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Whooping Cranes Spotted At Cheyenne Bottoms, Quivira Ks
Rare birds flew into Kansas evening of Nov. 4; hunting limited at Cheyenne Bottoms, closed at Quivira NWR.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

PRATT, KS —-(AmmoLand.com)- Twelve endangered whooping cranes were spotted by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) staff at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, near Great Bend, the evening of Nov. 4. Central Kansas is one of the most popular annual stopover points for migrating whooping cranes. In addition to the 12 birds reported from the Cheyenne Bottoms office, and another three were spotted on The Nature Conservancy property nearby.

In response to the sightings, Bottoms staff have closed the goose firing line. Pool 1B, where the birds are staying, is a refuge area. However, waterfowl hunters should be aware that other pools may be closed if the birds move.

At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles south and east of Cheyenne Bottoms, another 14 whoopers were spotted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff. In response, the entire refuge is closed to hunting until further notice. For daily updates on Quivira’s whooper status, go online to www.fws.gov/quivira.

Although most whooping cranes usually have migrated through the Kansas by the opening of sandhill crane season — Nov. 11 this year — whoopers are sometimes sighted into early December. Sandhill crane hunters — and all migratory bird hunters — should expect to see whooping cranes throughout central Kansas and be sure of their targets before shooting. All sandhill crane hunters are required to take an online crane identification test before purchasing a sandhill crane permit. The test may be found by going to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, and typing “sandhill crane” in the search box at the top of the home page.

Hunters who see a whooping crane are asked to report it to the nearest KDWP office. All hunters should check with public hunting areas before planning a hunt. The Cheyenne Bottoms phone number is 620-793-3066, and the Quivira number is 620-486-2393.

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Texas Hunters Advised How To Get Sandhill Crane Hunting Permits

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

AUSTIN, Texas —-(AmmoLand.com)- Texas sandhill crane hunters are being advised to visit one of 30 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement (game warden) offices spread across the state to obtain a free permit, or obtain a permit online or by phone, since private hunting license retailers no longer provide the permit this year.

A federal sandhill crane hunting permit is required to hunt sandhill cranes, and failure to have the permit can result in a citation and fine. The permit is available at no cost. It is important, since it helps wildlife managers estimate hunting pressure and decide how to set sandhill crane hunting seasons and bag limits.

For the 2009-2010 season, private license retailers no longer provide sandhill crane permits. This is because it became obvious to game bird program managers at the state and federal levels over the last several years that many retailers were indiscriminately providing the permits to many hunters, regardless of whether they hunt sandhills, thus rendering permit data useless for wildlife management purposes.

“Last year, close to 125,000 sandhill crane permits were issued in Texas, and before we went to the electronic license sales system in the 1990s we use to issue about 12,000 paper sandhill permits per year,” said Vernon Bevill, TPWD small game and habitat assessment program director. “It is highly unlikely the number of crane hunters has increased that much.”

“We try to keep tight estimates on crane populations and harvest and this requires a good estimate of hunter numbers,” Beville explained. “The U. S Fish and.Wildlife Service surveys sandhill crane hunters each year, and they asked Texas to tighten up its method is distributing crane permits so they can obtain more accurate harvest estimates.”

This season, hunters can obtain the free sandhill crane permit at TPWD law enforcement offices located in Abilene, Amarillo, Austin (headquarters) Beaumont, Brownsville, Brownwood, College Station, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Freeport, Garland, SHouston (two locations, north and south), Kerrville, LaMarque, Laredo, Lubbock, Lufkin, Midland, Mount Pleasant, Rockport, Rusk, San Angelo, San, Antonio, Temple, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, and Wichita Falls. See a complete list of offices with addresses and phone numbers on the department’s Law Enforcement Offices Web page .

Hunters can also obtain sandhill crane permits online, and the permit is still free, but online transactions charge a $5 convenience fee covering shipping and handling. Hunters can bundle multiple license purchases into a single online transaction and still pay only one $5 fee.

Or, hunters can also obtain sandhill crane permits by phone at (800) TX LIC 4 U (800-895-4248). License phone center hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, closed Saturday, Sunday and most holidays. Each phone transaction also charges a $5 convenience fee.

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.

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