

Named in the indictments, which were based on an investigation made by South Texas Game Wardens William Plumas and Ira Zuniga, were Rene Efrain Flores, 67, a retired Willacy County resident; Carlos Carmen Garza, 71, a retired engineer and Willacy County landowner and Jesus Raymundo Valdez, 29, a McAllen attorney. All were charged with taking a wildlife resource (white-tailed deer) without consent of the landowner, a state jail felony. In addition, Flores was indicted on a Class C misdemeanor charge of not tagging a deer; Garza with unlawful possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony and Valdez with criminal trespass, a Class B misdemeanor.

Games Wardens became involved in the case on Dec. 12 when Plumas received a telephone call from an area rancher who reported seeing two men on the Norias Division of the King Ranch in the process of lifting a dead eight-point buck across a fence to two other men. The landowner and one of his hunting guides stopped and talked to the men with the deer, but left after they refused to say where they had shot the buck.

Working with a King Ranch security officer and a deputy constable, the two wardens found blood on the roadway where the witnesses had seen the deer being loaded into the back of a pickup. The wardens were able to follow drag marks and blood to the fence, where they also found blood and hair. Checking inside the fence, they officers found more blood as well as the point where the deer had been standing when shot.

The citizen who initially contacted Plumas identified one of the men he had seen and described the vehicle the deer had been placed in. A short time later, the wardens and other officers located the vehicle and interviewed its occupants — three men and a juvenile.

An untagged buck was found in the bed of the pickup truck, along with two bolt-action rifles and a semi-automatic pistol. The deer and weapons were confiscated while the three adults were released pending further investigation.

All three defendants are free on personal recognizance pending an arraignment hearing. The case will be handled by Willacy County District Attorney Bernard W. Ammerman.

While the tip in this case came directly to a game warden, anyone with information concerning a game law violation is urged to contact Operation Game Thief, the state’s wildlife “crime-stoppers” program. The OGT program operates a 24-hour, toll-free hotline to report crimes, 800-792-GAME. Rewards of up to $1,000 may be paid to callers, who may remain anonymous. Rewards and hotline operations are entirely funded with private donations. For more information, visit http://www.ogttx.com/.

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Three Men Charged With Poaching on King Ranch Texas

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

DOVER, DE – -(Ammoland.com)- Delaware hunters harvested 12,400 deer during the 2009-10 season, an 11 percent drop from the previous season that biologists attributed to poor hunting weather during the two segments of the state’s white-tail deer season that are traditionally the most productive and heavily hunted.

The total was 1,526 fewer deer than were taken in Delaware last year, with declining numbers readily apparent during the October muzzleloader and November shotgun seasons when two nor’easter storms struck the state, keeping hunters out of the woods and deer from moving around in them.

“I heard from many hunters who not only didn’t hunt during the actual storm events, but also couldn’t get into their hunting areas after the storms had passed because the areas were still flooded,” said Joe Rogerson, Deer and Furbearer Biologist with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“After the wet weather during the October muzzleloader season, I really thought the harvest would pick back up because more deer would be available to hunters during the later seasons,” Rogerson said. “Once the second storm hit during the November shotgun season, I knew the overall harvest would be down.”

The new all-electronic registration system for all deer taken in the state also could have had an impact on deer harvest numbers. Deer had to be registered via a toll-free telephone number or on the Internet. Previously, hunters could register their deer via these two methods but also had the more familiar option of taking them to check stations across the state.

“Along with the wet weather, the change to how deer are registered could have contributed to a decline in the statewide harvest,” said Rob Hossler, Game Species Program Manager with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

However, Hossler said the electronic registration performed as intended and allowed the Division to tally the deer harvest much more quickly and efficiently, while having little to no impact on the declining harvest numbers. A closer look at the numbers supports this, Rogerson said.

“For comparison, I examined the number of deer donated by hunters to the Delaware Sportsmen Against Hunger Program and I found nearly the same decline, 11 percent decline in harvest and a 12.9 percent decline in donated deer. Since these two numbers nearly mirror each other, it indicates that hunters failing to register a deer may not have been a big problem,” Rogerson said.

“Additionally, the percentage of does, antlered bucks, and button bucks in the harvest is nearly identical to that of previous seasons. Their harvests only vary by one or two percent and fall well within annual variation,” he added.

The Division also would like to remind Delawareans that the comment period remains open regarding the Delaware Deer Management Plan, which has been in progress for the last two years. When complete, the plan will serve as the guiding document for how and why deer are managed in The First State over the next 10 years. To review the plan and submit comments, the public can visit the Fish & Wildlife web site or mail comments to Deer Management Plan Comments, Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, 6180 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna, DE 19977, until April 1.

For more information about the Delaware deer harvest, the deer registration change, the new Deer Management Plan, or any other deer-related issue, please contact Joe Rogerson at 302-735-3600.

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Weather blamed for decline in Delaware deer harvest

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Annapolis, MD --(AmmoLand.com)- Maryland deer hunters harvested over 100,000 deer for the second time since modern deer management began in the early 1900s.

Surpassing this numerical milestone is consistent with the Department’s goals to reduce or stabilize deer numbers in most of the state. The record 100,663 deer taken during the 2009-2010 deer season barely surpassed the previous record of 100,437 deer set last year.

Hunters reported 33,761 antlered deer (1,115 sika deer) for the 2009-2010 season, a three percent decrease from last year. In contrast, the antlerless harvest increased two percent to 66,902 deer (1,267 sika deer) this year.

“Our survey information confirms that deer hunters have spent more time in the woods over the past two seasons, a trend we attribute in part to the slow economy,” said DNR Deer Project Leader Brian Eyler. “The increased effort has resulted in more healthy and sustainable venison being put in the freezer and is consistent with our efforts to manage the deer population.”

In Deer Management Region A (Garrett and Allegany counties), hunters reported 9,430 deer this year, a five percent decrease from the 2008-2009 total. The antlered harvest decreased eight percent to 4,964 deer this year, while the antlerless harvest of 4,466 deer was down one percent. Region A hunters continue to harvest good numbers of antlerless deer due to the additional day of antlerless firearm hunting on private lands that was added in 2008. The extra day was provided at the request of landowners in the region who wanted more opportunities to effectively manage deer numbers on their land.

The reported deer harvest in the remainder of the state (Region B) was relatively consistent for most counties. Hunters in Region B reported taking 91,233 deer for the year. The antlered harvest of 28,797 deer was two percent lower than last year, while the antlerless harvest increased two percent to 62,436 deer. Washington County once again led the harvest totals with 8,587 deer, followed by Frederick County with 8,447 and Baltimore County with 6,752 deer.

The deer harvest in Maryland’s suburban counties (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties) continues to be strong. Hunters in these counties reported 21,231 deer for 2009-2010; up one percent over last year. DNR has liberalized antlerless harvest regulations in these counties in an effort to address the impacts that high deer populations have on Maryland’s suburban landscape and residents.

“Controlling the deer population in the suburban areas of the state is a challenging task. Fortunately, Maryland’s hunters have taken advantage of the liberalized antlerless deer hunting opportunities in these areas,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto. “Without their efforts, deer management in the suburban areas would be much more difficult.”

Deer harvest results by county are available here.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 467,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland’s forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state’s number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov

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Maryland Deer Hunters Repeat A Record Harvest

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Florida – -(Ammoland.com)- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) passed new rules Wednesday affecting deer hunters, beginning with the 2010-11 season. The new rules modified zone boundaries and season dates for deer hunting on private property.

“These changes will better align the deer hunting seasons with the rut and are intended to increase hunter satisfaction,” said Cory Morea, Deer Management Program Coordinator for the FWC’s Division of Hunting and Game Management.

Morea noted that the majority of stakeholders supported these measures.

Todd Hallman of the Florida Sportsmen’s Conservation Association expressed one concern: “The South Region is a different animal. You’re going to have us hunting in hotter, not cooler weather,” he said of the hunting season changes.

The boundary separating what used to be called the Northwest Hunting Zone (renamed Zone D) from the Central Zone (renamed Zone C) has been moved a little farther west.

The new line dividing zones C and D begins at U.S. 27 at the Gadsden County/Georgia state line and runs south on U.S. 27 until it meets S.R. 61 in Tallahassee. From there, it follows S.R. 61, running south until it hits U.S. 319. There, the line follows U.S. 319, continuing south to U.S. 98; it then runs east along U.S. 98 before turning south on Spring Creek Highway and continuing to the Gulf of Mexico.

Changes to season dates on Zone D push opening day of archery season back one week. The first phase of muzzleloading gun season will have four additional days and move from November to December, where it will fill a gap that was previously closed to deer hunting in that zone. As a result, Zone D will have continuous deer hunting opportunities from the beginning of archery through the last phase of muzzleloading gun season, and total deer hunting days have been increased from 123 to 128.

Zone C’s new deer hunting season dates will begin one week earlier; archery season will begin on the third Saturday in September every year. Twelve days were added to give Zone C a total of 128 deer-hunting days.

New rules also create an additional hunting zone, made up in part by the Green Swamp Basin. This fourth zone, which previously was the southwest portion of the Central Hunting Zone, will be Zone B. This new zone lies south of S.R. 50, west of U.S. 441 and the Kissimmee Waterway, north of S.R. 60 and east of the Gulf of Mexico.

Zone B was created because the deer in that area have a much later breeding period. Deer hunting in this new zone will start with archery, beginning on the third Saturday of October each year, and run through the general gun season, ending in mid-February.

Zone A (formerly the South Hunting Zone) remains that portion of the state south of S.R. 70. Its deer season will start nearly a month and a half earlier than before, with July 31 as the opening day of archery next season. The other major change is that there will be a split general gun season. Deer hunting will be closed five weeks next season, between Oct. 18 and Nov. 19, and reopen every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and always ending on the first Sunday in January. Depending on how the dates fall in each year, Zone A’s total deer hunting days will be between 121 and 128, an increase from 116 previously.

These changes to Florida’s private land deer-hunting zones and season dates take into account hunter suggestions and updated biological data, aiming to increase hunter satisfaction. The new zones and corresponding dates are now better aligned with when deer breed throughout the state.

According to law, Florida’s fall turkey season dates are based on each zone’s general gun seasons. Therefore, since the FWC passed rules that added a fourth hunting zone and modified existing zones and corresponding general gun season dates, the fall turkey season dates also have been modified to reflect the new zones. Next season, the fall turkey season will be:

• Zone A: Oct. 4-17, 2010 and Nov. 20, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011
• Zone B: Dec. 4, 2010 – Jan. 30, 2011
• Zone C: Nov. 6, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011
• Zone D: Nov. 25-28, 2010 and Dec. 11, 2010 – Jan. 16, 2011

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Florida Deer Hunters Get Better-Aligned Zones And Season Dates

American Deer & Wildlife Alliance

AUSTIN, Texas- -(Ammoland.com)- One of the nation’s premiere hunting ranches, Hunter Ridge Ranch of Camdenton, Mo., has announced its support for the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance (ADWA) and that it will begin coordinating with ADWA to establish a youth-based outdoor education camp to take place this summer.

Nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, Hunter Ridge Ranch boasts more than 1,000 acres of pristine forest, meadows and streams for a quality, trophy-hunting experience. The ranch is home to some of the largest trophy deer in the world, along with other exotic animals such as elk, red stag and fallow deer.

“The American Deer & Wildlife Alliance is promoting our industry through dozens of activities on a grass roots level that is reaching thousands of children,” says Oscar Hunter, owner of Hunter Ridge Ranch. “Most sportsmen understand our love for hunting and fishing goes hand-in-hand with wildlife conservation, but we cannot assume that future generations will automatically know that. We’re proud to be a member of ADWA and we look forward to working with them to help provide greater opportunities for young sportsmen to learn about wildlife and outdoor sports.”

The American Deer & Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit trade organization representing deer and wildlife associations and companies within the deer and wildlife industry as well as individual sportsmen. ADWA’s primary goal is to promote wildlife, habitat and land stewardship, and to grow the deer and wildlife industry through education and aggressive public relations for its members. ADWA is the title sponsor of Keith Warren’s Deer & Wildlife Stories program, airing on the Pursuit Channel, and also broadcasts public policy messages to millions of households via the Pursuit Channel.

To learn more about Hunter Ridge Ranch, call 800.288.9997 or 314.393.7381 or visit www.hunterridgeranch.com. For more information on the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance and/or to become a member, please call 877.331.8607 or visit www.deerwildlifealliance.org.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of the deer and wildlife industry, and to help educate consumers and the youth on the conservation issues which effect deer and wildlife as well as the industry. For more information on the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance, call 877.331.8607 or visit www.deerwildlifealliance.org.

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Hunter Ridge Ranch Partners with American Deer & Wildlife Alliance

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Pennsylvania Game Commission is seeking public input on a draft deer management plan, which can be reviewed on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on the “Draft Deer Management Plan” icon under the large photo in the center of the homepage.

“We are seeking public comment on the revised deer management plan to ensure the resulting final management plan considers the thoughts and concerns of Pennsylvanians about this species,” said Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director. “As written, the plan is science-based, progressive and promotes responsible management. We’re interested in hearing from Pennsylvanians who would like to offer comments, and to see if we’ve missed something or if they share our management vision for the future.”

Developed by biologists with the agency’s Deer Management Section, the deer management plan establishes management goals through 2018. Those goals are to: manage deer for a healthy and sustainable deer herd; manage deer-human conflicts at levels considered safe and acceptable to Pennsylvania citizens; manage deer impacts for healthy and sustainable forest habitat; manage deer to provide recreational opportunities; and to improve the public’s knowledge and understanding of deer and the deer management program. Game Commission staff uses these guidelines when making deer management recommendations to the Board of Game Commissioners.

“These goals are the result of a public involvement process,” DuBrock said. “The mission and deer management goals are important forms of public input, and in most cases, will outweigh other forms of public input. However, the mission and goals cannot always provide the necessary information for specific issues. As a result, the Game Commission also uses other methods of public involvement in its deer management program such as public meetings, surveys, and Citizen Advisory Committees.”

DuBrock noted that the Game Commission follows an adaptive management approach to deer management. Adaptive management is characterized by establishing clear and measurable objectives, implementing management actions, monitoring those management actions and whether they achieved the objectives, and adapting policy and management actions as necessary.

“Adaptive management recognizes deer management decisions must be made without the luxury of perfect information,” DuBrock said. “Consequently, the focus of adaptive management is on monitoring responses to management actions and learning. By managing white-tailed deer in this way, the Game Commission can effectively adapt management as conditions change.

“Deer population management integrates data-driven objectives for deer and forest habitat health with value-driven objectives for deer-human conflicts. First and foremost, the Game Commission must achieve its duties and responsibilities to wildlife and habitat. Deer and forest habitat health measures meet this need. However, objectively defining deer-human conflicts is impossible because of the range of values and perceptions exhibited by people. Rather than attempt to quantify deer-human conflicts, the Game Commission uses Citizen Advisory Committees to help assess deer-human conflicts.”

DuBrock stressed that deer management objectives are no longer defined by deer densities. Instead, deer management objectives are defined by measures of deer health, forest habitat health, and deer-human conflicts.

“The change from defining deer management objectives by deer densities to specific measures for each goal has created controversy,” DuBrock said. “Although the Game Commission acknowledges the desire of hunters and the public to know how many deer are in Pennsylvania at any given time, the Game Commission has a duty to implement a responsible and credible deer management program that addresses deer management goals through the most efficient use of available data.

“Responsible deer management cannot be a popularity contest. As Pennsylvania’s history demonstrates, deer management was, is, and will continue to be an issue where complete agreement by all stakeholders is unlikely. To accomplish the goals provided by the public, the Game Commission’s deer management program must be based on the best available information and made in the best interest of white-tailed deer, Pennsylvania’s wildlife and natural resources, and all citizens for today and tomorrow. Balancing the science and biology of deer management with the values of citizens will continue to be the greatest challenge for the Game Commission’s deer program.”

Public comments on the agency’s deer management plan will be accepted until March 12, via the website or by mail to: Deer Management Plan, Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.

Additionally, public comment can be offered at the upcoming open houses that the Game Commission will be hosting in six communities around the state between Feb. 20 and April 10. Open houses will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a Saturday to maximize the opportunity for those interested in attending, and are being held in different locations than the three previous rounds to afford residents in other areas of the state the opportunity to attend.

The schedule for the open houses is as follows:

February 20 – Northcentral Region
Coudersport Volunteer Fire Company Training Center
171 Rt. 6 West
Coudersport, Pa 16915

Traveling West on Rt. 6, from red light in Coudersport at Sheetz, .07 miles on left across from Eulalia Cemetery, next to the Movie Galley.

Traveling East on RT. 6, from Port Alleghany, .02 miles past West Gate Inn on right, next to the Movie Galley.

February 27 – Northeast Region
PPL Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center
126 PPL Drive
Hawley, PA 18428

From Hawley/Honesdale take US 6 east to the intersection with PPL Drive (0.3 miles past the intersection of US 6 and SR 590), turn right and follow signs to the ELC.

From Milford take US 6 west to the intersection with PPL Drive(1.0 miles past the intersection of US 6 and SR 507), turn left. Follow signs to the ELC.

From Scranton take I-84 east to Exit 17 (Hamlin, Newfoundland, SR 191), turn left (north)onto SR 191. At SR 590, (9.0 miles) turn right. At US 6 (1.7 miles) turn right. At PPL Drive (0.3 miles), turn right. Follow the signs to the ELC.

March 13 – Northwest Region
Brokenstraw Fish and Game
1001 Mead Run Rd.
Youngsville, PA 16371

Traveling west on Rt. 6 turn right on Mead Run Road. Travel approximately 1 mile the club is on the left. Mead Run Road is approximately .7 miles west of Youngsville.

Traveling east on Rt. 6 turn left on Mead Run Road. Travel approximately 1 mile the club is on the left. Mead Run Road is approximately 2 miles east of the Rt. 27 / Rt. 6 intersection in Pittsfield.

March 20 – Southwest Region
Richland Fire Department – Solomon Run Banquet Facility
Mt. Airy Drive
Johnstown, PA 15904

DIRECTIONS (From Johnstown and points south)

Travel Rt 219 northbound and take the Galleria Drive exit

Turn left at the top of Galleria Drive

Turn right at Solomon Run Road

Turn right at Mount Airy Drive

THE BANQUET FACILITY PARKING LOT IS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE BUILDING.

Directions (From Ebensburg and points north)

Travel Rt 219 southbound and take the Galleria Drive exit

Turn right at Galleria Drive

Turn right at Solomon Run Road

Turn right at Mount Airy Drive

THE BANQUET FACILITY PARKING LOT IS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE BUILDING

March 27 – Southcentral Region
Shippensburg State University Conference Center
500 Newburg Road
Shippensburg, PA 17257

FROM EAST OF SHIPPENSBURG: Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 16/226 (Carlisle). Follow U.S. Route 11 north to I-81 South. Exit I-81 South at Exit 29 (King Street). Turn right at the end of the exit ramp onto PA 174. Travel 2 miles to a “T” intersection. Turn left onto King Street (U.S. Route 11). At the 6th traffic light, turn right onto North Earl Street. Proceed approximately 1.4 miles, during which North Earl Street becomes the Newburg Road (PA Route 696). Just past the football stadium on the right is the Conference Center, also on the right. The Conference Center is the rear portion of a large red brick building. Look for the sign in the front of the building. Parking is in the rear.

FROM WEST OF SHIPPENSBURG: Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 15/201 (Blue Mountain). Turn left onto PA Route 997. At the “Y” intersection bear right onto route 696. In the town of Newburg, watch the signs carefully and stay on Route 696 (requires a left turn followed by an immediate right turn). Continue on Route 696 south another 8 miles toward Shippensburg. As the University stadium comes into view, the Conference Center is on the left and is the rear portion of a large red brick building, shared with the SU Foundation. Look for the sign in the front of the building. Parking is in the rear.

FROM NORTH OF SHIPPENSBURG: Take rural routes to I-81 and follow directions from North or use rural routes to PA turnpike and follow directions from West.

FROM SOUTH OF SHIPPENSBURG: Take I-81 north to Pennsylvania. Continue to exit 24 (Fayette Street). At exit ramp, turn left onto Route 696 and travel 2 miles to a “T” intersection. Turn left onto Fayette Street and proceed to another “T” intersection. Turn right onto King Street. At the 2nd traffic light, turn left onto North Earl Street. North Earl becomes the Newburg Road (PA Route 696). Proceed approximately 1.4 miles, just past the football stadium on the right, to the Conference Center, also on the right. The Conference Center is the rear portion of a large red brick building. Look for the sign in the front of the building. Parking is in the rear.

FROM THE PARKING LOT, the Open House is through the entrance off the parking lot and into the lobby on the first floor

April 10 – Southeast Region
Frackville American Legion
40 S. Mahanoy St.
Frackville, PA 17931

From Rt. 81, take exit 124B to merge onto S Lehigh Ave/PA-61 N and travel toward Frackville. In Frackville, turn right on Oak Street by the Turkey Hill. Take the first left on S. Mahanoy St.

These deer management open houses and the outreach information available at them were developed by a Deer Communications Working Group, which was created in 2007 to improve the agency’s efforts to explain deer management – and the need for it – to Pennsylvanians.

“This group has made tremendous progress in bringing the public up to speed on how and why we manage deer,” Roe explained. “They meet regularly and have developed displays, brochures, a new video and whitetail website, employee training and many other tools to help in the never-ending effort of explaining deer management to both the public and fellow employees. But despite all that has been accomplished in recent years, there is still much, much more to do.”

For more information about the agency’s deer management program, including a complete selection of the brochures being distributed at the open houses, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “White-Tailed Deer” in the center of the homepage. This website features links to all of the brochures used in the open houses, all issues of the agency’s “Deer Chronicle,” many top-notch references to agency research and general information, deer photos and even an “Ask The Deer Biologist” section.

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Game Commission Seeks Public Comment On Deer Plan

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH –-(AmmoLand.com)- Hunters in seven northwest Ohio counties will be given a higher deer bag limit if the proposed regulation is accepted by the Ohio Wildlife Council in April, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

A proposed change to the deer zones includes moving seven northwest Ohio counties from Deer Zone A to Zone B. The counties are Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Van Wert and Williams.

A proposal to eliminate the requirement that hunters must purchase a regular deer permit before purchasing antlerless deer permits was heard. The sale of reduced priced antlerless permits would cease after November 28, so hunters need to commit early to buying and using the extra reduced-cost permits to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Under the proposal, hunters could again buy antlerless deer permits at reduced prices for hunting in an urban zone, participating in a Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunt or hunting during the September 25 to November 28 portion of the deer season. The division is again proposing the deadline for using the antlerless permit be extended to December 5 for those hunting in Deer Zone C. Cost of the antlerless deer permit remains $15.

The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone A is two. Prior to November 29, hunters may take up to two deer in Zone A, one of which may be on a $15 antlerless deer permit. Beginning November 29, hunters may take only one deer in Zone A and antlerless permits may not be used.

The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone B is four. Prior to November 29, hunters may take up to four deer in Zone B, two of which may be on $15 antlerless deer permits. Beginning November 29, hunters may take only two deer in Zone B and antlerless permits may not be used.

The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone C is six. Prior to December 6, hunters may take up to six deer in Zone C, three of which may be on $15 antlerless deer permits. Beginning December 6, hunters may take only three deer in Zone C and antlerless permits may not be used.

Those hunting in urban zones and at Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts would again have a six-deer bag limit, and those deer would not count against the hunter’s zone bag limit.

Either a $15 antlerless deer permit or $24 deer permit and a valid hunting license are required to hunt deer in Ohio. A hunter may take only one buck in Ohio, regardless of zone, hunting method or season.

Seasons and Dates

• Archery season – September 25 through February 6, 2011
• Special area muzzleloader hunts – October 18-23
• Youth deer-gun season – November 20-21
• Statewide deer-gun season – November 29 through December 5 and December 18-19
• Statewide muzzleloader season – January 8-11, 2011

A proposed change during the December 18-19 portion of the deer-gun season would allow other legal game species in season to be pursued by hunters meeting specified requirements, such as the hunter orange requirement for deer-gun season.

During the 2009-2010 season, which concludes February 7, hunters are expected to bag a record total of about 260,000 deer. Approximately 475,000 people hunted white-tailed deer in Ohio this year.

Open houses will be held on Saturday, March 6 in each of the state’s five wildlife districts to provide the public an opportunity to view and discuss proposed hunting and trapping regulations with state wildlife officials. For directions to the open houses, please call 1-800-WILDLIFE or visit wildohio.com on the Internet.

A statewide hearing on all the proposed rules will be held at 9 a.m., Thursday, March 4 at the Division of Wildlife’s District One Office, located at 1500 Dublin Road in Columbus. After considering public input, the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on the proposed rules and season dates during its April 7 meeting.

Proposed Deer Hunting Zones
(FOR THE 2010-11 SEASON: Those counties proposed to move from Deer Zone A to Zone B are bolded)

• Zone A — The zone includes 13 counties: Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Erie, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Shelby and Wood.
• Zone B — The zone includes 37 counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Fayette, Fulton, Geauga, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lake, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Paulding, Portage, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Wayne, Williams and Wyandot.
• Zone C — The zone includes 38 counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Tuscarawas, Vinton and Washington.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at ohiodnr.com

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Deer Hunting Regulations for 2010-11 Proposed to Ohio Wildlife Council

Ohio Department Natural Resources

DAYTON, OHIO –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife announced that another record-setting deer has been harvested in southwestern Ohio.

On Saturday, January 30, the 18-point non-typical (non-symmetrical antlered) deer, taken by Brian Stephens on November 30, 2009 with a muzzleloader in Highland County, was officially scored.

Brian Stephens, with friends and family by his side, excitedly awaited the official score Saturday morning in Xenia. The buck was scored by Mike Wendel, David Haney and Ron Perrine, certified scorers with Buckeye Big Bucks Club (BBBC). Gary Trent, BBBC president, announced the score as 232 5/8, which certified it as the new state record.

The Highland County deer is the largest non-typical rack ever taken with a muzzleloader in Ohio history, beating out the 2004 record of 225. The 35 1/8 inch left main beam is a Boone and Crockett largest ever recorded and the right main bean measured an impressive 34 1/8 inches.

Marty Murphy of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association said the score will be recognized as the largest ever in Ohio according to the association’s Longhunter Big Game Record Book.

This magnificent animal will also be a record for World Classics in the men’s muzzleloading category, according to Dan Stapleton. The World Classics scoring system does not include deductions and the main beam outside spread measurement is added. Under these scoring criteria Stephens’ buck scores 252 0/8.

“Deer hunting in Ohio continues to prove to be world-class,” said Todd Haines, ODNR Division of Wildlife District Five manager. “We are seeing the benefits of a successful whitetail deer management program.”

Brian Stephens’ deer is one more to add to Ohio’s record books. In the last decade, southwest Ohio has been the setting for numerous records including:

The Beatty buck, harvested in Greene County in the fall of 2000 by Mike Beatty, holds the record for non-typical at 304 6/8 and currently ranks as the number one non-typical buck in Ohio, the largest non-typical whitetail deer ever taken by a bow hunter.

A typical white-tailed deer killed by Brad Jerman in 2004 in Warren County, known as the Jerman buck, became an Ohio record with a score of 201 1/8.

In 2006 a world-class buck was harvested by Jonathan Schmucker in Adams County. The deer was scored at 34-point non-typical, 291 2/8 Boone and Crockett and 305 7/8 World Classics.
Also in 2006 the Metzner buck, harvested by Justin Metzner, scored 196 6/8 which positioned it to be the second largest deer harvested with a compound bow in Ohio; the fifth largest typical deer taken in the world in the Pope and Young record book; and Buckmaster’s seventh all-time typical white-tailed deer harvested with a compound bow.

“When we are continually in the record books with large non-typical and typical whitetails harvested Ohio, we attract the attention of hunters that might have hunted in another state,” said Haines. “The hunters staying and coming into Ohio is a boost to our economy. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food and lodging as well as supporting thousands of jobs.”

Ohio’s first modern day deer-gun season opened in 1943 in three counties; hunters harvested 168 deer. By 1956, deer hunting was allowed in all 88 counties; hunters killed 3,911 deer during that one-week season.

A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available where licenses are sold. It may also be viewed online at www.wildohio.com . Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and their deer as well.

The Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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It’s Official – Highland County, Ohio Deer Is A New State Record

Join the Whitetails Only Nation

Whitetails Only Nation

Colchester, VT - -(AmmoLand.com)- Hello, this is James Austin, president of Elk Publishing, Inc., the founders of the Whitetails Only Nation. We here at the WO Nation have a big surprise for you.

We have just completed the Whitetails Only Nation website, the premiere social network for the passionate deer hunter.

And until February 14, 2010, we want you to beta test our new site before we officially launch in mid-February. We need your feedback.

Simply Click on WO Nation at the top of the site and register FREE. We will upgrade you to subscriber status until February 14th!

As a Whitetails Only Nation Member you will…

Gain access to exciting and informative articles from Whitetails Only Hunt Masters such as: The Benoits, Bob Folkrod, RG Bernier, Hal Blood, Dick Scorzafava, Dave “Mr. Black Powder” Ehrig, Bob Howe, Randy Flannery, and the Doughertys. You will not only be able to read their amazing stories, but actually communicate with them.

Join nationally acclaimed wildlife consultant and WO’s Director of Field Operations Neil Dougherty for some trail camera scouting. Neil has rigged 3 hunting locations with remote BuckEye Cams at his 200-acre Deer Hunting and Research Property in Southwestern NY. The BuckEye Cams are downloading pictures 24-7 to this website putting you in the middle of the action at the click of a mouse!

Upload and share photos and videos from your hunts. You can even start your own discussion group tell other member of the WO Nation your amazing stories.

Rise in the ranks of the WO Nation to become a Hunt Master as well. Through participation, you will earn points that will go toward your rise to the elite status only few have achieved.

ALSO, every member who uploads photos to our photo contest groups will be able to enter the WO Nation Photo Contest for a chance to win exclusive hunting and fishing trips! This is brought to you by US Outdoorsman Central. The vision of US Outdoorsman Central is to be a recognized leader in helping to preserve our hunting and fishing heritages for future generations by providing opportunities to win great merchandise and free guided hunting and fishing trips all across North America all year long. They also have a website that tells about their adventures.

Sign up, take advantage of all the privileges of being a member of the Nation and let us know what you think.

Visit www.whitetailsonlynation.com and become a leader of the WO Nation today.

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Join the Whitetails Only Nation

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

WILMINGTON, Del –-(AmmoLand.com)- The annual two-day managed deer hunt held in December in Brandywine Creek State Park drew 48 hunters who harvested 28 deer, sending about 630 pounds of venison to local food banks to feed Delawareans in need.

Jointly managed by the DNREC Divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Recreation, the hunt was started in 1994 to keep the number of white-tailed deer on the 1,000-acre park at a manageable level and curb the serious habitat damage caused by an unchecked deer population foraging in the park.

While the first year of the hunt was the most successful, with 60 deer harvested, this year’s harvest was similar to the previous 10-year average of 27 deer.

Hunters are selected through a pre-season lottery and must hunt from assigned deer stands. While hunters are permitted to shoot more than one deer, they must first harvest an antlerless deer to help meet the goal of controlling the deer population. Each successful hunter can keep only one deer. All others are donated to the Sportsman Against Hunger Program, which provides venison to food banks throughout the state.

Of this year’s successfully harvested deer, 71 percent, or 20 deer, were antlerless and of these 70 percent, or 14 deer, were potentially breeding female deer which are the driving factor in deer population control. Hunter generosity resulted in 54 percent, or 15 harvested deer, being donated to the Sportsmen Against Hunger Program.

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Annual Brandywine Creek State Park Deer Hunt A Huge Success

Tinks Hunting Scents

Covington, GA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Easy on the eyes and hard to ignore, Tink’s new Miss November deer decoy is every buck’s and hunter’s dream come true.

Miss November utilizes High-Definition printing technology to provide a realistic look and soft texture that feels real and is irresistible to those love sick bucks. Every detail is highlighted right down to the super-light tail that moves with the slightest breeze.

Tink's Inflatable Deer Decoy

This lightweight inflatable decoy is compact enough to be conveniently carried in a backpack. Once you reach your stand location, Miss November’s oversized air valve makes it quick and effortless to inflate.

This inflatable system eliminates the hassle of noisy, molded plastic or foam decoys that are cumbersome to pack into those remote honey holes. You can enhance your decoy setup by applying Tink’s 69 Doe-In-Rut® to the free Tink’s Stretch Wicks™.

The lightweight, compact size also makes it easy to carry in your luggage for those cross-country hunting trips.

The system includes the doe decoy, four metal stakes, two Tink’s Stretch Wicks™ and the decoy placement instruction sheet. All this comes at a value that cannot be matched by other decoys of this quality.

Features:

• High-Definition printing technology creates realistic look
• Printed “soft skin” comes installed over heavy-gauge rubber liner
• Lightweight, just over 2 pounds
• Two poses – standing or bedding position
• Super light tail moves with the slightest breeze
• No loud plastic parts to bang against brush
• Sets up quietly in minutes
• Fits easily in a backpack
• Compact enough to take on any hunting trip

More info: www.tinks69.com, or call 800.624.5988.

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Tink’s Miss November Inflatable Deer Decoy

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Two deer camps for women hunters are being planned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Both are scheduled for Jan. 8-10, 2010.

The camps, part of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, are designed for women of varying experience levels who want to learn more about deer hunting. Participants will take part in all aspects of the hunt. They will be paired up based on experience level to provide informal mentoring opportunities.

The Central Deer Camp will take place near Alda in Hall County along the Platte River. A Season Choice Area 1 permit and Nebraska Habitat Stamp are required. A 2009 stamp may be used.

The Baxter Deer Camp will take place near Milligan in Saline County. A Season Choice Area 20 permit and a habitat stamp are required.

The hunt takes place during the January late antlerless season when no bucks may be taken and only legal firearms may be used. All participants must have proof of successful completion of a hunter education course.

Space is limited. To reserve a spot, contact Aaron Hershberger at (402) 471-6144 or aaron.hershberger@nebraska.gov.

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Deer Camps Provide Women Hunting Opportunities

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio’s popular muzzleloader deer season is set to open statewide January 9-12 according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters checked 20,659 white-tailed deer during the statewide hunt.

A total of 227,748 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season, gun weekend, and the first nine weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 218,890 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a total of 252,017 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

Prior to the start of the hunting season, Ohio’s deer population was estimated at 650,000. The Division of Wildlife expects as many as 210,000 hunters will hunt deer during the muzzleloader season.

Ohio deer hunters must possess the proper permits. Regardless of zone, method of taking or season, hunters may take only one antlered deer during the 2009-2010 deer hunting season.

Legal hunting hours during the statewide muzzleloader deer season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Deer must be checked by 8 p.m. on the day after harvest, except those killed on January 12, which must be brought to a deer check station by 8 p.m. that day.

Ohio’s small game, furbearer and waterfowl seasons also will be open during the muzzleloader season. During those overlapping four days, small game hunters and deer hunters must visibly wear a coat, jacket, vest or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange in color.

Hunters have been encouraged to kill more does this season and donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 6th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 4th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $1.5 billion economic impact in Ohio. Hunting related retail sales in Ohio total more than $700 million.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of deer zones are contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations. This free publication is available where hunting licenses are sold and from the Division of Wildlife by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or on the Internet at wildohio.com.

The 2009-2010 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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Ohio Deer Hunters Prepare for Statewide Muzzleloader Season, January 9-12

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —-(AmmoLand.com)- Maryland’s Firearm Deer Season will reopen for white-tailed deer on January 8 and 9 in Deer Management Region B.

This two-day deer season provides additional opportunities for landowners to manage deer numbers, while offering hunters a late season recreational opportunity.

The firearm season is closed in Deer Management Region A (Allegany and Garrett counties) and the sika deer firearm season is closed as well.

“The late firearm season is a great time to harvest antlerless deer,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Deer Project Leader Brian Eyler. “In January 2009, about 80% of the 4,160 deer harvested were antlerless. This additional opportunity is an important part of our deer management scheme in Region B.”

Complete bag limits, season dates and other deer hunting information can be found on the DNR website www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide.

The 2009-2010 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping issued with each hunting license contains detailed information about all of Maryland’s hunting seasons.

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White-Tailed Deer Season Reopens In 21 Maryland Counties

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Hunters killed 19,900 deer on December 19-20, during the weekend of gun hunting, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The extra weekend of gun hunting was first offered in 2006 in response to hunters’ request for additional weekend days to pursue white-tailed deer, the state’s number one big game animal. In 2008, hunters took 16,382 deer during those two days.

Counties leading the state in deer killed over the weekend included: Tuscarawas – 1,164; Harrison – 725; Licking – 663; Ashtabula – 589; Holmes – 567; Columbiana – 543; Coshocton – 503; Knox – 488; Stark – 487; and Guernsey – 474.

A total of 198,297 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season and the first nine weeks of the archery season. Hunters took a total of 252,017 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

Hunters can continue to enjoy deer hunting January 9–12, 2010, during the statewide muzzleloader season, and through February 7, 2010 as the archery season continues.

The Division of Wildlife is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Donations of extra deer will be accepted through the entire deer season. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and while funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and the deer they killed this year to wildohio.com.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available where licenses are sold. It may also be viewed online at wildohio.com.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

NOTE: Following is a list of deer killed by hunters during the deer-gun hunting weekend, December 19-20. Numbers in parentheses are 2008 figures.

Adams – 273 (203); Allen – 119 (71); Ashland – 471 (288); Ashtabula – 589 (426); Athens – 336 (338); Auglaize – 66 (33); Belmont – 435 (389); Brown – 230 (277); Butler – 107 (87); Carroll – 312 (281); Champaign – 165 (129); Clark – 74 (41); Clermont – 318 (247); Clinton – 114 (78); Columbiana – 543 (378); Coshocton – 503 (514); Crawford – 226 (138); Cuyahoga – 16 (23); Darke – 57 (40); Defiance – 182 (93); Delaware – 161 (120); Erie – 112 (101); Fairfield – 349 (241); Fayette – 47 (23); Franklin – 77 (50); Fulton – 64 (61); Gallia – 169 (230); Geauga – 128 (118); Greene -36 (27); Guernsey – 474 (534); Hamilton – 86 (74); Hancock – 91 (42); Hardin – 132 (70); Harrison – 725 (724); Henry – 47 (19); Highland – 430 (268); Hocking – 324 (276); Holmes – 567 (522); Huron – 279 (163); Jackson – 306 (278); Jefferson – 398 (394); Knox – 488 (320); Lake – 58 (62); Lawrence – 149 (209); Licking – 663 (594); Logan – 214 (121); Lorain – 253 (145 ); Lucas – 58 (48); Madison – 45 (38); Mahoning – 206 (167); Marion – 93 (48); Medina – 220 (140); Meigs – 255 (285); Mercer – 32 (17); Miami – 27 (26); Monroe – 257 (279); Montgomery – 49 (32); Morgan – 151 (190); Morrow – 251 (157); Muskingum – 220 (357); Noble – 272 (296); Ottawa – 26 (25); Paulding – 85 (45); Perry – 299 (303); Pickaway – 131 (84); Pike – 147 (161); Portage – 169 (99); Preble – 83 (48); Putnam – 118 (49); Richland – 206 (166); Ross – 345 (309); Sandusky – 60 (50); Scioto – 241 (237); Seneca – 264 (122); Shelby – 110 (64); Stark – 484 (306); Summit – 128 (101); Trumbull – 342 (304); Tuscarawas – 1,164 (868); Union – 106 (54); Van Wert – 55 (44); Vinton – 188 (127); Warren -141 (86); Washington – 396 (426); Wayne – 139 (153); Williams – 91 (70); Wood – 101 (52); Wyandot – 128 (89); Total – 19,900 (16,382)

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Tuscarawas County Leads Ohio State in Weekend Deer-Gun Harvest Numbers

If your application is drawn to join Utah’s Dedicated Hunter program, you can hunt all three general buck deer seasons for the next three years. Photo by Bill Bates

Utah Division of Natural Resources

Utah --(AmmoLand.com)- Jan. 4 is the first day to apply for Dedicated Hunter program

You can hunt all three general buck deer seasons for the next three years if your application is drawn to join Utah’s Dedicated Hunter program.

And you can hunt those seasons in the region of your choice.

Applications to join the program will be accepted starting Jan. 4. Before you can apply, however, you must complete the program’s free online orientation course. The course will teach you more about the program.

You can take the course at wildlife.utah.gov/dh.

“The Dedicated Hunter program is a great program for the state’s deer hunters and for the state’s wildlife,” says Rhianna Christopher, volunteer services coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

“The program gives participants a chance to help mule deer and other wildlife by helping with habitat projects,” she says. “In return, you get to hunt deer all three seasons in the region of your choice.”

Christopher says the program is capped at 10,000 hunters. About 4,000 spots are open for 2010.

To be included in the draw to join the program, your application must be received no later than 11 p.m. on Jan. 19.

In addition to the required orientation course, wildlife.utah.gov/dh also provides an overview of the program. You can also call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or (801) 538-4711 for more information.

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Hunt All Three Utah Deer Seasons

Wounded Warriors Deer Hunt A Bluegrass Depot Big Success

Kentucky Department Fish Wildlife

Kentucky - -(AmmoLand.com)- Drowned out by the roar of a dozen motorcycles from the Patriot Guard Riders, a police escort and the commander’s Humvee, the Soldiers shouted and waved as they met their escorts just off of Interstate I-75 on a dark cold night on Nov. 19.

Thirteen wounded warriors were then escorted to Blue Grass Army Depot for a free weekend of food, fun, deer hunting and camaraderie.

Depot employees and area organizations opened their hearts and wallets in support of Soldiers from Fort Campbell and Fort Knox who are part of the Army’s Wounded Warrior Program.

The weekend was designed to provide Soldiers injured in Iraq or Afghanistan with an opportunity to forget about their injuries and spend a weekend hunting deer. Some of the Soldiers had also participated in the depot’s September deer hunt. Blue Grass Army Depot commander Col. Joseph A. Tirone had visited Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s rehab center when he was stationed at the Pentagon and took wounded Soldiers to the National Rifle Association Museum and shooting range.

“We had a great time and at that point we knew that setting up a wounded warrior deer hunt would only be a matter of time,” he said.

Tirone praised depot employees, family members, members of the local community and commercial organizations who donated their time, money, expertise, and hunting equipment to make the weekend a success.

“The wounded warriors were thrilled with the hunts, their guides and the support they received while at Blue Grass. The experience contributes significantly to Hooah or healing outside of a hospital” said Sgt. 1st Class Ron Gullion, Fort Campbell, Ky. Sgt. Maj. Paul Baxter, depot military affairs, said that the goal was for the Soldiers to enjoy the hunting experience and have an “arm chair hunt.”

“They could sit back and volunteers did all the work. We even had volunteers who field dressed the deer the Soldiers bagged and packed the meat in ice so they could take it home,” he said.

The Patriot Guard Riders awarded challenge coins to each wounded warrior who arrived for both hunts.

“It’s a testament to the way the employees here feel about Soldiers and veterans. We had a new group of riders trained by the Department of Defense and depot safety personnel meet and provide escort to these Soldiers,” said Steve Verrigni, Patriot Guard senior ride captain.

Tim Robinson of the depot’s environmental office said that there were so many volunteers some had to be turned away.

“It was a great opportunity for depot employees to meet and honor these Soldiers. Many of us made lifetime friends,” he said. Tirone, an avid deer hunter, added, “This is what it’s all about, taking care of those who have made major sacrifices for our country. When the wounded warrior I was escorting shot his buck, I don’t know which of us was more excited.”

The Army Wounded Warrior Program is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, veterans, and their families, wherever they are located, for as long as it takes. AW2 provides individualized support to this unique population of Soldiers, who were injured or became ill during their service in overseas contingency operations since 9/11.

Reprinted from www.army.mil, Official Homepage of the United States Army and Kentucky Conservation Coalition Newsletter.

About:
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.5 billion annually. For more information on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.

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Wounded Warriors Deer Hunt A Bluegrass Depot Big Success

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio deer hunters have donated more than 95,500 pounds of venison to local food banks so far this deer season, according to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The 95,500 pounds equals approximately 382,000 meals for needy Ohioans. To date, 1,910 deer have been donated with plenty of deer hunting opportunity left in the 2009-10 season. Last year at this time, 671 deer had been donated representing 33,550 pounds of venison.

Last year FHFH collected 54,800 pounds of venison from 1,096 deer through the entire season, from September 2008 to February 1, 2009.

“I applaud Ohio hunters for their generosity and continue to encourage them to donate what they can so Ohio’s food pantries will receive the nutritious red meat they so desperately need,” said David M. Graham, chief of the Division of Wildlife.

Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 19-20, and eight weeks of archery hunting; the archery season remains open until February 7, 2010. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held January 9-12, 2010.

FHFH.org

The Division of Wildlife collaborated with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) in an effort to assist with the processing costs associated with donating venison to a food bank. A $100,000 subsidy grant was provided in two $50,000 allotments that are to be matched with funds generated or collected by FHFH. The division subsidized this year’s FHFH operation as an additional deer management tool, helping wildlife managers encourage hunters to kill more does.

Venison donated to food banks must be processed by a federal, state or locally inspected and insured meat processor that is participating with FHFH. Hunters wishing to donate their deer to a food bank are not required to pay for the processing of the venison as long as the program has funds available to cover the cost. There are presently 65 participating meat processors across the state. A list is provided at www.fhfh.org.

Currently there are 33 local chapters across the state with a need for more. Anyone interested in becoming a local program coordinator or a participating meat processor should visit the “Local FHFH” page at www.fhfh.org. The Web page includes a current list of coordinators, program names and the counties they serve.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at www.ohiodnr.com.

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95,500 Pounds of Venison Donated So Far This Season

West Virginia DNR

West Virginia --(AmmoLand.com)- Preliminary data collected from game checking stations across the state indicate deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 62,491 bucks during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 23 through Dec. 5, according to Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro.

The 2009 buck harvest was 7 percent less than the 2008 harvest of 67,365. The top ten counties for buck harvest were as follows: Jackson (2,493), Lewis (2,215), Preston (2,123), Roane (2,116), Mason (2,105), Ritchie (1,979), Braxton (1,896), Randolph (1,896), Greenbrier (1,896) and Wood (1,853).

This year’s buck kill is somewhat lower than last year, primarily as a result of a decline in the buck harvest in DNR Districts 1 and 2, which encompass the northern and northeastern counties of the state. The harvest was similar to last year in the remaining four DNR districts. Overall, the 2009 harvest increased in 16 counties and declined in 35 counties (see accompanying chart. If you cannot read it in your e-mail reader, go to the “News” section of the WVDNR Web site at www.wvdnr.gov ).

Wildlife biologists will analyze data from the combined 2009 deer seasons (i.e. buck, antlerless, archery and muzzleloader) before making appropriate recommendations for next year’s deer seasons. These recommendations will be available for public review at 12 regulations meetings scheduled for March 15 and 16, 2010 (see current 2009-10 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary page 5 or visit the DNR Web site at www.wvdnr.gov for scheduled times and places).

White-tailed deer are a product of the environment. Too many deer on a given tract of land will result in loss of body weight, reduction in antler development, decrease in reproduction and sometimes death due to starvation during winter months. Over time, these declines in herd condition will actually reduce the deer herd’s resiliency to poor mast conditions and harsh winter weather.

Jezioro reminds hunters that the traditional six-day antlerless deer season in selected counties on both public and private land ends Saturday, Dec. 12. Muzzleloader deer season begins December 14 and runs through Dec. 19. The Youth and Class Q/QQ antlerless deer season will be open on Saturday and Monday, Dec. 26 and 28 in any county with a firearms deer season.

This will be followed by a three-day reopening of antlerless deer season (Dec. 29-31) in 45 counties or portions of counties and on selected wildlife management areas (see 2009-10 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary or visit the DNR Web site at www.wvdnr.gov for county and area listings).

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Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 62,491 Bucks

Bass Pro Shops

SPRINGFIELD, MO --(AmmoLand.com)- As soon as possible after your state’s deer season, get out and start scouting for next year.

Main deer trails stand out like road maps in the winter woods and secondary trails are also very visible as are rubs and leftover scrapes from this season. You can identify cover types, travel corridors, terrain, water sources and feeding patterns.

It is now easier to get into the deep brush where big bucks live and figure out their home area and escape trails. You may spook them but remember you won’t be hunting them again for quite awhile.

This is also a good time to pick out areas to put your stand for next season since everything now looks much as it will then. If you hunt private land you could even go ahead and put up stands so they become a part of the landscape rather than warning signs closer to the season.

Bob Foulkrod is a member of the RedHead® Pro Hunting Team

About Bass Pro Shops
Headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pro Shops, also an international catalog and internet retailer, currently has 54 retail locations in 26 states and Canada visited by over 100 million people per year. In addition, Bass Pro Shops, also provides products and services for thousands of independent dealers world wide through its subsidiary company, American Rod & Gun. Bass Pro Shops gift cards can be purchased at over 10,000 retail outlets across America. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO.

Bob Foulkrod is a member of the RedHead® Pro Hunting Team For more tips, log onto basspro.com

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Start Deer Scouting Now For Next Year

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio’s popular deer-gun season will run an additional weekend, Saturday and Sunday, December 19-20, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

The extra weekend days were added beginning in 2006 in response to comments received from hunters for more weekend time to hunt. Deer can be hunted with a legal muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from one half-hour before sunrise until sunset on December 19-20. Ohio’s pre-hunting season population was estimated at 650,000 white-tailed deer.

So far this season, 178,633 deer have taken. A total of 53,959 deer was killed during the first six weeks of the statewide archery season, which began September 26 and continues through February 7, 2010. The special youth season, held November 21-22, resulted in young hunters bagging 9,331 deer. Hunters checked 114,633 deer during the statewide deer-gun season, November 30 – December 6. Another 474 deer were taken during the early muzzleloader deer season held in October at Shawnee, Salt Fork and Wolf Creek state wildlife areas.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Ohio is divided into three deer hunting zones. After November 29, a limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (20 counties) and two deer in Zone B (30 counties). Beginning on December 7, the bag limit is three deer in Zone C and antlerless deer permits are no longer valid. Any time a hunter is allowed to take more than one deer, they must purchase an additional permit.

Those hunting in urban units and at Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts will have a six-deer bag limit, and those deer will not count against the hunter’s zone bag limit. Antlerless deer permits can be used for the entire season in urban deer units or Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts. Antlerless deer permits are no longer available and must have been purchased prior to November 29.

Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. A deer permit is required in addition to a valid Ohio hunting license. Hunter orange is required. Only deer, coyote and waterfowl can be hunted during the extra deer-gun weekend.

Donations of extra deer will be accepted through the entire deer season which ends on February 7, 2010. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of the state’s deer zones are listed in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations. This free publication is available wherever hunting licenses are sold, online at wildohio.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Ohio hunters and birdwatchers are reminded that they will need to be aware of one another as the pursue deer and birds on this shared weekend. Hunters need to remember that there may be other people—both hunters and non-hunters— in the woods. Birders are also reminded that hunters are allowed to hunt wherever they have written permission to hunt. And, while hunters are required to wear hunter orange in the field, birders should also give consideration to wearing a hunter orange vest or hat during the deer-gun weekend.

The 2009-2010 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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Ohio Deer-Gun Hunting Season Continues December 19-20

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio hunters took 114,633 white-tailed deer during the state’s popular, weeklong deer-gun season, which ran November 30 through December 6, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. In 2008, hunters killed a preliminary total of 116,798 deer during the same time period.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer brought to Ohio check stations last week included Tuscarawas-5,901; Harrison-4,310; Guernsey-4,289; Licking-3,734; Coshocton-3,680; Washington-3,589; Holmes-3,265; Belmont-3,238; Athens-3,049; and Knox-3,046.

A total of 178,397 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season, and the first six weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 179,194 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a total of 252,017 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

The statewide deer population was estimated to be 650,000 in late September, prior to the start of the hunting season. Approximately 420,000 hunters were expected to participate in the statewide deer-gun season.

Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 19-20, and nine weeks of archery hunting in Ohio. Archery season remains open until February 7, 2010. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held January 9-12, 2010.

Saturday, December 5 was designated as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry Day. Although Chief Dave Graham was unable to fill his tag that day, many other hunters did and donated. Totals for deer donated though the FHFH program will be available next week.

Donations of extra deer will be accepted through the entire deer season which ends on February 7, 2010. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and the deer they killed this year to www.wildohio.com.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Ohio’s first modern day deer-gun season opened in 1943 in three counties, when hunters harvested 168 deer. In 1956, deer hunting was allowed in all 88 counties and hunters killed 3,911 deer during that one-week season.

A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available where licenses are sold. It may also be viewed online at www.wildohio.com.

NOTE: The Following Is A List Of Deer Checked And Tagged By Hunters During The 2009 Deer-Gun Hunting Season. The Number Taken During The 2008 Season Is Marked In ( ): 2009 (2008)

Adams –1,790 (1,333); Allen –567 (431); Ashland –2,239 (2,168); Ashtabula –2,084 (2,776); Athens –3,049 (3,068); Auglaize –221 (357); Belmont –3,238 (2,407); Brown –1,096 (1,643); Butler –411 (364); Carroll –1,715 (2,174); Champaign –737 (743); Clark –338 (321); Clermont –1,166 (1,211); Clinton –558 (502); Columbiana –2,186 (2,384); Coshocton –3,680 (4,043); Crawford –1,002 (1,013); Cuyahoga –107 (88); Darke –309 (195); Defiance –762 (1,027); Delaware –652 (804); Erie –332 (320); Fairfield –1,964 (1,681); Fayette –221 (165); Franklin –263 (264); Fulton –377 (380); Gallia –1,766 (2,110); Geauga –509 (1,008); Greene –221 (242); Guernsey –4,289 (4,017); Hamilton –377 (331); Hancock –449 (394); Hardin –655 (571); Harrison –4,310 (4,136); Henry –264 (299); Highland –1,695 (1,694); Hocking –2,594 (2,337); Holmes –3,265 (3,138); Huron –1,142 (1,138); Jackson –2,577 (2,159); Jefferson –2,699 (2,840); Knox –3,046 (3,067); Lake –282 (363); Lawrence –1,510 (1,570); Licking –3,734 (3,597); Logan –815 (723); Lorain –808 (685); Lucas –273 (290); Madison –193 (189); Mahoning –694 (723); Marion –308 (315); Medina –639 (712); Meigs –2,203 (2,465); Mercer –231 (211); Miami –126 (145); Monroe –2,521 (2,807); Montgomery –177 (154); Morgan –1,887 (1,910); Morrow –957 (1,043); Muskingum –2,829 (2,452); Noble –2,561 (2,636); Ottawa –65 (55); Paulding –472 (424); Perry – 2,046(2,108); Pickaway -635 (604); Pike –1,254 (1,212); Portage –544 (658); Preble –229 (237); Putnam –624 (542); Richland –1,438 (2,384); Ross –2,355 (2,340); Sandusky –217 (229); Scioto –1,420 (1,673); Seneca –1,012 (953); Shelby –448 (434); Stark –1,615 (1,718); Summit –381 (435); Trumbull –1,474 (1,738); Tuscarawas –5,901 (5,862); Union –478 (407); Van Wert –245 (251); Vinton –1,829 (1,538); Warren –462 (510); Washington –3,589 (3,753); Wayne –618 (825); Williams –615 (578); Wood –402 (391); Wyandot –595 (606); Total –114,633 (116,798)

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Ohio’s Tuscarawas County Leads 2009 Deer Harvest

Outdoors Magazine

Colchester, VT --(AmmoLand.com)- Casual Friday is here again and today’s topic is taking better “trophy-shot” pictures of dead game – primarily deer.

Each year at Outdoors Magazine we see thousands of “trophy” pictures. Some are good, a few are great, but most fail to capture the moment and don’t do either the deer or hunter justice. Nothing frustrates our editorial staff more than seeing a great deer photographed in the back of a pick-up truck at night next to beer cans. You know the type of picture – usually the deer’s tongue is hanging out as well.

10 Simple Steps to Better Trophy Deer Pictures

The truth is you don’t need any fancy equipment to take good trophy pictures. Most digital cameras on the market will do the job. All that is necessary is a little time and few minor adjustments. The end result could be the difference between a picture worthy of a magazine cover and one that is forgotten about somewhere in a desk drawer.

Taking into account any of the following suggestions is guaranteed to produce better pictures.

• Clean up the deer. Take the time to wash off any blood, open the eyes and tuck the tongue in the mouth. If the deer is gutted remember to be discreet about how that will appear in the picture.
• Watch your background. Pictures taken in trucks, on game poles, or in garages are the kiss of death. The deer and hunter both look awful. Instead, pose the deer in a natural environment outdoors.
• Check your lighting. The great thing about digital cameras is the ability to view your shots and go back immediately and pick-up on the shadows and things the lens captures that the photographer might overlook. This allows you take make adjustments. Night pictures should be avoided whenever possible.
• Think of the hunter. Cigarettes and beer bottles are two absolute no-no’s. Also look at what they are wearing. Hunting clothes usually make for the best pictures. Take time to make sure shirts are tucked in.
• Tip the hat. Many great pictures are ruined by the shadows created by a visor. Always tip the hat up to see the hunter’s face.
• Open your eyes. If you are really enthusiastic buy a set of glass deer eyes which you can pop-in like a set of contacts. We learned this trick from Charlie Alsheimer, arguably the nation’s best deer photographer, and started using it with tremendous results.
  Take pictures at many different angles. The bottom line is the more pictures you take the better your chances are for a good one. Don’t be afraid to lie on the ground and shoot up at the deer and hunter. As you get better at this you will begin to notice antler positioning, etc.
• Watch the hands. Often the way a hunter holds a deer can make it look bigger or smaller. Horns pushed out towards the camera make them look bigger. Also hands wrapped around the antlers can be distracting – especially if hands are bloody or there are gloves on. Try to hold the antlers as minimally as possible.
• Be quick to shoot. Without fail – pictures taken immediately after the animal is shot before it is gutted will portray the animal the best.
• Shoot verticals. Many photographers only shoot with the camera in the standard horizontal position. By tilting it to the vertical position you are opening up a new style. The majority of frames on the market and most magazine covers only accommodate verticals.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write. For more information visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

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10 Simple Steps to Better Trophy Deer Pictures

Outdoors Magazine

Colchester, VT --(AmmoLand.com)- Outdoors Magazine is proud to announce in March it will be unveiling its first issue celebrating youth hunters.

“We all know that kids are the future of our sport,” said James Austin, president of Elk Publishing, “A big part of the issue will be celebrating youth afield and telling their success stories. I don’t think it matters how old you are, these stories bring us all back to some of the best memories of our early days in the woods and on the water.”

Kyle Scanlon, editor of Outdoors, is looking for the perfect cover photo to highlight the issue.

“The stories are so good and the topic is so close to our hearts that we need the perfect image to wrap up the package,” said Scanlon. “We are appealing to all of our followers to send us pictures of their hunting or fishing adventures with their children,” he said.

“Any pictures we don’t use on the cover may be used in other places in the magazine over the coming months and on our website,” said Scanlon.

Outdoors Magazine Cover Photo Search

If you have a picture, please send it via email to amanda@elkpublishing.com. Be sure to include the names of the people in the picture and location it was taken. For prints, send via parcel post to: 531 Main St., Colchester, Vt. 05446

Don’t think that this issue is just about feel-good stories though. Scanlon is bringing forth an expanded editorial vision.

“Celebrating youth is great, but we also want to keep it real and hit on a couple of other very serious and practical topics you don’t hear about elsewhere. These include: The parents role in developing their kids as sportsmen and women, practical advice for gear, dealing with peer pressure in the woods, getting hunters started and the ‘high fence’ alternative, and the very real range of emotions that young hunters feel when they kill for the first time,” he said.

For more information, sponsorship opportunities, and expanded article descriptions, visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write.

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Outdoors Magazine Cover Photo Search Targets Youth Hunters

Millennium Tree Stands

Pearl, Mississippi - -(AmmoLand.com)- The designers at Millennium Tree Stands listen to their customers, and one thing the customers said they wanted was a color change in the tree stand seats.

From black to green was their desire, and Millennium is honoring that request by changing the color of all of its seating. The new green seating will be featured in all models of stands and will increase the stands’ degree of invisibility afield even more.

Millennium M-100 Multi-System Hang-On Stand in GREEN

Although the color is changing the comfort is not. Millennium Stands have long been recognized as the most comfortable stands on the market. From Texas to Alberta and South Carolina to Idaho, outfitters and guides know the best way to increase your chances in seeing a trophy animal is to sit in a prime location from sun up until sun down, and you’ll have no problem doing that thanks to Millennium’s one-piece sling seat design. The seat keeps you comfortable and quiet for as long as you want to hunt. The seats are made with Textiline, a non-stretch fabric, so they don’t absorb water and are quiet to the touch.

The new green seating will be featured on the 20ft Ladder Stand, the 17-Foot Double Ladder Stand, the M-1 Millennium™ Climbing Stand, the M-100 Multi-System Hang-On Stand and the Millennium Ground Seat™.

For more info on these and other products, check out www.millenniumstands.com.

About:
Hunting Solutions was founded in 1999 our mission is to provide hunters with safe, high quality products at a fair price. Hunting Solutions is dedicated to quality design and workmanship that can be seen in all our products. This is how we are able to offer an unlimited lifetime warranty.

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Millennium Tree Stands Go Green

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio hunters had near ideal weather for the opening day of deer-gun season. Hunters took 33,607 white-tailed deer on Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The deer-gun season remains open through Sunday, December 6, and then reopens for two days on Saturday and Sunday, December 19-20

The preliminary figures from deer check stations throughout the state show a slight increase of 1.7 percent from last year’s opening day total of 33,034.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked on Monday included Tuscarawas-1,763, Harrison-1,374, Coshocton-1,353, Guernsey-1,284, Licking-1,182, Holmes-1,165, Washington-1,010, Athens-925, Ashtabula-836, and Muskingum-799.

Combining the results of Monday’s harvest with those from the early muzzleloader season, the first six weeks of archery season and the recent youth deer-gun season, a preliminary total of 97,371 deer have been killed so far this deer hunting season. That number compares to 95,074 harvested last year at this time. In all, hunters took a total of 252,017 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

Approximately 420,000 hunters are expected to participate in the statewide deer-gun season. Ohio’s deer population was estimated to be 650,000 prior to the start of the fall hunting seasons.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Division of Wildlife Chief Dave Graham challenges all deer hunters to make this year special for Ohio’s hungry by labeling Saturday, December 5, as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) Day. Last year, hunters showed they cared by donating nearly 220,000 meals to Ohioans in need.

Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and the deer they killed this year for publication on the Division of Wildlife’s Web page.

A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available wherever licenses are sold, and online at wildohio.com.

The 2009-2010 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

NOTE: The following is a list of the number of deer checked and tagged by hunters during the first day of deer-gun hunting season. The number taken during the 2008 season is marked in ( ): 2009 (2008)

Adams –481 (377); Allen –118 (130); Ashland –619 (577); Ashtabula –836 (1,089); Athens –925 (828); Auglaize –80 (102); Belmont –640 (612); Brown –240 (336); Butler –89 (55); Carroll –691 (625); Champaign –232 (193); Clark –87 (67); Clermont –297 (236); Clinton –186 (109); Columbiana –628 (722); Coshocton –1,353(1,307); Crawford –288 (265); Cuyahoga –25 (32); Darke –55(50); Defiance –293 (323); Delaware –179 (188); Erie –112 (82); Fairfield –609 (452); Fayette –74 (50); Franklin –68 (81); Fulton –123 (150); Gallia –455 (501); Geauga –188 (326); Greene –63 (54); Guernsey –1,284 (1,202); Hamilton –72 (40); Hancock –153 (83); Hardin –169 (133); Harrison –1,374 (1,286); Henry –88 (108); Highland –543 (409); Hocking –793 (683); Holmes –1,165 (1,088); Huron –367 (288); Jackson –776 (648); Jefferson –767 (771); Knox –761 (954); Lake –63 (113); Lawrence –320 (343); Licking –1,182 (1,134); Logan –255 (169); Lorain –210 (165); Lucas –76 (75); Madison –42 (53); Mahoning –238 (198); Marion –96 (74); Medina –146 (158); Meigs –569 (702); Mercer –79 (63); Miami –35 (38); Monroe –670 (672); Montgomery –37 (27); Morgan –579 (556); Morrow –260 (308); Muskingum –799 (670); Noble –745 (645); Ottawa –12 (9); Paulding –140 (139); Perry –631 (580); Pickaway –188 (161); Pike –300 (261); Portage –122 (164); Preble –39 (43); Putnam –196 (157); Richland –404 (364); Ross –638 (597); Sandusky –67 (54); Scioto –249 (380); Seneca –255 (242); Shelby –141 (123); Stark –487 (440); Summit –62 (79); Trumbull –572 (657); Tuscarawas –1,763 (1,821); Union –125 (125); Van Wert –55 (74); Vinton –548 (497); Warren –117 (102); Washington –1,010 (1,456); Wayne –220 (186); Williams –253 (264); Wood –99 (108); Wyandot –167 (176); TOTAL: 33,607 (33,034)

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White-tailed Deer Hunters Successful on Opening Day of Gun Season

Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, WI –-(AmmoLand.com)- The close of the nine-day gun deer hunt also signals the opening of the 10-day, muzzleloader deer hunt that runs from Nov. 30 through Dec. 9. The muzzleloader hunt is statewide with the exception of most state parks. There is also an ongoing deer hunting season through Dec. 9 in designated metropolitan, or metro, units due to higher deer populations near some urban areas. Check the current deer hunting regulations for details.

Following the muzzleloader hunt is a four-day antlerless deer hunt running Dec. 10 through 13 statewide except in state parks and in Menominee County.

“The later seasons generally are more relaxed and less crowded,” said Keith Warnke, big game ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources. “It’s a quieter time in the woods that many hunters find enjoyable and it extends the hunting season.”

The late archery deer season also started on Nov. 30 and runs through Jan. 3, 2010. Archers and small game hunters are reminded that they must observe blaze orange clothing requirements during the muzzleloader and December antlerless deer hunt seasons.

License sales officials say there are unit-specific antlerless deer tags are still available for some regular units for $12 each. Antlerless deer tags for herd control units and earn-a-buck units are available for $3 each.

Visit the deer hunting pages of the DNR Web site for details on license requirements, permit availability, bag limits and harvest rules. For additional questions call the toll free 1-888-WDNR-INFo (888-936-7463) line for answers. The line is staffed 7a.m. to 10 p.m. 7-days per week

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke – (608) 264-6035

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Muzzleloader Season Underway – December Antlerless Deer Season Ahead

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG. PA –-(AmmoLand.com)- While there are no known cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, joined by veterinarians and laboratory technicians from the Pennsylvania and U.S. departments of Agriculture, will continue its efforts tomorrow to sample thousands of hunter-killed deer to test for CWD.

“Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are doing what we can to ensure that it stays that way,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “We are planning to collect samples from 4,000 hunter-killed deer to test for CWD in the upcoming firearms deer season. Last year, we tested samples from more than 4,200 deer. CWD was not detected in any of the samples.”

Game Commission deer aging teams will collect deer heads throughout the state beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1 – the second day of the state’s two-week rifle deer season. The heads will be taken to the six Game Commission Region Offices, where samples will be collected for testing.

The CWD tests on these deer samples will be conducted at the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory at the New Bolton Center in Chester County. Results are expected in 2010.

The Game Commission collected liver, lung and blood samples from the 43 elk harvested. The Game Commission also collected brain tissue and lymph node samples from elk that were not to be mounted, and requested that taxidermists submit the caped heads from elk provided by hunters seeking to have their trophies mounted. Elk hunters were provided pre-paid mailers for taxidermists to submit the samples. All elk samples will be tested for CWD at the New Bolton Center as well.

Under a contract with Penn State University, samples also will be tested for bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis. With funding from the state’s Animal Health Diagnostic Commission, the Game Commission and Penn State also are examining liver samples for nutritional mineral and heavy metal content, as elk frequently graze on reclaimed strip mines.

Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, said the agency will release the elk and deer test results as soon as they are available.

The Game Commission, with the assistance of the Pennsylvania and U.S. departments of Agriculture, has conducted tests on more than 300 elk and more than 22,000 deer killed by hunters in Pennsylvania over the past six years. Since 1998, more than 600 deer and elk that have died of unknown illness or were exhibiting abnormal behavior also have been tested. No evidence of CWD has been found in these samples. The Game Commission will continue to collect samples from deer and elk that appear sick or behave abnormally.

Even though CWD had not been detected in Pennsylvania, CWD testing of healthy appearing hunter-killed deer or elk is available through the New Bolton Center. Hunters who wish to have their deer tested may do so for a fee by making arrangements with the New Bolton Center Laboratory (610-444-5800).

First identified in 1967, CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects cervids, including all species of deer, elk and moose. It is a progressive and always fatal disease, which scientists believe is caused by an agent capable of transforming normal brain proteins into an abnormal form.

There currently is no practical way to test live animals for CWD, and there is no vaccine to prevent an animal from contracting the disease. There is no cure for animals that become infected. There is no evidence of CWD being transmissible to humans or to other non-cervid livestock under normal conditions.

Deer harboring CWD may not show any symptoms in the disease’s early stages. The usual incubation period for CWD is between 12-24 months. Commonly observed signs of an infected animal include lowered head and ears, uncoordinated movement, rough-hair coat, weight loss, increased thirst, excessive drooling, weakness, and ultimately, death.

Hunters who see deer behaving oddly, that appear to be sick, or that are dying for unknown reasons are urged to contact the nearest Game Commission Region Office. Hunters should not kill or consume animals that appear to be sick.

“We count on hunters to be our eyes when they head out to hunt deer,” Roe said. “With the help of the nearly one million deer hunters who go afield, we can cover a lot of ground.

“Hunters should be mindful of wildlife health issues, even more so in recent years. At this point, we have no evidence that CWD is in Pennsylvania, or that it poses health problems for humans.”

Not only should hunters shoot only deer that appear to be healthy and behave normally, but the Game Commission also recommends that they use rubber gloves for field dressing. These are simple precautions that hunters can follow to ensure their hunt remains a safe and pleasurable experience.

CWD is present in free-ranging or captive wildlife populations in 15 states and two Canadian provinces. The Game Commission has been working with other state agencies to protect the Commonwealth’s wild and captive deer and elk by emphasizing measures designed to prevent its introduction into the state.

In September of 2005, in order to prepare for a possible CWD occurrence, Gov. Edward G. Rendell and agency representatives of the Pennsylvania CWD task force finalized and signed the state’s response plan, which outlines ways to prevent CWD from entering the state’s borders and, if CWD is in Pennsylvania, how to detect, contain and work to eradicate it. The task force was comprised of representatives from the Governor’s Office, the Game Commission, the state Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Also, representatives of important stakeholder groups – including hunters, deer and elk farmers, meat processors and taxidermists – helped shape the final draft of the plan. A copy of the final plan can be viewed on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “Reports/Minutes” and then selecting “Pennsylvania CWD Response Plan.”

In December of 2005, recognizing the transmissible nature of the disease, the Game Commission issued an order banning the importation of specific carcass parts from states and Canadian provinces where CWD had been identified in free-ranging cervid populations. In May of 2009, Roe modified that order to include all states where CWD had been detected, whether in a captive or wild setting. Now hunters traveling to the following states must abide by the importation restrictions: Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York (CWD containment area only), Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia (Hampshire County only), Wisconsin and Wyoming; as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Specific carcass parts prohibited from being imported into Pennsylvania by hunters are: head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord material is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord material is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft material is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord material; and brain-tanned hides.

The order does not limit the importation of the following animal parts originating from any cervid in the quarantined states, provinces or area: meat, without the backbone; skull plate with attached antlers, if no visible brain or spinal cord material is present; tanned hide or raw hide with no visible brain or spinal cord material present; cape, if no visible brain or spinal cord material is present; upper canine teeth, if no root structure or other soft material is present; and taxidermy mounts.

To learn more about CWD, visit the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on the “CWD Update” section in the “Quick Clicks” box in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.

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PA Game Commission Prepares To Collect Samples For CWD Testing

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Hunters harvested 53,641 deer in Nebraska during the recent firearm season, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The harvest total represents a 3-percent decrease from the 2008 harvest of 55,507. A likely reason for the decline is a lagging corn harvest due to a wet October provided plenty of cover for deer. That was especially true in eastern Nebraska, where deer harvest totals were down from a year ago.

The following are management district harvest totals, including percentage of change from 2008: Panhandle, 5,904, no change; north-central, 10,057, up 6 percent; northeast, 10,451, down 8 percent; southwest, 5,833, up 5 percent; southeast, 12,350, down 12 percent; and south-central, 9,046, no change.

Deer were checked at stations across the state. The following are totals for deer checked at Commission district offices over the final weekend of the season and for the entire season: Alliance – 133 weekend, 634 total; Bassett – 79 weekend, 532 total; Norfolk – 320 weekend, 1,241 total; North Platte – weekend total unavailable, 633 total; Lincoln – 122 weekend, 450 total; and Kearney – 325 weekend, 1,030 total.

Conservation officers received many complaints over the final weekend. The complaints included hunting without permission, shooting from the road, spotlighting, and shooting and dumping deer.

Officers also investigated a number of incidents. In the northwest region, a bull elk was shot and left in a field northwest of Fort Robinson State Park.

Another hunter in the Pine Ridge reported tracking a deer he had shot until he found it being attacked by a mountain lion. The hunter dispatched the deer, scaring off the cat. The hunter left to retrieve field-dressing equipment and returned to find the deer had been partially consumed and covered by debris.

There was a report of a wounded bighorn sheep on Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area. The sheep was located alive, but officers could not get close enough to determine if the sheep was shot or injured fighting another sheep.

In the southwest region, an 18-year-old hunter turned himself in to an officer after shooting an elk he had mistaken for a deer. Also, one officer in the region received 38 reports of sick deer.

An officer in the south-central region made a case against five Alabama residents who were renting a home and had permits in their names using Nebraska addresses. The officer confiscated 11 resident permits for deer, turkey and small game. He also seized three deer, including one trophy, and the leg of an alleged doe.

Also, a 17-year-old boy reportedly was shot accidentally in the leg and hand by a hunting companion.

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Nebraska Firearm Hunters Take 53,641 Deer

Whitetails Unlimited

Wisconsin - -(AmmoLand.com)- The white-tailed deer is the most popular big-game animal in North America, and is an amazing example of an animal that adapts and perseveres.

As hunters go into the woods in pursuit of this graceful animal, here is a quiz from Whitetails Unlimited to see how much you really know about the whitetail’s biology, behavior and history.

True / False
1) Deer are strong swimmers, in part because they have a layer of hair that is hollow, providing buoyancy in the water.
2) Deer have existed for 20 million years, and have had the same basic form for the last one million years.
3) Deer can run in excess of 35 miles per hour.
4) Deer can leap over fences eight feet tall.
5) Deer can cover 30 feet in a horizontal leap.
6) Just like humans, deer have a set of “baby teeth” that fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth.
7) You can tell how old a male deer is by how many points there are on his antlers.
Deer use their antlers during the winter to dig for food under the snow.
9) When antlers grow, they are covered with “velvet,” a soft, fuzzy tissue. This velvet is the only regenerating skin found in mammals.
10) Like cows, deer have four stomachs.
11) Deer can eat poison ivy without ill effect.
12) Deer are native to every state in the U.S.
13) The reason fawns are born with a pattern of white spots is so the mother can recognize her offspring.
14) Deer have extraordinary senses, including sight, hearing and smell.
15) Newborn deer have no scent, and the mother will place the fawn by itself in a secluded spot for protection against predators.

True / False Answers
1) True. The hollow hair is more important in providing insulation during the winter, but also helps when deer swim.
2) True.
3) True.
4) True.
5) True.
6) True. The permanent teeth are in place by the time the deer is 2-1/2 years old.
7) False. Rack size depends on many factors, including age, nutrition and genetics. Racks are typically largest on deer in middle age (4-6 years old) and get smaller as deer get into old age, but there are many variables.
False. Deer shed their antlers starting in January, and they are used in dueling with other males during the mating season.
9) True. Velvet is also the fastest growing tissue in mammals; some antler growth has been measured at one inch during a 24-hour period.
10) True. Deer are ruminants, swallowing food that they later bring up to chew, releasing more nutrients for further digestion.
11) True.
12) False. There are no deer native to Hawaii, but deer are native to the other 49 states, Canada and Mexico. (Introduced deer are now in Hawaii.)
13) False. The dots are a form of camouflage.
14) True.
15) True.

Multiple Choice

1) Deer are a member of the Cervidae family. What other animal is not included in this family.
a) Moose
b) Elk
c) Sheep
d) Caribou

2) The scientific name of the white-tailed deer is “Odocoileus Virginianus,” and was named in 1832. What does “Odocoileus Virginianus” mean?
a) “Ocean Virgin”
b) “Odious Vinegar”
c) “Hollow-tooth Virginia”
d) “Outdoor Vigorous”

3) Modern deer have two toes. How many toes did the deer’s ancient ancestors have?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5

4) In the wild, deer can live as long as:
a) 7 years
b) 11 years
c) 18 years
d) 24 years

5) When deer run from danger, they flip their tail up and expose the white underside. What evolutionary purpose does this serve?
a) The white color confuses the predator, since deer are usually brown to grey in color.
b) The tail alerts other deer and provides an object for fawns to follow their mother.
c) The white looks like an eye, making the predator think the deer is running the other direction.
d) When deer run, blood pressure rises causing blood vessels in the tail to inflate.

6) Under good conditions, how much food would an average adult deer eat per day?
a) 1-3 pounds
b) 5-9 pounds
c) 11-15 pounds
d) 17-21 pounds

7) Does will normally have one fawn the first year they breed. After this, how many fawns will they normally have?
a) One
b) Twins
c) Triplets
d) Quadruplets

Newborn fawns weigh about 4-6 pounds. How long does it take for them to double their weight?
a) One week
b) Two weeks
c) One month
d) Two months

9) Deer are very adaptable, and have evolved into a number of subspecies. How many subspecies are there in North America?
a) 12
b) 19
c) 24
d) 30

10) In 1900 the total population of white-tailed deer in North America was estimated to be 500,000 animals. What is the estimated population of white-tailed deer today?
a) 500,000
b) 5-10 million
c) 20-30 million
d) 75 million

Multiple Choice Answers
1) c, Sheep.
2) c, “Hollow-tooth Virginia.” Odocoileus is the Greek word for “hollow tooth,” and the scientist who named the species was working in Virginia.
3) d, 5. One toe has been completely lost through evolution, and two toes have moved into unusable dewclaws several inches above the main toes.
4) b, 11 years. In captivity deer have been known to live up to 20 years, but very few deer live longer than 10 years in the wild.
5) b, The tail flash alerts other deer to danger.
6) b, 5-9 pounds.
7) b, Twins.
b, Two weeks.
9) d, 30. There are an additional 10 subspecies living in South America.
10) c, 20-30 million.

About:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization.

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Whitetails Unlimited’s Deer Quiz – Test Your knowledge About Whitetail Deer

New Jersey Fish and Game

Trenton, NJ --(AmmoLand.com)- The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters that the Six-day Firearm Deer Season opens one-half hour before sunrise on Monday, December 7. This state-wide season allows licensed hunters to harvest two antlered deer.

New this year will be legal use of a bow (recurve, compound or crossbow) during the Six-day Firearm Season.

Hunters wishing to use a bow must have both a firearm and, archery license in possession, or an All-around License.

Antlered deer taken during the Six-day Firearm Season with a bow must be tagged with the Six-day Firearm Season Transportation Tag.

For more information on the upcoming season visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2009/sixday09.htm on the division’s website.

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New Jersey Six-Day Firearm Deer Season Opens Dec. 7

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Excellent deer hunting opportunities remain in Nebraska as the muzzleloader season arrives, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The season runs Dec. 1-31.

The recently completed firearm season proved that plenty of deer and large bucks are available. Those firearm hunters were hampered somewhat by the lagging corn harvest, but conditions are improving for December as that harvest continues.

A muzzleloader permit is valid statewide and has a bag limit of one deer of either sex and one antlerless white-tailed deer. The limit may be filled in any order.

“We encourage hunters to take antlerless female white-tailed deer,” said Kit Hams, big game program manager with the Commission. “The use of binoculars or scopes will help hunters avoid buck fawns, which often are more visible than adult does or doe fawns. By this time of year, the small antler ‘buttons’ are 1-2 inches in length and visible.”

There is an unlimited number of muzzleloader permits available again this year. Last year, 15,199 permits sold and 6,946 deer were taken.

Now that the firearm season has closed, hunters again have the option of checking deer electronically or at a check station. Hunters may check electronically by going to NEdeercheck.com or calling toll-free (800) 405-7700 at any time.

The Deer Exchange remains available, too. Donors and recipients of venison may register for free at ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/programs/deerexchange/.

Open Fields and Waters Program lands, popular with firearm hunters, are a good option for muzzleloader hunters. This program has more than 36,000 acres of private land available for public walk-in hunting access. Check the 2009 Nebraska Public Access Atlas for tracts in each county.

Permits may be purchased at Commission permitting offices and at OutdoorNebraska.org. A habitat stamp is required of all deer hunters, except residents age 15 or younger.

For more information on deer hunting, visit OutdoorNebraska.org or read the 2009 Nebraska Big Game Guide.

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Nebraska Muzzleloader Deer Season Opens Dec. 1

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Sunday before deer-gun season in Ohio is traditionally the peak day of the year for hunting license sales according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. Last year, Ohio sold 49,748 licenses on November 30.

Hunting license and permit sales are strong the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, with the day before archery season being the second highest hunting license sales day with 47,807 sold in 2008.

Fishing license sales are also seasonal in nature with a traditional spike in buying just prior to the Memorial Day holiday. The highest sales day for fishing licenses is generally a good weather weekend in April with last year’s best sales day on April 18 at 33,769.

Ohio had 1,270 license sales locations in 2008. The location with the highest numbers of licenses sold should be no surprise to many. The ease and convenience of purchasing on the Internet has made it the single most popular outlet, with 166,008 sold in the 2008-09 license year. This is 5 percent of total license sales. This percentage has grown since Internet licenses were first available in Ohio in 2004.

Following behind the Internet are national or regional chain stores. The top corporate sales outlets include the Walmart in New Philadelphia with 16,901 licenses sold to rank it second. The Walmart locations in Marietta and Port Clinton followed behind with 14,843 and 13,283, respectively. The fifth highest sales outlet was Gander Mountain in Warren with 13,243.

Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World in Cincinnati was sixth with 12,780 sold. The Cambridge Walmart sold 12,743 for seventh highest license numbers. Gander Mountain locations in Canton and Mentor follow with 12,732 and 12,654, respectively. Ranking 10th on the list with 12,398 is the Mt. Vernon Walmart.

Buckeye Outdoors in Hebron is the 11th ranked outlet in sales and the highest entry of the non-national or regional chain stores. Other top non-corporate outlets include Ashland’s Fin Feather Fur Outfitters (10,130) ranking 21st overall followed by 39th ranked Kame’s Sport Center in North Canton with 8,375 licenses sold. Norton Sporting Goods of Waldo sold 8,156 and is ranked 41st. Middlefield’s Great Lakes Outdoor Supply comes in at 57th with 7,254 licenses sold in 2008-09.

In 2008, 448,807 hunting licenses and 886,479 fishing licenses were sold. Ohio ranks fourth nationally for the number of resident sportsmen with 1.5 million anglers and hunters spending $5.3 million dollars a day with total annual spending estimated at 1.9 billion.

Ohio ranks eighth nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging, etc.

Sport fishing in Ohio generates $1.1 billion of economic impact annually Estimates from 2006 put the number of Ohio jobs related to sport fishing at 20,000 ranking Ohio 11th nationally. Ohio ranks 13th in retail sales of sport fishing related items in the U.S. with nearly $500 million in sales annually.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife is the authority on Ohio’s fish and wildlife resources and uses no state or federal taxpayer dollars in fulfilling its mission. Instead, fishing and hunting license and permit fees support fish and wildlife programs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also provides millions of dollars each year to Ohio’s wildlife fund in the form of federal aid reimbursement. These funds come from an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment including rods, reels, guns, ammunition, and bows.

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Hunting License Sales Peak this Time of the Year

Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, WI –-(AmmoLand.com)- There were no confirmed fatal shooting incidents recorded during the first two days of the hunt but there were five non-fatal firearms-related incidents, reports DNR Hunter Education Administrator Tim Lawhern.

“We are grateful these five incidents were not fatal and wish a speedy recovery to the victims, but the fact remains that all five could have been prevented if strict firearm safety rules had been observed by the shooters and by the victims who wounded themselves.”

Three woundings occurred on Saturday. In Grant County a hunters was struck in the back of the leg by shrapnel when a hunting companion’s gun discharged into the door of a vehicle as he attempted to unload the gun.

In Price County, a hunter suffered a self-inflicted wound in the left hand from a handgun, and in Green County a hunter sustained a gunshot wound to his leg when he slipped crossing a stream on a log and his shotgun discharged

On Sunday a Barron County hunter was wounded in the thigh by a bullet, and in St Croix County a hunter sustained a self-inflicted gunshot would to the right hand from a .30-30 caliber rifle.

Hunter Safety Administrator Tim Lawhern noted that historically about half of Wisconsin’s shooting incidents happen during deer drives, usually because someone wasn’t where they were supposed to be or someone shot at a deer when they did not have a safe backstop or in a direction they should not have been shooting.

“It is really important that hunting parties wanting to drive deer have a plan and that they follow that plan to the letter. Knowing where your hunting mates are and where safe shooting lanes are is critical,” he said.

Statistically, about half the hunting incidents happen during opening weekend.

“I am hoping we buck that statistic and can avoid further incidents this year,” Lawhern said. “Compared to the ‘good ole’ days,’ hunting is safe and getting safer. In 1915, of the state’s 155,000 hunters then, 24 were killed and 26 were injured. That meant 1 in about 3,100 hunters could expect to be killed or injured. Today it’s 1 in 100,000 or better. Still any shooting incident is one too many. Hunters need to remember the shooting TAB-K safety rules and be careful with deer drives later this week,” he said.

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WI DNR Reports 5 Hunting Injuries out of 626,404 Hunters

Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, WI –-(AmmoLand.com)- DNR Secretary Matt Frank visited several registration stations along the I-39, Saturday morning.

“At the stations I visited it was really gratifying seeing our next generation of hunters taking their place,” said Frank. “I especially enjoyed the chance to visit with the youngsters who brought in their first deer. Congratulations to all hunters for keeping our heritage strong. I wish them all success and an enjoyable and safe hunting experience during the remainder of the seasons.”

The department’s license sales office reported 626,404 hunters hit the woods with a license to participate in the 2009 nine-day gun deer season. The number of gun hunting licenses included a new category this year, 9,592 10- and 11-year-old hunters who for the first time were able to participate as mentored hunters under Wisconsin’s new Mentored Hunting Law.

Deer license and tag sales will continue through the hunting seasons.

The long custom of buying a license on the way to deer camp is also intact. Over 43 percent – nearly half – of all deer hunters purchased a license in the eight days preceding the gun deer opener; 82,463 licenses were sold on Friday.

At peak, which occurred at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, the DNR’s online licensing system – known as ALIS – was processing 212 transactions per minute

Nearly 270,000 licenses were issued in the eight days preceding the season opener.

Of the hunters hitting the woods on Saturday:

• 592,287 (95 percent) were residents and 34,117 were nonresidents;
• More than 79,000 youth hunters under 18 years old participated in this year’s hunt, representing 13 percent of the total number of deer hunters;
• More than 54,000 hunters were age 65 or older, and over 191,000 (31 percent) are under 30-years-old;
• Females represent 8.5 percent of the total hunters, and 20 percent of new 10- and 11-year-old hunters;
• Hunters throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries purchased a Wisconsin gun deer license. The highest number of nonresident hunters came from Minnesota (16,413),
• Illinois (8,568), Michigan (1,078), and Florida (898);
• The most deer licenses were sold in Dane County (29,024), with Brown, Washington,
• Marathon and Waukesha counties following;
• More than 170,000 antlerless deer tags have been sold this year.

Wisconsin Conservation Congress delegates also shared their experiences over the weekend.

Scott McCauley, Conservation Congress delegate from Wood County was hunting in Waupaca County and noted that for his party opening day was off to a promising start.

“Last year we had our best season ever taking nine deer. This year is looking even better with five people taking three deer and the season is just starting,” said McCauley.

Mike Riggle, Conservation Congress delegate from Taylor County called in, “Seven in camp now, including 11-year-old Austin Riggle hunting for his first time as a mentored hunter. Austin didn’t see anything but enjoyed being in camp and will be out again having a good time.”

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Enthusiasm For Hunting Remains High

Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, WI –-(AmmoLand.com)- Warm temperatures and heavy fog in many areas greeted hunters on the opening weekend of Wisconsin’s 158th gun deer hunt. Hunters participating in the traditional November 9-day gun deer hunt registered a preliminary tally of 100,330 deer over the first two days of the hunt.

The 2009 preliminary count compares to a similar opening weekend count of 133,828 from 2008. Buck harvest statewide in 2009 was 49,583 (52,477 in 2008) and antlerless harvest was 50,478 (81,351 in 2008)

“We want to remind folks that these preliminary numbers come from a staff call-around to deer registrations stations this morning,” said Tom Hauge DNR’s wildlife management director. “The final opening weekend tally will likely be somewhat larger, when all the registration stubs are entered into the data base over the next couple of months.”

A breakdown of the harvest by DNR Region and county is available in portable document format.

This fall, wildlife staff indicated that they expected lower total harvest numbers – especially antlerless deer harvest numbers – due to several factors including lower deer numbers in many areas of the state, fewer herd control units and no earn-a-buck units outside of the chronic wasting disease management zone.

“There was pretty dense fog until 10-11:00 a.m. opening morning,” reported Kris Belling DNR West Central Region wildlife expert. “The fog coupled with wet conditions, made it hard to hear anything coming and definitely impacted the morning hunt. Hunters I talked to (in West Central Region) enjoyed the mild temperatures and it was comfortable enough for them to stay out hunting, and that seems to have offset the original difficulties due to the fog. Overall, it was just a nice week-end to be out. Lots of interest in getting the deer butchered quickly.”

However, the weather improved later in the day.

“Those deer are still out there,” said Keith Warnke, DNR big game ecologist. “Many folks take this week off leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and given the slower start to the season, there should continue to be good opportunity out there in many areas. There is still a lot of hunting left.”

As of early Monday afternoon, 571 “opening weekend” hunting trip reports have been recorded on the department’s new online reporting database. Hunters reported seeing 796 total deer on those trips which translates to an average of 1.39 deer per trip. These numbers will also likely change as trip reports were still coming in at a rapid pace. Hunters wish to report their hunting experiences can do so from the DNR website.

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Hunters Register 100,330 Deer Opening Weekend Of 2009 Season