Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

AUSTIN, Texas --(Ammoland.com)- High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Duck hunting has improved with recent rains and snow. The Panhandle received more rain early this week and snow is forecasted as well.

Good numbers of mallards, gadwalls and teal have been harvested, along with wigeons, mallards and gadwalls.

Goose hunting has been great, according to several sources, with best goose hunts coming over wheat and corn. Lots of Canada geese on Lake Etter. Snow geese have been mixed with darks. Outfitters have reported larger Canada geese have moved in to the region with freezing temperatures in the northern states. Prospects are good.

North Zone Duck:  Biologist Jared Laing said hunters have enjoyed good shoots for mallards in backwaters along sloughs, river bottoms and beaver ponds. Recent rains have drastically improved habitat in what had been a dismal first split of the season. Mallard action has been good along the Sulfur River and Red River bottoms. Gadwalls and wigeons have dominated the bag for the most part, but green-winged teal and divers have helped, too. Caddo Lake and Lake O’Pines are solid for divers, gadwalls and a few mallards. Lake Fork and Toledo Bend saw good shoots in shallow creeks and coves for mallards, canvasbacks, gadwalls and green-winged teal. Laing said the Neches, Sabine and Angelina rivers have improved with recent rains for mallards, gadwalls and wigeons. Hunting remains steady around the zone boundaries of IH-10 around Sealy, Brookshire, China, Winnie and Columbus. Lots of green-winged teal have filled the bag, along with gadwalls and shovelers. Prospects are fair to good.

South Zone Duck: Pintails, green-winged teal, gadwalls and shovelers continue to be the mainstay on prairie ponds near Wharton, El Campo, Eagle Lake, Garwood, Lissie and East Bernard. An influx of blue-winged teal moved through the region last week. Bay hunters enjoyed limits t near Port O’Connor and Rockport. Redheads have been steady and so have wigeons, pintails and gadwalls. Lower Laguna Madre hunters have shot steady limits around the Arroyo Colorado and Port Mansfield. Goose hunters continue to take advantage of a high percentage of juvenile snow geese. Foggy conditions last week yielded banner hunts. Specklebellies have become much tougher to decoy, most of the times skirting white spreads and snubbing boisterous calling. Sandhill crane hunters get their first shot Dec. 24, and numbers look good around roost ponds. Limited water has concentrated cranes in very large groups. Prospects are good.

Season/Bag Limits: The High Plains Mallard Management Unit runs Oct. 29-30, Nov. 4-Jan. 29, 2012. The North and South zones run Nov. 5-27 and Dec. 10-Jan. 29, 2012.

The daily bag limit shall be 6 ducks, to include no more than the following: 5 mallards (only 2 of which may be hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 scaup (lesser scaup and greater scaup in the aggregate), 2 redheads, 2 pintails, 1 canvasback, 1 dusky duck (mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck and their hybrids are closed the first five days of the season in each zone). All other species: 6.

This service is provided to you at no charge by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

About:
The Mission of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, (TPWD), is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Visit: www.tpwd.state.tx.us

Arizona Game and Fish Department Unveils HabiMap Arizona

Arizona Game and Fish Department

PHOENIX, AZ – -(Ammoland.com)- The Arizona Game and Fish Department has launched an innovative new tool that utilizes the latest mapping technology to put wildlife data at your fingertips.

HabiMap Arizona is a user-friendly, web-based data viewer that allows users to visually explore the distribution of the state’s wildlife, wildlife conservation potential, and stressors to wildlife.

“This is a great example of how technology can be used to assist in transparent wildlife conservation and project planning,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Larry Voyles.

“We’re excited to offer a tool that not only allows the department to better manage wildlife at a statewide scale, but also can be used to help address the growth needs of our state.”

Information available through HabiMap Arizona is non-regulatory and may be useful in making decisions about our state’s future growth by considering wildlife early in the planning process. Tools such as HabiMap Arizona can help ensure that current and future generations are able to experience Arizona’s rich wildlife heritage.

“I can’t think of a better way for the Arizona Game and Fish Department to proactively plan for the future of Arizona’s wildlife,” said Jonny Fugate, Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club.

“Arizona will continue to grow, so the question is not if but how we grow. HabiMap Arizona is a tool that can help us have both a healthy economy and healthy wildlife populations,” said Rob Marshall, The Nature Conservancy Director, Center for Science & Public Policy. “We appreciate the department’s investment in developing tools with the capacity to expand and grow as our state changes.”

HabiMap Arizona is a component of the department’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), which provides a framework for helping to set the state’s wildlife conservation priorities. HabiMap Arizona provides a visual representation of the Species and Habitat Conservation Guide, which includes more than 300 layers of wildlife data and other information to identify the conservation potential at a statewide level.

Through aggressive protection, management and educational programs, the Arizona Game and Fish Department conserves, enhances, and restores Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources. The department also provides information and suggestions on how you can enjoy and appreciate Arizona’s wildlife. Learn more about the department at www.azgfd.gov. To learn more about HabiMap Arizona, please visit www.habimap.org.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

AUSTIN, Texas --(Ammoland.com)- High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Duck season ended Jan. 23 in the High Plains and the consensus was a successful season.

Lots of water in the Panhandle gave ducks ample habitat and hunters many playa lakes to hunt. However, the abundant water scattered ducks, somewhat. Mallards, pintails, wigeons, gadwalls and teal were harvested the final weekend. Goose season runs through Feb.6, and prospects are good for decoying action. Outfitters said good goose numbers are roosting on Lake Etter and around Dalhart. More geese moved in to the Amarillo area. The Light Goose Conservation Order in the West Zone begins Feb. 7. Prospects are good.

North Zone Duck: Duck season ended Jan. 23 and hunters said the latest cold front and timely rains 10 days prior aided success. The region received as much as four inches of rain, which finally floated a good mast crop of acorns. Wood ducks remained solid throughout the season, and mallards improved in January, especially the last week of the season. Lots of divers were reported on Lake O’Pines, Caddo Lake, Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, Lake Fork and Cooper Lake. The Sulphur River and Lake Wright-Patman was hit-or-miss. The good news is the latest rains have provided an abundance of water to sustain ducks through the winter, or at least until they begin to trickle back north.

South Zone Duck: As is traditionally the case, the coast was the hotspot for ducks in Texas, namely the coastal marshes and bays. Some hunters around Port O’Connor said they have never seen this many ducks throughout the season. Rockport hunters saw consistent action as well. Baffin Bay, Port Mansfield and areas around the Arroyo Colorado reported excellent shoots of pintails, redheads and wigeons from start to finish, with little or no boat traffic from other hunters. Pintails, shovelers and teal were the most prevalent species taken on the prairie, though greenwings did not show up en masse until the final week of the season. Absent, too, were wigeons and gadwalls did not show up in number compared to past years. Hunters were pleased with the extra pintail this year and took advantage on many prairie ponds and bay flats. Goose season ended Jan. 23 and most hunters said they enjoyed average decoying action throughout the season. Most pegged the juvenile population of snow geese at around 10 percent. Specklebellies and Canada geese filled the void when snows were not cooperative. The Light Goose Conservation Order began Jan. 24., however, participation was minimal.

About:
The Mission of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, (TPWD), is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Visit: www.tpwd.state.tx.us

Lands in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas are being flooded carefully with varying water levels.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced that a coordinated effort with landowners across eight states to protect and feed birds migrating toward the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill zone in the Gulf of Mexico had more than tripled expectations, enrolling more than 470,000 acres.

Wildlife experts estimate more than 50 million birds migrate through the Mississippi, Central, and Eastern Flyways each fall and spring.

“Private landowners play a critically important role in protecting wildlife every single day, and I am proud that so many landowners in these eight states stepped up to be a part of this unprecedented effort to increase migratory bird habitat and protect wildlife from any lingering effects from the oil spill,” Vilsack said. “The outpouring of support for this effort far exceeded our expectations, and it will have an impact on countless migratory bird populations for years to come.”

The Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative is an unprecedented effort created by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service that began on June 28, 2010, when oil was still spilling from the Deepwater Horizon well. The initiative mobilized private landowners to help create alternative and additional habitats to provide healthy food and resting areas for shorebirds, waterfowl and other birds headed for the Gulf. The initial goal was to enroll 150,000 acres. After landowners expressed extremely strong interest in the program, funding was doubled to $40 million enabling enrollment to reach a total over three times the initial goal.

The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has been conducting similar work primarily on Federal lands adjacent to the spill impact zone in order to minimize potential bird contact with contaminated areas and help address long term objectives for habitat conservation along the entire Gulf Coast. Much of the work has been funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Recovered Oil Fund, as well as other privately donated funds.

“Providing additional food and nesting opportunities for migrating waterfowl and songbirds heading south during the fall migration is an important part of our collective effort to minimize injury to migrating birds by creating alternative habitats north of the impacted wintering and stopover habitats along the coast,” said Salazar. “Indeed, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s work is an important complement to the work the Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to provide alternative habitats for food and nesting on national wildlife refuges in the middle and lower Mississippi Valley.”

The 470,000 acres under contract with this initiative are within the three flyways that pass through the Gulf of Mexico. These lands in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas are being flooded carefully with varying water levels and planted with a variety of vegetation to provide food and habitat for the wide range of bird species that might stop to refuel. Early feedback from participants indicates that a variety of birds are using the enhanced habitat, including sandpipers, blue-winged teal, mottled ducks and many others.

Although the MBHI initiative was initially created in response to the oil spill, landowners are providing food at a critical time. Current drought conditions in the Gulf region combined with decades of wetland losses are resulting in fewer food resources and habitat compared with previous years. In Louisiana, where the bulk of oil landfall occurred, water levels in marshes are significantly below average.

Currently, the FWS is calculating the number of oiled acres impacting available food and habitat for migratory birds as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process. This is an action taken after every spill to quantify the environmental damages and the cost to restore natural resources to pre-spill conditions.

NRCS has started working on a three-year effort with other entities, including Mississippi State University, to determine the initiative’s effectiveness through monitoring the number and species of birds which utilize the habitat created. The first progress report will be available in spring 2011.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, the Fish and Wildlife Service is known for its scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

This year represents the 75th year of NRCS helping people help the land. Since its inception in 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382

About:
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ATLANTA, GA --(AmmoLand.com)- Twenty juvenile whooping cranes and several chilly pilots in ultralights reached Decatur County, Ga., today on their ultralight-guided migration from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuges along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“Successfully restoring a population of a migratory species is a huge challenge and this pioneering effort is demonstrating the need for long-term commitment,” said Mike Harris, Nongame Conservation Section chief with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

These majestic birds, the tallest in North America, left Necedah refuge on Oct. 23, following Operation Migration’s four ultralight aircraft. Georgia is one of the seven states on the route to Florida. The flight path crosses the corner of southwest Georgia.

“I hope all Americans appreciate this monumental and inspiring project to save this species for future generations,” said Cindy Dohner, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s southeast regional director.

A public flyover is planned at San Marcos de Apalache State Park in St. Marks, Fla. For more information, call St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge at (850) 925-6121, or visit: www.operationmigration.org_Field_Journal.html. Another event is planned at Dunnellon Airport, in between Crystal River and Ocala, Fla. For more information on that event, call (352) 563-2088 Ext. 213

There are now 85 migratory whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America – including the first whooping crane chick to hatch in the wild in Wisconsin in more than a century. One crane from an earlier cohort was recently shot and killed in Indiana.

Harris said some of those birds are also moving through Georgia. People who spot a whooping crane are encouraged to contact the Nongame Conservation Section’s Forsyth office, (478) 994-1438, or report the sighting online at www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1321.

Anyone who encounters one of the cranes in the wild should give it the respect and distance the bird needs. Do not approach on foot within 600 feet; try to remain in your vehicle; do not approach in a vehicle within 600 feet or, if on a public road, within 300 feet. Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the birds can hear you. Finally, do not trespass on private property in an attempt to view whooping cranes.

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, an international coalition of public and private groups conducting this project, is now in its ninth year in an effort to reintroduce this endangered species in eastern North America.

Each fall, pilots from Operation Migration, a founding partner of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, leads a new generation of whooping cranes behind their ultralight aircraft to wintering grounds in Florida. Unaided, the cranes will make the return migration to the Upper Midwest in the spring.

“This is the second time we have led birds through this part of Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, Georgia, and I am still amazed at the support this project generates,” said Joe Duff, CEO of Operation Migration Inc.

“Without help from land-owners who allow us to use their property or the airport managers who provide hangar space for our flimsy aircraft this project could not be done. We are grateful to all the people who provide pumpkins for the birds, showers for the crew members or dinners. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”

The ultra-led flock from Necedah NWR passed through Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, Alabama, and passes through Georgia to reach their final destinations in Florida. Because the ability to fly with the birds is entirely weather dependent, the duration of the migration is unknown. To help speed the migration and improve safety for the birds and the pilots, a new route was developed last year that takes the team around the Appalachian Mountains, rather than over them.

In addition to the 20 ultralight-led birds, biologists from the International Crane Foundation and the Fish and Wildlife Service reared nine whooping cranes at Necedah NWR. The birds were released in the company of older cranes from whom the young birds will learn the migration route. This is the fifth year Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership has used this Direct Autumn Release method.

Whooping cranes that take part in the ultralight and Direct Autumn Release reintroductions are hatched at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md., and at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis. Chicks are raised under a strict isolation protocol and to ensure the birds remain wild, handlers adhere to a no-talking rule and wear costumes designed to mask the human form.

Most of the reintroduced whooping cranes spend the summer in central Wisconsin, where they use areas on the Necedah NWR, as well as various state and private lands. Reintroduced whooping cranes have also spent time in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and other upper Midwest states.

In the spring and fall, project staff from International Crane Foundation and the Fish and Wildlife Service track and monitor the released cranes in an effort to learn as much as possible about their unassisted migrations and the habitat choices they make along the way. The birds are monitored during the winter in Florida by Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership project staff. Crane Foundation and Fish and Wildlife Service biologists continue to monitor the birds while they are in their summer locations.

The Whooping Crane Recovery Team has established a target number for this reintroduction. Once there are at least 125 individuals, including 25 breeding pairs, migrating in this eastern corridor the population could be considered self sustaining.

Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940s. Today, there are only about 500 birds in existence, 350 of them in the wild. Aside from the 85 Wisconsin-Florida birds, the only other migrating population of whooping cranes nests at the Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Coast. Whooping cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls, live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs and seeds. They are distinctive animals, standing 5 feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads.

A non-migrating flock of about 30 birds lives year-round in central Florida. The remaining 150 whooping cranes are in captivity in zoos and breeding facilities around North America.

Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the International Crane Foundation, Operation Migration Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.

Many other flyway states, provinces, private individuals and conservation groups have joined forces with and support the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership by donating resources, funding and personnel. More than 60 percent of the project’s estimated $1.6 million annual budget comes from private sources in the form of grants, public donations and corporate sponsorship.

A Wisconsin Whooping Crane Management Plan that describes project goals and management and monitoring strategies shared and implemented by the partners is online at: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/birds/wcrane/wcraneplan.htm.

For more information on the project, its partners and how you can help, visit the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership’s Web site at www.bringbackthecranes.org.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of Americans. Visit the service’s Web site at www.fws.gov or www.fws.gov/southeast/.

Ducks Unlimited Migration Map

Ducks Unlimited

MEMPHIS, Tenn –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ducks Unlimited members and waterfowl hunters throughout the U.S. are utilizing DU’s Migration Map in unprecedented numbers.

Surpassing more than 1.5 million page views within the site’s first two months is allowing waterfowl hunters to utilize the migration map to improve their success in the field.

“We have created the ‘ultimate waterfowl hunter’s resource’ with Opening Day-First Flight,” says Anthony Jones, director of internet services for DU.

“The migration map is only successful when hunters post detailed reports of the migration they are personally witnessing while they are in the field. Our numbers are showing that not only are visitors utilizing the map, but the feedback we are getting shows that hunters are using the site’s many aspects as tools within every flyway.”

Opening Day
First Flight offers constantly changing articles, video, gear features and several interactive maps for waterfowl hunters to utilize throughout the season. It offers everything from state agency sites to get licenses to detailed weather maps in conjunction with the Zip Code they plan to waterfowl hunt; it’s the most comprehensive waterfowl hunting site on the web.

“We have continually built interactive applications for the site and the Migration Map,” Jones says. “With the video contest, member photo application and the constantly updated content, it’s not surprising that we have been able to reach 1.5 million page views in the first two months.”

Opening Day-First Flight site and DU’s Migration Map went live Sept. 1, 2009, and will be live until Jan. 31, 2010. Understanding that waterfowl hunters are the foundation of wetland conservation in North America, DU has worked to help improve waterfowl populations since its inception in 1937. The Opening Day-First Flight site is a testament to the passion waterfowl hunters embody and their commitment to the resource. Visit openingday.ducks.org for the experience.

About:
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved nearly 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.