New Jersey Black Bears

National Rifle Association

Trenton, NJ --(AmmoLand.com)- Last week, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council unanimously approved a bear management policy that includes a six day bear hunt, beginning December 6 2010.

Acting Department of Environment Commissioner Bob Martin has signed off on the policy, thereby opening up the first bear hunt in New Jersey since 2005.

Of course, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the anti-hunting, Humane Society of the United States issued a statement calling the Black Bear Management Policy a political maneuver with no compelling social or biological reason for repealing the ban.

Mr. Pacelle fails to mention how in 2005 former Governor Jon Corzine (D) chose to disregard Fish and Game Council’s advice and imposed the bear hunting ban for political reasons. Governor Corzine then stood by in 2007 and tacitly allowed a bill to pass out of an Assembly Committee designed to remove sportsmen from the New Jersey Fish and Game Council, replacing them with environmental activists.

Unfortunately for Mr. Pacelle, Commissioner Bob Martin knows that wildlife policy should not be rooted in politics or emotion, but sound science and stated that,“The council incorporated the latest research and science into its proposed black bear management policy…,” contradicting Mr. Pacelle’s claim.

A public hearing on the plan will be held May 11 in Trenton and final approval should come from the state following a 60 day public comment period, beginning April 19.

NRA-ILA will notify you on AmmoLand.com once a time and location in Trenton has been set.

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First Bear Hunt in New Jersey Since 2005 Scheduled

Bushnell Trophy Cam Trail Camera

Bushnell Outdoor Products

Overland Park, KS – -(AmmoLand.com)- With the advent of digital versus film cameras in the last few years, the popularity of trail cameras has skyrocketed.

Consumers can now take hundreds, even thousands of digital photos at a fraction of the cost of film.

With this technological breakthrough it makes more sense than ever to own at least one trail camera.

Traditionally trail cameras have been used primarily by deer hunters to photograph the animals in their hunting area for the purpose of scouting for the upcoming season. This is still a big part of their use, but outdoorsmen have begun to discover a whole host of new ways to use their cameras.

Sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts are now using trail cameras for other types of wildlife watching, such as placing a camera near a bird feeder to see what comes in while they are at work or at night, while they’re asleep. Turkey hunters are using cameras to record the times when a particular gobbler walks by, or to see what predators and fur bearers are roaming about. Trail cameras with infrared night vision LEDs, like the new Bushnell Trophy Cam can also be used for nighttime surveillance to catch possible trespassers or intruders.

Trail camera technology has continued to improve over the years to the point that now there are some great affordable units on the market. The Bushnell Trophy Cam models have a host of great features, while still being highly affordable.

All Trophy Cams feature: Day/Night auto sensor, are external power compatible, shoot VGA video at 16 fps, QVGA video at 20 fps, and have an adjustable PIR(Lo/Medium/High) that is activated out to 45’. With a trigger speed of 1 second, adjustable trigger intervals from 0-60 minutes, multi-image mode with 1-3 images per trigger, and a programmable video length of 1-60 seconds, you’ll be sure to capture all the action. The cameras can also operate at temperatures from -5F-140F.

They use either 4 or 8 AA batteries and will operate up to a year on one set of lithium batteries. Using a 16 GB SD memory card, they are capable of taking thousands of photos on one set of batteries, minimizing the amount of potentially game spooking trips necessary to check the camera.

The new 2010 Trophy Cams have 32 infrared night vision LEDs, resolution settings of 3, 5 or 8 Megapixels, a maximum video resolution of 720×480 and they can record a time and date stamp on photos. The cameras come with an adjustable web belt and ¼ x 20 socket for mounting the camera to a tree. They are also cable lock adaptable.

The three new Trophy Cam models for 2010 include the standard model with black & white text LCD screen at $199.99, the Bone Collector model in RealTree AP HD with a black & white text LCD at $229.99 and the Trophy XLT model with full color LCD view screen at $249.99.

Using a trail camera is a great way to photograph undisturbed wildlife and stay connected to the outdoors, even when you can’t be there. Visit Bushnell for more info: www.bushnell.com

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Why do I need a Digital Trail Camera?

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Trenton, NJ --(AmmoLand.com)- On March 9, the FGC approved a management plan for the state’s black bear population that recommends a six-day hunt in December.

The plan now moves to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a public comment period prior to a final decision being made by acting DEP Commissioner, Bob Martin.

“We are pleased the FGC voted to recommend a hunting season as part of the management plan,” said Rob Sexton, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF) vice president for government affairs. “We will continue working with state officials to keep moving this badly needed plan forward.”

The FGC proposal is the latest step in a multi-year effort to address growing concerns in New Jersey about increasing bear-human interactions since the hunt was arbitrarily ended in 2006 by then DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson.

In response, the USSAF, along with Safari Club International and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, filed a lawsuit against the state to challenge the former Commissioner’s decision to stop the bear hunt.

The state Supreme Court refused to consider an emergency injunction that would have compelled the Commissioner to proceed with the 2006 hunt.

Since then, Assembly Members Gary Chiusano (R- Frankford Township) and Alison Littell McHose (R- Franklin) have repeatedly called for the Administration to reevaluate its bear hunting ban as the number of incidents between humans and bears continued to increase. Those same legislators also introduced Assembly Bill 181 clarifying that the FGC has sole authority to implement and regulate black bear hunting in New Jersey while prohibiting the DEP Commissioner from blocking those approved by Council.

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New Jersey Takes Step Towards Bear Hunt

Hunter's Specialties

Cedar Rapids, IA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Hunter’s Specialties new Velvet Whitetail Clover provides much needed nutritional benefits to deer while enhancing food plots by putting nitrogen back into the soil.

Designed for spring or fall planting, Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail brand Ladino Clover contains a proven mix of high performing clovers including Alsike, Dominion Red, Medium Red and Crimson, along with White Clover.

Hunter's Specialties Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover Mix

The mix grows extremely tall and spreads by stolons for a thicker food plot, producing tons of highly palatable and sweet tasting forage per acre. All Vita-Rack seed mixes feature high germination rates and a low percentage of foreign matter, making them a great value, as well as providing better plant coverage across the food plot.

Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover can save landowners up to 45% on fertilizer costs when used in a crop rotation with other Vita-Rack seed mixes, including the new Booming Beans™ and Winter Forage™ mixes. Clover is a legume, which pulls nitrogen out of the air and fixes it in the ground, where it can be used by other plants. Typical costs per acre to apply 17-17-17 fertilizer would be $93.00. By using Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover in a crop rotation the costs would drop to $52.00. [click here for more information on crop rotation]

For more information, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.

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Hunter’s Specialties New Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover Mix

Hunter's Specialties

Cedar Rapids, IA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Rodney Dyer, certified wildlife biologist and consultant to Hunter’s Specialties®, recently explained how consumers can save money and reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer needed to maintain healthy food plots.

“Hunter’s Specialties believes strongly in conservation when it comes to wild game and the environment,” said Dyer.

“They have developed a crop rotation plan that reduces the amount of fertilizer needed for optimum growth. Using the Vita- Rack™ Nutritional Plan for your food plot can not only help you grow a healthy deer herd but save the soil and the ‘green’ in your wallet. By rotating the three Vita-Rack seed blends: Vita-Rack Velvet™ Whitetail Clover, Booming Beans™ High Protein Mix and Winter Forage™, you can cut the cost of needed fertilizer by as much as 40%, depending on your location in the country.”

In the fall, prepare your food plots as normal (follow the directions on the back of the bag). Then plant a plot in Velvet Mix (Plot A). Velvet Mix consists of several highly attractive clovers that the deer will find irresistible. Plant another plot in Winter Forage Mix (Plot B). Winter Forage Mix is a blend of turnips, rape, Alsike clover and sugar beets that provide tons of fall and winter forage for deer. Winter Forage Mix is also full of carbohydrates to help deer maintain their body temperature through the toughest winters. Plot A and Plot B will need to be fertilized with the proper fertilizer recommendations (on the back of the bag). After the first planting you will not need any other fertilizer but 0-20-20, because the Velvet and Booming Beans Mixes are both legumes that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and deposit it in the soil. Winter Forage Mix will use up the added nitrogen in the soil from the legumes in the Velvet and Booming Beans Mixes.

In Plot A leave the Velvet Mix growing for about three years. During that time rotate Plot B using Winter Forage and Booming Beans each summer and fall. The Winter Forage Mix will use the nitrogen up that the Booming Beans Mix makes so you don’t have to use a Nitrogen fertilizer each time. You will however, need to use a 0-20-20 fertilizer at the first of each planting to replace the Potassium and Phosphorus used by the plants. Don’t forget to fertilize your Velvet Mix in Plot A with 0-20-20 fertilizer each spring and fall.

After three years, swap the plots. In Plot A, switch to planting the Winter Forage Mix and Booming Beans Mix in rotation and in Plot B plant the Velvet Mix. Plot A now has plenty of nitrogen from the clover (a legume), fixating it in the soil over the past three years while it was growing. The Winter Forage mix will flourish on the added nitrogen.

Rotating the different Vita-Rack mixes works well because too much soil nitrogen will actually slow plant growth and cause diseases. Keeping the nitrogen levels in balance by rotating the crops eliminates using extra artificial nitrogen, which is great for the environment and produces up to a 45% savings in fertilizer investment for consumers.”

For more information, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.

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Hunter’s Specialties Explains How To Grow Green Food Plots

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

GREAT BEND – -(AmmoLand.com)- A draft 2010-2014 Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area five-year management plan is now available for public review and comment.

In 1990, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks developed 25-year management plans for all public lands. In the case of Cheyenne Bottoms, public input was solicited at two public meetings, one in Great Bend and the other in Topeka.

But in an effort to be more responsive to changing conditions and needs, five-year plans were adopted in 2005. This is the second such plan developed to manage this area, and public input is sought.

The primary management goal of Cheyenne Bottoms over the next five years, as in the past, is to provide diverse marsh habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds during their migratory periods.

Two secondary goals are to provide public recreational opportunities to enjoy wildlife using the area — provided these activities do not conflict with the other management goals — and to increase production of waterfowl and shorebirds that nest on the area. Both the primary and secondary goals will enhance the management of threatened and endangered species and a wide variety of resident wildlife.

More specifically, the area’s management plan does not address daily management activities but is intended to chart the general direction of property management for the next five years. Some of the issues include silt, water, vegetation, wildlife, and people management; inlet canal maintenance; and habitat diversity. Goals and strategies for each issue are presented in detail in the plan.

The current draft is available for review at the Kansas Wildlife and Parks website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, under “Today’s Links” or from the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area page in “Locations.” Comments will be accepted through April 2.

The 19,000-acre area in the middle of the Central Flyway is a haven for migrating birds and annually attracts hunters and bird watchers from across the country. By international agreement, it is has been designated a Wetland of International Importance. For more information or to comment on the five-year plan, phone Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area at 620-793-3066.

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Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Five-Year Management Plan Open For Review

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

Wyoming Black-Footed Ferrets

Wyoming Game & Fish Department

CHEYENNE, WY --(AmmoLand.com)- Adamant opposition to a petition filed by three environmental groups requesting the status of three reintroduced populations of black-footed ferrets be changed from the current “nonessential and experimental” to “endangered” has been reiterated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The most recent opposition was outlined in a Dec. 1 letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking Regional Director Steve Guertin to dismiss the petition.

In the letter, Game and Fish Deputy Director John Emmerich wrote: “We believe that changing the status of these reintroduced populations of ferrets from ‘nonessential and experimental’ to ‘endangered’ would be extremely detrimental to the recovery of the black-footed ferret and the precedent would be extremely detrimental to the recovery of many other species.”

After black-footed ferrets were first reintroduced to Wyoming’s Shirley Basin between Laramie and Casper in 1991 under the “nonessential and experimental” status the population has grown to at least 500 animals in the core area. After the initial releases off the south flank of the Shirley Mountains, the population has expanded nearly as far south as I-80 to almost Wyoming Highway 220 between Casper and Muddy Gap under the designation contained in Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act.

“Without the ‘nonessential and experimental’ designation reintroductions would not have been possible in Wyoming,” Emmerich wrote. “The conservation success of the ferret under Section 10(j) is irrefutable. To change the status of the ferret and lose the 10(j) assurances promised to participating landowners would erode trust among collaborators and create a sense of betrayal that would jeopardize on-going and future successes of the recovery program for the ferret as well as other species.”

The petition to change the current experimental, nonessential designation, that allows continuation of ranching practices and other land uses, was filed by WildEarth Guardians, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and Center for Native Ecosystems on Sept. 7. On Sept. 9 the Game and Fish issued a statement refuting the petitioners claims and urging the Service to dismiss the petition as “frivolous and unjustified.”

The Game and Fish believes the petitioners have downplayed the impacts to private landowners because the change in status is only proposed for “public lands.” Emmerich wrote, Many public lands in Wyoming are intermingled with private lands, therefore, landowners are saddled with the legitimate concern that if they allow reintroductions of the ferret on or near lands they own or lease, their way of life could be impacted by the ESA if the assurances available to them under Section 10(j) are lost.

“Landowner support and cooperation has been, and continues to be, the only way a successful reintroduction program can be achieved in Shirley Basin,” Emmerich also wrote.

The environmental groups also want the “nonessential and experimental” status revoked for reintroductions in Arizona’s Aubrey Valley and South Dakota’s Conata Basin. The petition contends having no restrictions on prairie dog control is an impediment to black-footed ferret expanding their range and makes them susceptible to inbreeding and disease. But, there have been no prairie dog control efforts in Wyoming’s recovery area for over 50 years, reports Bob Oakleaf, nongame coordinator for the Game and Fish.

“The Shirley Basin population has expanded its range more than 10-fold under its experimental status,” Oakleaf said. “This petition is completely contrary to the best interest of the species we’re trying to recover.”

He adds the petition throws into jeopardy the department’s proposed expansion of reintroduction and potential delisting of the species within the white-tailed prairie dog range within five years.

His staff has been able to document approximately 3 million acres of white-tailed prairie dog habitat or potential black-footed ferret habitat in Wyoming.

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Wyoming Game and Fish Reiterates Opposition to Ferret Petition

A bighorn sheep from Montana is released onto Goslin Mountain in 2007. Photo by Ron Stewart

Utah Division of Natural Resources

Utah --(AmmoLand.com)- Recent surveys by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists have found most of the bighorns in the Goslin herd near the Green River in Daggett County are infected with the disease.

“We’ve noticed a decline in the Goslin population for a couple of years, but we weren’t able to identify the reason until recently,” says Charlie Greenwood, regional DWR wildlife manager.

In mid-February, Lowell Marthe, area wildlife biologist for Daggett County, saw a bighorn coughing. He then surveyed other animals in the area to determine if the coughing was an isolated event. Unfortunately, he found other bighorns coughing too. And some of the sheep were acting quite sick. Samples of lung tissue taken from several animals confirmed the animals had pneumonia.

The Goslin herd is relatively new. Bighorn sheep captured in Montana were reintroduced to the area in 2004 and 2007.

The population increased fairly rapidly after the 2004 release, which is normal for a new herd. That didn’t happen with the 2007 release, however. Lamb production and survival were poor and the total number of sheep started to decrease.

The population estimate dropped from 65 to 40 between 2008 and 2009.

Tough decisions
When a deadly disease infects a herd, wildlife managers have very few options. Native wild sheep have several things going against them: they’re very social animals, and they’ve evolved with few defenses or immunities against diseases. As a result, most diseases can be deadly to wild sheep. And those diseases can rapidly infect all the bighorns in an area.

Wildlife managers are left with two choices: watch the sheep die or try to keep the disease from spreading to other bighorns by severely culling (taking) animals from the herd.

“We’ve been watching similar events unfold in Montana, Washington and Nevada,” says Leslie McFarlane, DWR wildlife disease coordinator. “There’s no known cure for pneumonia in bighorns. [The good news is that] it’s not hazardous to livestock or humans.

“Taking infected sheep is the only way to prevent the disease from spreading to other bighorns in the herd,” McFarlane says. “It’s also the most humane thing to do. When sheep get pneumonia, it’s almost always fatal. We want to end the suffering as quick as we can.”

As of Feb. 22, 2010, the DWR had taken 26 bighorns from the Goslin herd. Biologists are closely monitoring another small band from this herd. Biologists haven’t noticed any coughing, but they’re concerned that these animals could also be infected.

Surveys of bighorns in nearby herds indicate that the animals in these herds are healthy.

“Our biggest concern is stopping the spread of the disease to the Bare Top, Carter Creek and Sheep Creek herds,” Greenwood says. “We are still trying to locate all of the animals in the Goslin unit. It’s not a pleasant task, but we know if we don’t get ahead of the disease, we could lose everything.”

Deadly legacy
Like many North American wild animals, ancestors of today’s wild sheep crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia. These sheep were isolated from their cousins in Asia, Europe and Africa by the great ice sheets that covered North America during the ice ages. They evolved into the bighorns (Ovis canadensis) and thinhorns (Ovis dalli) found today.

In addition to isolating the sheep, the ice sheets kept temperatures cold and dry. These conditions helped prevent diseases from spreading. As a result, North American wild sheep evolved few defenses or immunities against diseases.

In contrast, some of the sheep populations in Europe, Asia and Africa were domesticated. Great herds of domestic animals wandered the steppes and grasslands moving north or south as weather permitted. These great herds were breeding grounds for disease. Because they frequently encountered each other, the domestic sheep—exposed to a variety of diseases—developed strong defenses and immunities.

Wild sheep are highly social animals. They seek each other out and travel in small bands or larger herds. Individual bands will often mix with sheep from other herds. This mixing allows a disease to spread quickly from band to band and herd to herd.

When domestic sheep were introduced to the Americas, they brought their exotic diseases with them. These diseases proved deadly to native wild sheep and often eliminated entire populations. Bighorn sheep, once the most abundant large mammal in the mountainous areas of the West, were nearly driven to extinction by the early 1900s. Many factors, including competition for forage, habitat degradation and unregulated hunting all played their parts, but exotic diseases were the biggest factor.

Today’s bighorns are ancestors of isolated, remote bands that somehow escaped the exotic diseases rampaging through the herds as the Wild West was tamed. They still lack immunities to most diseases, and their survival depends mostly on remaining relatively isolated.

This deadly ice-age legacy—the lack of immunity to exotic diseases—is the biggest challenge still facing bighorns today.

Learn more
More information about river big horn sheep and their future in Utah is available in the state’s website:  www.wildlife.utah.gov

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Disease Kills NE Utah Bighorn Sheep

White-Nose Syndrome In Bats

West Virginia DNR

West Virginia --(AmmoLand.com)- Biologists from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) report that white-nose syndrome (WNS) has been confirmed in a bat in Hellhole, Pendleton County, West Virginia, by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Ga.

If the effects of WNS on the bats in Hellhole are similar to those seen elsewhere, biologists expect that WNS will devastate the bat population in this cave, including endangered species.

Hellhole is the largest and most important bat cave in the state. An estimated 200,000 bats spend the winter hibernating in the cave. The cave is also important on a national level as it is designated critical habitat for two federally endangered species, the Indiana bat and the Virginia big-eared bat.

Hellhole supports nearly 13,000 Indiana bats and 5,000 Virginia big-ears. The other bats in the cave are mostly the more common little brown bat. This single cave supports more than 40 percent of the world’s entire hibernating population of Virginia big-eared bats. Hellhole is privately owned and is closed to the public.

WNS is a serious wildlife health crisis estimated to have caused the death of more than 1 million bats during the past three years. It is named for a white fungus that often appears on the muzzles of hibernating bats. Once a cave is infected, the fungus spreads rapidly through the bat population, and mortality may exceed 90 percent.

WNS was first seen in early 2006 in a cave near Albany, N.Y. Since then, it has spread more than 500 miles to caves in 10 states from New Hampshire to Tennessee. Last winter it was documented in four caves in Pendleton County, but not Hellhole.

WNS is spread bat-to-bat as they cluster in caves and mines. In addition, scientists have evidence that it could also be transferred from one cave to another on the footwear, clothing, and gear of humans visiting caves. Infected caves and mines may not initially show obvious signs of its presence, so cavers may be unaware that their gear is contaminated.

Bats with WNS use up their fat stores too quickly and do not have the energy reserves they require to hibernate the entire winter. The bats exhibit unusual behaviors, such as flying out of caves during the winter, even in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, few insects are available for the bats to feed on, and eventually the bats starve to death. There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to WNS, and there is no evidence to suggest that WNS is harmful to any animals other than bats.

In January 2010, bats were observed flying out of the entrance of Hellhole. Laboratory tests conducted on a little brown bat captured as it left Hellhole confirmed that the bat was carrying the WNS fungus. WVDNR and USFWS biologists, in cooperation with the National Speleological Society and Germany Valley Karst Survey, are planning to conduct a trip into Hellhole to further document the condition of the bats.

Bats play a key role in keeping insects, including as agricultural pests, mosquitoes and forest pests, under control. Between April and October, each bat can eat its body weight in insects each night. Bats provide a tremendous public service in terms of pest control. If we lose our bat populations, we will lose the tremendous ecological and economic benefits the bats provide.

The USFWS and WVDNR are working with other partners to find ways to treat WNS and slow the spread. Because people may inadvertently transport WNS, in March 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended a moratorium on caving in states with confirmed WNS and all adjoining states. In addition, because scientists are concerned about the presence of WNS in the vicinity of the most important Virginia big-eared bat caves, last year a few of these bats were brought into captivity for the first time in an attempt to establish a healthy population that could be used to restore populations if that should become necessary.

Although it is not unusual to see an occasional bat flying on a warm day in winter, it is unusual to see large number of bats or bats flying during inclement weather. If you see bats flying during the day and feel something is “just not right,” please report those sightings to: Bat Report, PO Box 67, Elkins, WV 26241. Please mention the county, location, approximate number of bats, time of day, weather conditions and your contact information.

For more information on WNS, please visit www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html.

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WVDNR And USTWS Biologists Report White-Nose Syndrome In Bat In Hellhole

Responsive Management

Harrisonburg, VA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Fish and wildlife agencies nationwide are under increasing pressure to respond to nuisance wildlife calls and situations. Yet many agencies receive no funding for these activities — it simply constitutes an added-on, unfunded responsibility.

The differences between the responses of Delaware residents and Division employees presented below reveal a common dilemma for many fish and wildlife agencies that involves wildlife management, funding, and public expectations: What level of involvement should fish and wildlife agencies have in managing nuisance wildlife?

In the survey, about 1 in 5 Delaware residents (22%) indicate that they have had problems with wild animals or birds in their neighborhood or around their home — that means that close to 150,000 Delaware residents experience such problems. The most common problem animals are deer, raccoons, opossums, birds, foxes, woodchucks or groundhogs, and squirrels. Common problems are damage to gardens, damage to yards, threat to humans, threat or harm to pets, getting into garbage, structural damage to homes or buildings, and agricultural damage.

Delaware residents were asked who they think should be most responsible for addressing nuisance wildlife problems in Delaware, and they could name more than one entity. A majority of residents named the Division (66% think the Division should be most responsible). Other commonly named entities include the property owners themselves (31%) and local or county governments (31%). Given the scenario that the Division would address nuisance wildlife in specific incidents, Delaware residents were asked if the Division should primarily provide advice and guidance only or provide services such as removal as well (or if the Division should provide both about equally). The large majority (75%) indicated that the Division should provide both about equally; otherwise, they are split between advice/guidance (12%) and services (10%). In this question, 85% of Delaware residents give an answer that entails the Division providing some removal services.

In follow-up, Delaware residents were presented with the scenario that the Division would provide removal services. Residents were then asked if they agree or disagree that the Division should charge a fee to do so, and they are evenly split: 46% agree, and 47% disagree.

Division employees were also asked if they agree or disagree that the Division should be responsible for the removal of nuisance wildlife, and a majority of employees (61%) disagree that the Division should be responsible for such removal.

In the same follow-up as the resident survey, employees were presented with the scenario that the Division would provide removal services. Employees were then asked if they agree or disagree that the Division should charge a fee to do so, and the large majority (80%) agree that the Division should charge a fee for such services.

Some fish and wildlife professionals feel that involvement with nuisance wildlife beyond simple technical assistance should not be the responsibility of the state fish and wildlife agency. Others feel that the issue should be embraced and that it represents an opportunity for additional funding and a way to connect the agency with urban and suburban residents. Some fish and wildlife professionals also feel that nuisance wildlife is a wildlife management issue that will not go away and should be dealt with by the agencies in some way.

Regardless of individual philosophy, agencies will have to deal with ever-increasing nuisance wildlife calls in one manner or another, and internal and external assessments such as this study can provide an important starting point for confronting new and non-traditional wildlife management issues

About:
Responsive Management is a public opinion survey research firm specializing in natural resource, wildlife, environmental, and outdoor recreation issues. Visit: www.responsivemanagement.com

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Dealing With Nuisance Wildlife Issues a New Challenges for Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(AmmoLand.com)- Delaware’s frigid temperatures, high winds and recent snowfalls can be difficult for the more than 40 species of wintering songbirds that share our state’s nature resources.

Their food sources – nuts, seeds, and berries – are harder for these small birds to locate and reach, especially when covered with large accumulations of snow.

To help songbirds survive this winter, follow these tips:

• Provide a variety of seed types and regularly clean bird feeders.
• Locate feeders near cover and out of the wind so that the birds will have a place to go to escape the elements and predators.
• Suet can be a great resource during harsh weather events. Suet is a high energy, pure fat resource. Purchase pre-made suet cakes at your local retail store or search the internet for directions on how to make your own.
• Water can be hard to find, but you can provide warm water in a bowl or pan near your feeders. Heated birdbaths are also available. If you have concerns about birds bathing and then freezing, fill the container deep enough to prevent bathing.
• Use extra caution while driving. While there is snow on the ground, birds may feed along the borders of roads where the snow has melted and exposed seeds and other food sources.

According to Anthony Gonzon, wildlife biologist with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the majority of wintering birds in our area are well adapted to make it through these challenging days. “Birds have the innate ability to track and locate food resources – if one area is covered by snow, they will move to another and continue searching until they find a food source that is accessible.”

Although some birds may perish in extreme conditions, a bird’s body is well adapted to keep it warm even when everything around it is freezing. Feathers act as natural insulators; as birds “fluff up,” they trap air between layers to retain heat. Fat stores from the high-energy foods that birds consume during the warmer weather further help them to maintain their body temperatures.

For more information on Delaware’s wild birds, contact Anthony Gonzon at 302-653-2880.

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Help Wild Songbirds Survive The Winter

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Trenton, NJ --(AmmoLand.com)- Contrary to previous reports, the New Jersey Bear Management Policy will not be discussed at the February 9 meeting of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council.

Consequently, there will not be an opportunity for public comment at this hearing.

In the mean time, sportsmen should continue to voice their support for the bear management policy by submitting written comments to the FGC at P.O. Box 400, Trenton, NJ 08625.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance will inform sportsmen when the FGC schedules a public hearing on the bear management policy.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF) work nationwide, representing over 1.5 million sportsmen through member clubs and individual constituents. The organizations provide legislative, legal defense and public education services to defend and advance sportsmen’s rights in Washington, D.C. and in all 50 states. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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New Jersey Bear Policy Hearing Update

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

New Mexico Game and Fish

SANTA FE, NM --(AmmoLand.com)- Wednesday, Feb. 3, is the deadline to apply for New Mexico 2010-2011 oryx licenses, bear Wildlife Management Area permits, population reduction hunts and special spring turkey permits.

Online applications must be made before 5 p.m. Mountain Time on the deadline day. Paper applications must be delivered or postmarked on or before the deadline day.

To be eligible for the drawing, all hunters must obtain a Customer ID Number — online at www.wildlife.state.nm.us or by visiting a Department office in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Raton, Las Cruces or Roswell. Customer ID Numbers are free and are required whether applications are made online or on paper applications.

Online applicants are encouraged to apply early to avoid missing the deadline because of forgotten passwords or other computer-related issues at the last minute. Late applications will not be accepted. Drawing results will be available March 10 on the Department Web site, www.wildlife.state.nm.us, or in person at Department of Game and Fish offices. Results will be available by telephone March 25.

The Department expects to receive more than 18,000 applications for approximately 3,000 licenses and permits. About 16,000 of those applications will be for 2,215 available oryx licenses.

Hunters who held deer permits or elk licenses for the 2009-2010 season must have reported their harvest results before applying. Hunters who fail to report their 2009-2010 harvest results — successful or not — will have their 2010-2011 applications rejected. Harvest reports can be submitted online at www.newmexico-hunt.com or by calling toll-free (888) 248-6866.

For more information about big-game hunting in New Mexico, please consult the 2010-2011 Big Game & Trapper Rules and Information Booklet, available at all license vendors, Department offices, and online at www.wildlife.state.nm.us. Information also is available by calling (505) 476-8000.

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Hunters Apply For Oryx, WMA Bear, Special Turkey Hunts

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA – -(AmmoLand.com)- For the fourth consecutive year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is hitting the road to bring six deer management open houses to communities throughout the Commonwealth beginning on Feb. 20 and ending on April 10.

Open houses are used by the agency as an interactive public outreach tool that employs multimedia presentations, exhibits and wildlife managers to bring both the nuts-and-bolts and finer details of deer management to hunters, farmers and others whose lives are influenced by deer.

The effort emphasizes bringing this powerful communications and educational tool to residents as a means to further the general public’s understanding of deer and deer management. The approach is bolstered by having agency employees on hand to engage participants who attend the open houses.

Open houses provide a means to cover wide-ranging topics through specialized stations set up in a large hall. Stations are spaced out so participants who have questions and/or comments for station attendants can communicate in a one-on-one exchange without interruptions and with the expectation of getting answers immediately.

“Here’s your chance to interact with a deer biologist, or State Game Land manager, or forester,” explained Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe. “And hopefully, one of the open houses will be close to your home. The goal here is to reach out to Pennsylvanians, both figuratively and literally. We hope that every person who attends an open house can better identify with our deer management program upon leaving.”

Six open houses are currently scheduled to be held in Pennsylvania. They will all have the same presentation: displays manned by agency staff.

The displays are:

• Goals that Direct the Deer Program – Outlining the five goals of the deer management program;
• Management Goals are a Product of Public Input – Focuses on the participating stakeholders who were involved in developing the current deer plan goals;
• Where do you hunt? – Helps hunters take a critical look at the characteristics of habitat through visual representation;
• Deer Necessities — Identifies the preferences that guide deer in selecting habitat;
• Habitat Variability – Focuses on how habitat health is rated differently from one Wildlife Management Unit to another;
• Telemetry Study – Sheds light on the dispersal of young male deer;
• Deer Aging – Allows participants to learn how deer are aged through tooth wear; and
• Deer Management DVD – Nonstop presentation of the agency’s recently-produced deer management DVD, free copies of which will be available to open house visitors.

Open houses will be held in six different locations 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

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

March 13 – Northwest Region
Brokenstraw Fish and Game
1001 Mead Run Rd.
Pittsfield, PA 16340

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

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

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

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 To Launch Fourth Round Of Deer Management Open Houses

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Annapolis, Md. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife & Heritage Service’s Natural Heritage Program recently completed a review of the Threatened and Endangered Species List in Maryland.

As a result of this review, changes to the list are being proposed as published in the Maryland Register on January 15, 2010.

The proposed changes include adding 16 species of plants and animals to the list, revising the status of 4 species, and removing 8 species from the list.

A summary list of changes can be viewed at www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/.

Public comments on the proposed changes are being accepted until February 16, 2010. Please e-mail your comments to Glenn Therres gtherres@dnr.state.md.us or mail them to:

If you have any questions on the proposed changes, please contact either Glenn Therres (phone: 410-260-8572, email: gtherres@dnr.state.md.us) or Gwen Brewer (phone: 410-260-8558, email: gbrewer@dnr.state.md.us).

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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Changes Proposed to the Maryland Threatened and Endangered Species List

White-Nose Syndrome In Bats

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(AmmoLand.com)- Delaware environmental officials are closely monitoring the state’s bat populations for any occurrence here of White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a disease that has caused mass mortality at bat hibernation sites in northeastern states.

While WNS has not been detected in Delaware yet, as many as 1 million bats so far have died from the disease, most of them in states notable for having caves and mines where bats colonize when hibernating.

Only bat species that overwinter communally are known to be affected by WNS, but those include some of the more common bats, such as the little brown bat, big brown bat and the tri-colored bat (formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle). Northern long-eared bats,small-footed bats and the federally endangered Indiana bat have also been affected. WNS was first discovered in 2006 near Albany, N.Y. and has since been found to have killed bats in nine states.

Meanwhile, Delaware wildlife biologists are collecting information to aid in assessing the status of the disease and its effect on bat populations in the states such as Delaware that have no caves or underground mines. Public input is enthusiastically sought in gathering this information, said wildlife biologist Holly Niederriter of DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife.

“Right now, we are looking for any bats overwintering here in Delaware. The most likely species for people to see in winter is the hearty big brown bat, which can overwinter in residential attics, basements or barns. We also plan to check bats for signs of WNS as they return to their summer nesting sites and to continue our volunteer bat count program in the spring.” Niederriter said.

The public is asked to use an online reporting application if you if you know of any winter or summer rooting sites. Please only report sites if you know where the bats roost. Also, if you see a number of dead bats (five or more) in one location, or see a similar number of bats flying in the middle of the day or clinging low on structures; please let us know.

Input your information by visiting http://www.fw.delaware.gov/bats/ and clicking on the online reporting form. Seeing one or two bats out during the day or clinging to the side of a house is not unusual, and need not be reported.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife oversees a volunteer bat count project, found online at http://www.fw.delaware.gov/bats/Pages/BatCount2010.aspx, and is always looking for new volunteers.

For more information, please call Bill Langworthy or Holly Niederriter of Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, at 302-653-2880.

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DNREC Continues To Monitor State’s Bat Population For White-Nose Syndrome

National Wild Turkey Federation

EDGEFIELD, S.C. —-(AmmoLand.com)- As it works to advance its mission of promoting wildlife conservation and preserving our hunting heritage, the National Wild Turkey Federation distributed more than $152,000 in December of 2009 to states and programs through the NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund.

To date, the NWTF and its partners have invested more than $306 million in upholding hunting traditions and conserving nearly 14 million acres of wildlife habitat.

Some of the Federation’s Hunting Heritage Super Fund projects include improving wildlife habitat, supporting hunter education and providing opportunities for women, youth and people with disabilities to experience outdoor fun through outreach programs.

December’s Hunting Heritage Super Fund spending totaled $152,858 and included:

• * Land Purchases: Spent $25,000 to purchase land or conservation easements to conserve wildlife habitat and provide additional hunting areas.
• * Youth Education: Spent $21,486 to fund scholarships and educational projects, introduce youth to shooting sports, provide education boxes and conduct 4-H workshops.
• * Volunteer and Professional Education: Spent $17,791 to provide educational opportunities, purchase staff equipment and more.
• Habitat Enhancement: Spent $12,457 on programs to improve wildlife habitat including supporting the NWTF’s fall seed subsidy and Conservation Seed programs, purchasing equipment to improve habitat, creating wildlife openings and more.
• Wild Turkey Restoration, Management and Research: Spent $12,102 to improve wildlife habitat by purchasing trapping and law enforcement equipment, providing research grant support and more.
• JAKES: Spent $10,150 to introduce youth to outdoor activities, conservation and hunting through the JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) program.
• Hunter Safety: Spent $1,800 to support hunter safety classes and initiatives. Purchased hunter safety materials and equipment such as interactive shooting systems.
• Wheelin’ Sportsmen NWTF and Women in the Outdoors: Spent $1,700 to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in outdoor activities and learn about wildlife conservation through Wheelin’ Sportsmen and Women in the Outdoors outreach events across North America.
• Hunting Heritage: Spent $500 to protect and promote our hunting heritage including contributions to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

NWTF chapters invested an additional $49,870 in other special NWTF projects. In addition to helping fund projects like these, NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund banquets combine fun, fellowship and dedication to the wild turkey. They’re a great place to meet friends who are passionate about the outdoors, win valuable prizes and buy items unique to the NWTF. By placing the highest bid, attendees can take home sporting art, hunting guns, knives, calls, outdoor equipment and more.

The Hunting Heritage Super Fund supports the NWTF’s multitude of conservation and education programs with money raised from NWTF Hunting Heritage Banquets, donated by corporate sponsors and given to support wildlife conservation.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is a national nonprofit conservation organization that works to further its twofold mission of conserving wild turkeys and preserving our hunting heritage.

To find an NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund Banquet in your area visit http://www.nwtf.org/h_h_banquet.html.

About the NWTF:
The National Wild Turkey Federation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization that is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

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NWTF Invests $152,000 in Education, Habitat Projects in December

Arizona Game and Fish Department

PHOENIX, AZ --(AmmoLand.com)- The winter storms and accompanying deep snows that impacted Arizona this week may make it challenging for wildlife in the short term, but wildlife biologists do not expect significant impacts to most species, especially large animals such as elk, deer and antelope.

“Our biologists will continue monitoring the situation, but we don’t expect any catastrophic impacts to wildlife based on the weather events unfolding this week,” said Brian Wakeling, the Game Branch chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Wakeling said Arizona’s high country now has lots of deep snow which can make it challenging for elk, deer and other wild animals.

“But this has also been a fairly warm storm without prolonged cold conditions – at least not so far.”

Most wild animals are adapted so they can survive days without eating, possibly even a week or more if necessary.

“The key is the cold – how tough is it for them to break through the snow to reach their forage items and how long does the deep snow stay on the ground?” Wakeling explained.

However, he added, there may be localized instances where the department will step in to give wild animals experiencing trouble a helping hand.

“Probably the most common problem I can think of is animals like elk and deer being trapped along a fence line due to deep snow. In those instances, yes, we can and do step in to help out these animals.”

Older animals or those in poor condition can also succumb to the added challenges and stress caused by deep snow. “That’s part of the natural survival-of-the fittest process and is something we can’t change,” Wakeling said.

Wakeling added that many people have probably seen television programs where in other states such as Wyoming and Colorado, they have initiated wildlife feeding programs during severe winters, especially in areas already impacted by drought.

Arizona Elk

“Keep in mind that such drastic actions are taken because of prolonged winter conditions, especially freezing temperatures that are jeopardizing wildlife populations. Fortunately, that is not the situation we currently face here in Arizona,” Wakeling said.

In fact, supplemental feeding itself takes time to be effective for large ungulates like elk, deer and antelope. “These large animals are what we call ruminants – their digestive systems rely heavily on certain strains of bacteria to aid in the digestive process,” Wakeling explained.

When these animals are provided supplemental food that does not mimic their natural forage, it can take two or three weeks for their digestive system to adapt. “We have learned from mistakes in decades past, such as the 1967 storm. There were times when wild ungulates died from starvation with stomachs full of hay,” Wakeling said.

Wakeling reiterated that department biologists will continue to closely monitor the situation. “This is also the time of year when we do survey flights for deer and elk, which will also aid in our ability to keep abreast of the situation.”

On the bright side, he said, all this precipitation is certainly a blessing to help ease the impacts of drought. “There is indeed a silver lining to all these storm clouds despite the often temporary problems they cause.”

About:
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.

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Wildlife Populations Not Jeopardized By Storms — So Far

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- Coyotes are found in every county in Georgia and their presence has hunters and wildlife biologists alike wondering how these predators are affecting white-tailed deer populations.

“Since the 1960’s, Georgia’s deer population has risen from scarcity to areas of local overabundance through restocking efforts and science-based management,” says Charlie Killmaster, State Deer Project Coordinator. “The population has since declined to a healthy level; however, a better understanding of the role of coyotes in deer management is needed.”

Although several studies have investigated predation impacts on the white-tailed deer population, few have been done in the Southeast and coyote predation on fawns likely varies regionally and locally. To better understand the nature of these impacts, UGA and Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) recently began a 4-year cooperative research effort investigating the effects of coyotes on fawns.

“It is well understood and accepted that coyotes do eat deer,” says John W. Bowers, Assistant Chief of Game Management. “However, whether coyote predation is a benefit or an obstacle to deer management strategies is not black and white. We are hopeful this cooperative research effort will provide additional information for use by deer managers and hunters in making responsible management decisions.”

One of the challenges faced when researching large predators, such as the coyote, is that they are highly secretive and wide-ranging, making it difficult to determine how many there really are. “We know from previous research that coyotes are having some impact on Southeastern deer herds,” says Dr. Karl V. Miller, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at The University of Georgia. “To determine the extent of that impact, we first need to generate reliable estimates of coyote populations.”

This study, primarily funded by WRD, will attempt to address this issue through a novel capture-mark-recapture technique in which DNA found in deposited scats will be used to identify individual coyotes. Researchers will also evaluate the seasonal diet of coyotes and assess the extent to which they impact fawn recruitment by conducting an intensive coyote removal across two large study sites in central Georgia.

The study will be conducted on B. F. Grant and Cedar Creek Wildlife Management Areas in central Georgia.

“Because these two areas lie in the Piedmont Region of Georgia, we hope to establish a landscape model that predicts coyote abundance and their effects on deer populations,” says Will Gulsby, a PhD student in Wildlife Ecology and Management at The University of Georgia who is working on the project. “Our hope is that this model can be used by deer managers to make informed management decisions.”

Graduate students began work on the two WMAs earlier this fall by conducting trail-camera surveys. These camera surveys will be done repeatedly throughout the three-year study to assess fawn-to-doe ratios before and after the coyote removal. Later this winter, they plan to begin monitoring coyote abundance by setting up scent station and scat deposition transects that will traverse nearly 24,000 acres.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” says James Kelly, another graduate student at The University of Georgia who is working on the project. “But it will be well worth it in the end when we can add to the body of knowledge WRD, deer managers, and hunters use to achieve their management goals.”

Georgia’s present laws and regulations allow coyotes to be taken year round with no bag limit and few restrictions. As such, hunters and landowners have maximum flexibility in managing coyotes on their properties.

For more information regarding coyotes, visit the WRD website at www.georgiawildlife.com, contact a WRD Game Management Office or call (770) 918-6416.

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UGA And WRD Set Out To Determine Effects Of Coyotes On Deer Fawns

BioLogic by Mossy Oak

WEST POINT, MS --(AmmoLand.com)- Todd Amenrud, Director of Public Relations for BioLogic said,

“We at BioLogic set out over a year ago to provide food plotters with a new perennial blend, one that has the ability to attract deer from miles around as well as provide the ultimate in nutrition throughout the entire year. Enter Perfect Plot.”

Making up the bulk of the blend are New Zealand clovers, alfalfa, and chicory – without a doubt the three most attractive and nutritious perennials available for attracting and growing bigger, healthier deer. The seven different varieties of clover were chosen for their unique ability to provide high palatability and digestible protein with maximum leaf growth and the ability to perform in a wide variety of conditions.

BioLogic Perfect Plot

The variety of alfalfa used in Perfect Plot is very high in forage yield and has proven to have excellent winter survival and persistence for those planting in the northern climates as well as superior disease resistance, diseases which are known to plague those who have tried to establish alfalfa in the Southeast.

Rounding out the perennials in this blend is chicory. The variety of chicory used in this blend is highly nutritious and incredibly drought resistant.

Perfect Plot also includes some highly attractive annuals for early and late season draw. Austrian Winter Peas are included in the blend for this very reason.

To complete this exciting new planting are a couple varieties of field proven New Zealand brassicas. These were included in the blend to give your plot the late season appeal when the really cold weather sets in and the snow begins to fall.

Perfect Plot should provide years of high quality food for your herd with little care and maintenance. The clovers, alfalfa and chicory in this blend were chosen for their track record of being very hardy varieties with great longevity.

For more information, log on to www.mossyoakbiologic.com or call 662-495-9292.

Headquartered in West Point, Miss., since its inception in 1998, BioLogic (www.mossyoakbiologic.com) develops scientifically proven products for wildlife and wildlife managers. With a broad line that includes management products for everything from deer and turkey to fish and waterfowl, BioLogic helps land managers achieve their wildlife management goals. BioLogic’s Scientifically Proven Wild Game Products™ are backed by scientific research from the top wildlife professionals in the world.

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All-New Perennial from BioLogic is the Perfect Deer Food Plot

White-Nose Syndrome In Bats

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA –-(AmmoLand.com)- White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused cave bat population reductions in New York and New England over the past three winters.

It surfaced near Albany in 2006. Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say that they are expecting cave bat mortalities this winter, if the disorder spreads through hibernacula as it did New York and New England over the previous winters.

To track the effects of WNS, the Game Commission is asking the public to report winter-flying bats or dead and dying bats on the landscape.

“If you’re outside this winter and observe bats, we really need to hear from you,” said Lisa Williams, Game Commission biologist. “While an occasional dead or disoriented bat is not unheard of in winter, we need residents to let us know if they find multiple bats outside of buildings this winter. White Nose Syndrome causes bats to fly out of their winter shelters and die on the landscape. By assisting us with surveillance, you can help us identify new die-offs so we can conduct a site investigation. Of course, commonsense safety rules apply: do not go in caves or mines or underground; do not handle bats – dead or alive; and keep children and pets away from dead or grounded bats.”

There are two quick and easy ways to report sick-acting or dead bats this winter. The first is by calling the nearest Game Commission region office. The second is by using the Game Commission’s “Report a Sick Bat” form that can be accessed in the right-hand column of the agency’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “Report a Sick Bat” in the “Quick Clicks” section.

WNS was first observed in Mifflin County in December 2008. Today it is known to exist in 11 locations in Bucks, Centre, Mifflin, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. It affects all six species of cave bats found in Pennsylvania: little brown bat, big brown bat, Indiana bat (federally endangered), eastern pipistrelle; small-footed bat (state threatened) and northern long-eared bat. The disorder has killed 750,000 to a million bats in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia since 2006.

“The trail from New York marching down the Appalachians into West Virginia and Virginia was unexpected,” explained Cal Butchkoski, Game Commission biologist. “It’s been our experience that migrating bats do not follow landscape features when migrating from hibernacula to summer habitats. Rather, they radiate out from these winter roosts in various directions. Given the unexpected pattern, and the fact that the southern sites were all popular recreational caves, it’s probable that transmission by people has contributed to the southerly spread.”

Butchkoski noted that federal decontamination protocols and a moratorium on bat cave entries are now in place to reduce the possibility that WNS is hitch-hiking on cave visitors and caving gear.

The cause and source of spread have been the greatest mysteries of WNS since it first appeared in underground New York three years ago. Evidence is mounting that WNS is caused by a cold-loving Geomyces fungus. Scientists recently named this fungus Geomyces destructans, given its destructive effect on bat populations. The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) reported recently,

“Histopathological examination indicated that Geomyces destructans infection of skin causes characteristic epidermal erosions and ulcers that can also progress to invade underlying connective tissue.”

It’s a finding that strongly suggests this fungus would arouse a hibernating bat – and once aroused from hibernation bats quickly burn through their fat reserves and die.

Preliminary data from WNS infection studies conducted at NWHC indicate Geomyces destructans can be transmitted from bat-to-bat in a controlled environment. This finding suggests that WNS transmission may occur during the fall bat swarm, as well as during hibernation. Once WNS appears in hibernacula, whether it got there on an infected bat or hitchhiking on a human, it passes through a hibernating bat colony quickly.

WNS is so devastating to bats because hibernating bats have an extremely high rate of contact as they cluster together, and it strikes when a bat’s immune response capabilities are minimized to conserve the energy needed to support hibernation. Since bats are huddled in hibernation for more than five months with suppressed immune systems, they are perfect targets for WNS. That’s why it has been so destructive.

“I expect a majority of the bat hibernation sites in eastern Pennsylvania to have WNS by the end of April,” explained Greg Turner, Game Commission endangered mammals biologist. “To date, WNS has not appeared west of the Route I-99 corridor, where some of our largest bat populations hibernate. We have our fingers crossed that WNS won’t clear the Allegheny Front this winter, which may be a barrier to bat and WNS movement, but only time will tell. If anyone observes flying or dying bats in western Pennsylvania this winter, we definitely want to hear about it. Reports from areas west of Centre and Mifflin counties will be treated as extremely high priority.”

Pennsylvania has more than 5,000 known abandoned mines and about 1,500 natural caves beneath its surface, and plenty more unexplored subsurface nooks and crannies that hibernating bats occupy. The Game Commission can confirm that WNS has appeared in less than one percent of that total, but that number is small because the state’s wildlife biologists can physically check and monitor only so many hibernacula in a given winter. That is why public assistance in WNS surveillance is so important.

“Pennsylvania bat hibernacula have wintered more than a million bats annually in recent years,” noted Greg Turner. “That will change when WNS infiltrates and spreads through these mines and caves. The population losses bats experience may take a century or more to recover from, given their low reproductive rate of one pup per female per year. The losses also could be ultimately irreversible if WNS lingers in hibernacula and bats don’t develop some sort of natural defense or immunity to it. Once WNS infiltrates bat hibernacula throughout the Commonwealth, recovering these populations will be a long term challenge.”

Ok, so maybe you’re thinking, “So what. I don’t care about bats anyway.” But let’s do some math and inject a little science into it. If Pennsylvania is home to more than a million bats that eat about 2,000 mosquito-sized insects a night during those seven months when you like being outdoors, imagine what it’ll be like when they’re not working the nightshift in your neighborhood.

Bats have been hanging around since the dawn of mammals in North America some 50 million years ago. Their small size, appetite for insects and nocturnal movements kept them out of harm’s way for centuries upon centuries. But over the last 100 years or so, bats have become more and more vulnerable to impacts to hibernacula, maternity roosts and summer habitat. The emergence of WNS couldn’t have come at a worse time for bats. Their population collapse is poised to be one of the largest ever to hit North American wildlife unless WNS mortality slows or stops.

Figuring out how to slow or stop the spread of WNS tops every bat biologists’ 2010 wish list. Investigating and responding to WNS is the focus of a multi-state effort lead by the Pennsylvania Game Commission that includes 11other state wildlife agencies and research partners working collaboratively to shed further light on WNS and develop management solutions.

In April 2009, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and its project partners were awarded nearly a million dollars by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to support research and management activities. The multi-state approach enables biologists to conduct research at a scale rarely undertaken. One focal point of this research in Pennsylvania and Kentucky centers on monitoring WNS-affected and clean sites with acoustic bat call detectors to measure and compare bat activity levels and to identify the timing of major emergences. New York and Vermont placed Wisconsin bats in two previously-affected sites with no surviving bats to see if the new bats develop WNS symptoms. This work will shed light on whether sites remain contaminated after bats are gone, which is unknown.

Ongoing research in Pennsylvania continues to monitor hibernating bat arousal patterns at Barton Cave in Fayette County to ascertain if arousal patterns change before and during WNS. Other partners are working to install cameras in clean and WNS-affected sites to monitor behavioral activity of bats aroused from hibernation and investigating the temperature/humidity preferences of hibernating healthy and WNS-affected bats in affected and unaffected sites and states.

In other WNS-related projects, Dr. Hazel Barton, a professor of microbiology at Northern Kentucky University; Dr. DeeAnn Reeder, assistant professor of biology at Bucknell University and Turner will conduct a treatment experiment at Bucks County’s Durham Mine in which a substance is placed in a petri dish below clustering bats. As the substance evaporates, the vapors will rise to the ceiling and potentially kill the fungus on bats roosting above it. This treatment has been shown to kill Geomyces without harming captive bats, and this will be the first time it is tried in a natural setting. If affected bats are treated and recover, the experiment could help confirm once and for all that Geomyces destructans is the WNS causative agent. Such a treatment option could also be used to protect the highly-endangered Virginia big-eared bat and gray bats in the southern WNS states. There is little hope that it has large-scale application across the entire range of WNS, however, due to the extreme difficulty of applying it large-scale.

The Game Commission will continue to participate in vital WNS research and control studies, and will monitor conditions at Durham Mine and other affected sites. Periodic updates will be reported to media if change occurs. However, the Game Commission reminds residents that they can help the agency in the fight against WNS by reporting sick-acting or dead bats they find while out and about this winter.

For more information on bats, visit the Game Commission’s website, select “Wildlife” in the dropdown menu, then Mammals, and then click on “Bats Home.” To learn more about WNS, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website at www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html

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Pa Game Commission Tracks White-Nose Syndrome In Bats

To Feed or Not to Feed Pheasants?

Pheasants Forever

Saint Paul, Minn –-(AmmoLand.com)- From the Dakotas and Minnesota to Iowa and Illinois, much of the core pheasant range is experiencing winter’s first real test due to recent heavy snowstorms and extreme cold.

Naturally, many hunters and conservationists have found cause for concern regarding ring-necked pheasants’ ability to survive, and ask “Should we be feeding pheasants?” Pheasants Forever has some careful considerations.

Habitat is the Effective Long-Term Solution
The key to carrying pheasants through the winter is quality thermal habitat. While this may provide no consolation this winter, consider that resources spent on establishing high quality winter cover will yield far greater results and the best winter survival rates down the road. The lesson to be learned from a tough winter is the need to plant more high quality thermal cover this spring. Start your habitat planning now!

“More than anything, feeding is reactionary to the winter, when the best thing we can do is be proactive about improving quality habitat,” said Rick Young, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Field Operations. “Unfortunately, many well-intentioned people who provide corn and other grains as food sources actually harm pheasants more than they help them.”

Why NOT to Feed Pheasants

• The biggest reason to shy away from feeding pheasants is that feeders attract predators and expose pheasants to death by predation. Feeders give predators a focus point similar to a bait pile.
• In fact, it is rare for a pheasant to starve, but death by freezing can be common. Poorly-placed feeders may draw the pheasants out and away from their protective winter cover and cause birds to congregate and expend energy competing for food. Instead of saving birds, this actually adds to freezing deaths.

Contact Pheasants Forever Field Staff
To contact a Pheasants Forever representative in your area with your winter habitat or pheasant feeding questions, click here.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. “The Habitat Organization” has over 125,000 members in 750 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information about Pheasants Forever, please visit www.PheasantsForever.org

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To Feed or Not to Feed? Pheasants Forever Has Answers

Wisconsin DNR

BABCOCK, WI --(AmmoLand.com)- The Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center and Timber Wolf Information Network are co-sponsoring the first of two Timber Wolf Ecology Clinics on Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24, 2010 from 9 a.m. Saturday to noon on Sunday. Because of its popularity, this same workshop is also available February 20 and 21.

Area biologists and volunteers from Timber wolf Information Network have teamed up to provide instruction on aspects of wolf ecology, including status, population biology and field study techniques. Saturday afternoon will be spent outdoors exploring wolf habitat.

Registration is limited to 25 people ages 12 and up on a first-come, first-served basis. Register by mailing in $75 per person by Jan. 13, 2010. Be sure to indicate which dates when registering. This fee includes instructional fees, transportation on Saturday afternoon, Saturday supper and Sunday lunch, and for dorm use.

Participants may stay in the center’s dorm on Friday evening for a donation of $15 per person. Checks should be made out to DNR-Skills Center. Include the name of each participant and the address, e-mail address and daytime phone number of one person in each party. Send your registration fee to: Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, Box 156, Babcock, WI 54413.

The Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center is located 20 miles west of Wisconsin Rapids on County Highway X, 1 mile north of Highway 80 near Babcock, Wisconsin on the 9,000 acre Department of Natural Resources Sandhill Wildlife Area.

For More Information Contact: Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center (715) 884-6333

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Timber Wolf Tracking And Ecology Clinic Offered

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Sussex County, Delaware --(AmmoLand.com)- The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, in collaboration with the University of Delaware, will begin research projects on white-tailed deer and wild turkey this month, focusing on Redden State Forest and surrounding areas in Sussex County.

During the month of January 2010, deer hunting on Redden’s Jester and Townsend tracts will be prohibited. Hunting activities on Redden State Forest for the 2010-2011 hunting season should remain unchanged.

The purpose of the deer study is to fill information gaps about habitat use, survival and movement of deer in Delaware. This research will help the Division more effectively manage our deer population in a manner that addresses concerns related to agricultural production and public safety, while still providing for the recreational enjoyment of this popular wildlife species.

“White-tailed deer are an important species in Delaware because of their popularity for hunting and wildlife viewing. However, due to issues such as crop damage, habitat degradation and the potential for deer/vehicle collisions, we must manage Delaware’s deer herd at appropriate levels,” said Deer Biologist Joe Rogerson.

The reintroduction of the wild turkey back into Delaware, nearly 200 hundred years after it became locally extinct, remains one of the Division’s greatest success stories. Today, the popularity of turkey hunting in Delaware continues to grow and consecutive record harvests have been reported for the last three years, noted Wildlife Biologist Matt DiBona.

“To maintain public demand for quality hunting experiences while ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of wild turkeys in Delaware, we will be collecting scientific data on turkey survival and reproduction within the state,” DiBona said. “This project will help identify potential factors limiting turkey population growth and will provide management strategies for maintaining and increasing wild turkey abundance in Delaware.”

For maps of Redden State Forest, including the location of the Jester and Townsend Tracts, please visit http://www.dda.delaware.gov/forestry/maps.shtml.

For more information, please contact Matt DiBona or Joe Rogerson at 302-735-3600.

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DNREC Set To Begin Deer And Turkey Research Projects In Sussex County Delaware

South Dakota Fish, Game & Parks

PIERRE, S.D. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Four open-house meetings on Canada goose management and crop depredation have been scheduled for South Dakota landowners, agricultural producers, sportsmen and other members of the public.

The sessions will be hosted by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department.

“We are looking for citizen input and the opportunity to share information with our state’s ag producers, sportsmen and anyone else interested in Canada goose management and depredation,” said GFP Assistant Wildlife Director Emmett Keyser. “Through this series of meetings, we’re hoping to identify specific ideas, opportunities and potential solutions to help us address goose-management issues.”

In addition to GFP staff, members of the Canada Goose Management & Depredation Working Group will attend the meetings to gather public input.

“GFP staff will provide a short background presentation on goose-management issues, but the bulk of meeting time will be spent in small groups so citizens have the opportunity to share their ideas,” said Tom Kirschenmann, Terrestrial Section Chief for the Division of Wildlife.

“Members of the Working Group have been asked to assist us in developing a series of recommendations on Canada goose management issues,” Keyser said. “We are fortunate to have such a committed group of citizens. They represent a good cross-section of the public, and gladly devote their time and energy to help us out.”

The open-house meetings will run from 7-9 p.m. and are scheduled as follows:

• Dec. 8 – Madison, Camp Lakodia on Lake Herman
• Dec. 14 – Watertown, Ramkota Inn
• Jan. 4 – Webster, The Galley Restaurant
• Jan. 11 – Brookings, Days Inn

For more information, call the Sioux Falls GFP Regional Office at 605-362-2700 or the Watertown GFP Regional Office at 605-882-5200.

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South Dakota GFP To Hold Canada Goose Management Meetings

Arkansas Duck Concentration Maps

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

LITTLE ROCK AR --(AmmoLand.com)- Biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently completed the first aerial waterfowl survey of the 2009-2010 duck season, marking a new era in Arkansas duck counts. AGFC has changed its aerial survey method for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (the Delta) to more reliably estimate duck numbers in the region.

Instead of the “cruise” surveys of the past, in which biologists fly over traditional waterfowl hot spots to count ducks, AGFC will now use a “transect” method. The cruise method is inherently biased because observers can’t account for unsampled areas during each survey. While no method allows biologists to generate a number for absolute abundance, the transect method allows for more standardized sampling and more reliable counts.

The transect method entails flying a randomly selected portion of transects – west-east lines drawn across the Delta at 500-meter intervals – and counting all ducks seen along those lines and using those counts to calculate an estimate of duck numbers across the entire Delta. AGFC’s effort is part of a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture to generate reliable estimates across a large portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley over time.

AGFC completed the November 2009 estimates earlier this week, and they seem to match much of the anecdotal observations over the past several weeks. There aren’t many mallards in the Delta right now, but observers did see good numbers of other dabbling ducks, including pintails, northern shovelers and gadwalls. Duck distribution appeared to be spotty, with large concentrations here and there across the Delta but without good numbers of ducks scattered throughout the region.

Observers were somewhat surprised by the absence of water in many areas in light of the severe flooding that occurred in late October. While many areas, especially along river corridors, remained flooded, it appeared that many farmers had allowed much of the water to drain in an attempt to salvage harvestable crops.

November population estimates for the Arkansas Delta were 124,065 mallards, 522,662 other dabbling ducks and 147,678 diving ducks for a total of 794,405 ducks. Because of the change in survey methods, these numbers should not be compared with past counts. This count should be considered the first point in a developing collection of Delta duck counts.

Population estimates for western Arkansas, which are still being conducted by the cruise method because of limited waterfowl habitat in that portion of the state, were 20,105 total ducks (5,480 mallards) in southwest Arkansas and 31,000 total ducks (11,000 mallards) in northwest Arkansas.

In addition to the recent aerial waterfowl survey data, AGFC encourages hunters to take advantage of several other new tools to track waterfowl numbers and migration.

AGFC has recently developed duck density maps. The maps, one for relative density of all ducks and the other for relative mallard density, use results from aerial surveys and spatial data models to reflect relative densities of ducks in the Delta region. While the maps are helpful, hunters should understand the maps represent relative density for a given survey period and not absolute duck numbers. For example, it’s reasonable to assume that what appears as a high-density mallard area in November will likely correspond to a lower absolute number than in early January because mallard numbers typically peak in early January. The maps are available at http://www.agfc.com/pdfs/waterfowl/Nov09DuckDensity.pdf and http://www.agfc.com/pdfs/waterfowl/Nov09MallardDensity.pdf.

Since AGFC and Mississippi waterfowl managers conduct counts using the same methods and at approximately the same times, hunters may seek additional information on Mississippi’s Web site at http://home.mdwfp.com/ContentManagement/Html/htmldownload.aspx?id=327. Combined with Arkansas’s counts, that information may provide a more complete picture of waterfowl distribution across a larger portion of the Delta.

Other tools that may be helpful for hunters include a new weather severity index developed by Mississippi State University researchers. The index is an attempt to forecast potential waterfowl migration movements based on weather data throughout the Mississippi Flyway. The index is available at http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/kennedychair/weather.asp.

The Missouri Department of Conservation, in cooperation with Arkansas and several other state and federal agencies, has developed a mallard migration map that can be viewed at http://www.mdc.mo.gov/hunt/wtrfowl/migration.php.

Information on river levels can be found at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/ or http://water.usgs.gov/realtime.html. Sunrise/sunset tables are available at: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html and in the Arkansas Waterfowl Regulations Guide.

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Arkansas Completes First Aerial Duck Surveys

The otter "sticks her tongue out" at the spectators. Photo by Scott Root

Utah Division of Natural Resources

Provo, Utah --(AmmoLand.com)- The odds you’ll see a river otter in Utah just got better.

On Nov. 25, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources released a northern river otter into the Provo River between Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs. (This stretch of the river is commonly referred to as the “middle Provo.”)

The otter, a young adult female, is the first of as many as 10 to 15 otters the DWR hopes to place into the middle Provo River in the next few months. The otter released on Nov. 25 was trapped by DWR biologists on the Green River in northeastern Utah.

Three-year study
Releasing river otters into the middle Provo will provide Utah with another river otter population. It will also provide biologists with valuable information about the habits of river otters in the state.

“Releasing this otter marks the beginning of a three-year study to learn more about otters in Utah,” says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the DWR.

The day before the otter was released, a veterinarian at Brigham Young University placed a small transmitter in the otter’s abdomen, just under its skin. The transmitter will allow Casey Day to track the otter. Day is a graduate student at BYU.

Transmitters will also be placed in other otters that are released into the river.

“The types of food otters eat, the distances they travel and how successful they are at reproducing are among the things Day will learn,” Dolling says. “The information we gain from his study will guide us in other river otter reintroductions we do in the future.”

UWIN provides funding
Utah Wildlife in Need (UWIN)—a new charitable foundation in Utah—is providing all of the funding for the project.

So far, the foundation has raised $66,000 for the project. That’s half of what’s needed to see the project through to the end.

“If you want to help otters in Utah, this project gives you the perfect chance,” says Bob Hasenyager, UWIN director. “The ALSAM Foundation has provided $66,000 to get the otter project up and going. Now we need other folks to step up and provide the funding needed to see the project through to the end.”

You can learn more about UWIN—and make a donation to the otter project—at www.uwin.org.

Otters and trout
DWR biologists have heard from anglers who are concerned about the effect river otters will have on trout in the middle Provo River.

“Crayfish [also called crawdads] are an otter’s favorite food,” Dolling says. “But if they can’t find crayfish, they’ll turn to other sources, including frogs and fish. An adult otter eats about two to three pounds of food per day.”

Dolling says the middle Provo River has plenty of crayfish. But if the otters have any difficulty finding crayfish in the river, there are plenty of fish to eat.

“Otters usually target slower-moving fish, such as sculpin, whitefish, carp and suckers,” he says. “Most of the fish they eat are between five and seven inches long.”

Dolling says the river otters will also eat trout. And that may not be a bad thing.

“This stretch of the river has an abundant trout population that’s dominated by brown trout,” says Roger Wilson, sport fish coordinator for the DWR. “Because there are so many fish in the river, the fish are having to compete with each other for food and space. The competition they’re having is reducing their growth rate and affecting their overall condition.

“Letting otters take some fish could actually improve fishing in the river,” Wilson says. “If otters take some fish, the fish that remain should grow to a larger size.”

Walt Donaldson, Aquatic Section chief for the DWR, says the middle Provo River is a blue ribbon fishery that’s known to anglers across the country.

“We reintroduced otters into the Green River in 1989, and they’ve haven’t caused the fish in the river any problems,” he says. “After otters are placed in the Provo River, we’ll keep monitoring the fish population in the river. If we find the otters are causing the fish problems, we can take management actions to make sure fishing in the river doesn’t suffer.”

Those actions include stocking trout in the river and capturing and removing some of the otters.

Not only should the otters not cause problems for fish in the river, they might also add to the enjoyment anglers find while fishing.

“Many anglers who fish the Green River have enjoyed seeing the otters,” Donaldson says. “They say it’s a treat to watch a family of otters play while they’re fishing.”

Otter history
River otters were never abundant in Utah. But they were found in various parts of the state. Some of the biggest populations were in northern Utah.

River otters were doing fine until Utah was settled. Then over trapping started to take a toll. In 1899, the Utah Legislature closed the state to otter trapping.

Otters faced another challenge, though: the degradation of vegetation along steam banks, and agricultural and urban encroachment. Each of these factors affected water levels and water quality in the state. And that, in turn, that affected the otters’ food supply.

As their habitat and food supply declined, the number of otters declined too.

Bringing otters back
Management practices during the 1900s improved conditions along some of the state’s steam banks. That, in turn, improved water quality. By the 1980s, it was time to increase the number of river otters in Utah.

The DWR started expanding river otter populations in 1989 when biologists released nine otters from Nevada and Alaska into the Green River in northeastern Utah.

The DWR followed the 1989 release with several more otters releases in the area.

In 2005, Utah’s river otter population expanded more when three otters trapped by the DWR in northeastern Utah were released into the Escalante River in southwestern Utah.

That release was also followed by several other releases in the river.

Learn more
More information about river otters and their future in Utah is available in the state’s River Otter Management Plan. The free plan is available at wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/otter_plan.pdf.

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Otters Released Into The Provo River

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

LITTLE ROCK, AR –-(AmmoLand.com)- Biologists from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are taking to the skies this week as part of their periodic aerial waterfowl surveys.

The AGFC is surveying Arkansas’s waterfowl habitats to size up the state’s waterfowl population for this weekend’s opening.

With all of the water in the state, duck concentrations are widely scattered.

Wetland conditions across the entire state are much better than last year. The heavy rains over the past few months kept many farmers out of the fields, AGFC waterfowl program coordinator Luke Naylor said. “Some farmers have allowed water to drain from fields and are trying to catch up on the soybean harvest, for others, crops are a lost cause. Many duck clubs have already captured water and many fields are ready for the season opener,” Naylor said.

Nearly all public areas in the state are at or above target flooding levels. As far as duck numbers are concerned, there are widely scattered reports of concentrations of ducks around the state, Naylor said. “Due to all of the water in the state, ducks have a lot of options to choose from, so we might see ducks in large concentrations in isolated areas,” he said. “They’re probably hoping from hot spot to hot spot,” he added.

Large concentrations of mallards are not being reported in the state at this time, but large numbers of mallards are being reported in South Dakota, Naylor said. “States to the north of Arkansas were flooded as part of the same weather systems that moved through here. There are still lots of flooded fields in other states that are holding ducks to the north of Arkansas,” he explained. Naylor said the additional duck habitat to the north of Arkansas may slow the migration into the state. “A minor migration may have occurred in the last few days, but there’s not a large migration entering the state as they take advantage of that habitat,” he said.

As soon as waterfowl survey results are collected, the information will be available at www.agfc.com.

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Waterfowl Habitat Best In Years

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Arizona --(AmmoLand.com)- In a news release distributed today (Nov. 13), the Center for Biological Diversity announced a settlement agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several environmental advocacy groups concerning Mexican wolf management.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department offers the following response:

In its role as the state’s wildlife management authority, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has a vested interest in continuing its participation and leadership in Mexican wolf conservation.

The department has actively participated in wolf recovery going back more than 30 years. Since 1977, the department has spent an estimated $5.3 million for wolf recovery efforts.

The department advocates that Mexican wolf management decisions will continue to be based on sound science and to provide opportunities for participation by local and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations and individuals from all segments of the public. The department looks forward to redefining how it can best participate in wolf management, to represent the state’s interests based on state statutory authority as well as its authority granted under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Consistent with previous Arizona Game and Fish Commission guidance, the department supports the development of an updated Mexican wolf recovery plan with measurable recovery goals based on science. The current plan was completed in 1982 and the department has asserted for more than 10 years that failure to revise the plan has been a considerable impediment to wolf conservation.

The department believes that the development of a mechanism for addressing financial impacts of wolf depredation on private interests is an important step in addressing long-standing social challenges associated with wolf recovery and may in fact be a crucial component in ensuring that the program moves forward in full compliance with the impacts and management commitments identified in the original (1996) environmental impact statement and final 1998 rule on Mexican wolf reintroduction.

The department’s endangered species coordinator, Terry Johnson, currently chairs the Mexican Wolf Adaptive Management Oversight Committee (AMOC).

The press release sent by the plaintiff organizations is misleading in that AMOC is not and never has been the deciding authority on whether or not a wolf stays in the wild. AMOC reviews situations in which management response is needed and when removal is one of the options considered makes recommendations based on an approved procedure and forwards those recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Prior to 2008 the USFWS Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, per the 1998 final rule, made the final decision on removal. Since then, the Region 2 director of the USFWS has consulted on such recommendations with the directors of the other five lead agencies participating in AMOC, but ultimately is the sole deciding authority on wolf removal.

About:
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Director’s Office, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Director’s Office as listed above.

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Arizona Game And Fish Response To Court Settlement Agreement On Mexican Wolf Management

Custer State Park To Hold Annual Bison Auction

South Dakota Fish, Game & Parks

CUSTER, S.D. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The 2009 Custer State Park Fall Classic Bison Auction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the park corrals. This year’s offering includes six mature cows, 10 two-year old heifers, 20 yearling heifers, 65 heifer calves, 85 bull calves, 40 yearling bulls, 12 two-year old breeding bulls, and 12 burros.

The auction will begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m. (Mountain Standard Time) at the Custer State Park corrals, located 15 miles east of Custer on Highway 16A and then 9 miles south on the Wildlife Loop Road. Signs will be posted to assist in locating the corrals. A buyer’s reception will be held prior to the auction on Friday, Nov. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Creekside Lodge, located next to the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park.

For the past 44 years, the park has made its surplus bison available for sale to the private sector. Revenue from the park’s bison herd is a significant amount of the capital generated by the park and goes toward continued operations of the state park system.

For additional information about the upcoming bison auction, contact Custer State Park at (605) 255-4515 or e-mail questions to CusterStatePark@state.sd.us

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Custer State Park To Hold Annual Bison Auction

The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- Two famous refuges in Alaska are planning milestone celebrations during 2010, when both the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Izembek National Wildlife Refuge reach the mid-century mark.

The remote Arctic Refuge, the northernmost in the National Wildlife Refuge System, encompasses a vast 19.3 million acres famed for its polar bears, grizzlies and caribou herds. Plans for its anniversary are being made on a commensurate scale. They include releasing a feature-length documentary film, staging a play about Arctic explorers Olaus and Mardy Murie and mounting a photo exhibit by noted landscape photographer Jeff Jones. A companion book, Arctic Sanctuary, featuring photos by Jones and poetry and essays by Fairbanks writer Carolyn Kremers, is slated for publication next fall by the University of Alaska Press.

Izembek, the smallest of Alaska’s refuges at about 400,000 acres (300,000 of them designated as wilderness), plans a series of events culminating in a celebration on December 6, 2010, the anniversary of its founding. Visitors, including hunters and anglers, can reach the refuge only by state ferry (which now runs once a month May through October) or by air, weather permitting. The refuge, near the tip of the Alaska peninsula encompasses Izembek Lagoon, a world-renowned wetland and a pivotal stopover for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterbirds. The Izembek Refuge protects a range of species, including salmon, caribou, sea otter and brown bears.

The Eisenhower administration established the Arctic National Wildlife Range in December 1960. In 1980, the range was expanded and renamed the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Izembek was also first established in 1960 as a national wildlife range and renamed a refuge in 1980.

Next year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, a sweeping land conservation measure that protected more than 100 million acres of federal lands in Alaska and doubled the size of the Arctic Refuge.

For more information, contact: Jimmy Fox, Refuge Manager, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 907-456-0250 or http://arctic.fws.gov/.

Nancy Hoffman, Refuge Manager, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, 907-532-2445 or http://izembek.fws.gov/.

Natural Resource Managers for Future

Growing up in urban Atlanta, Gabriel Harper, 23, had an interest in wildlife but little opportunity to indulge it. Until, that is, the Morehouse College senior was recruited last summer as a paid student intern in a diversity internship program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. Now he’s seeking a career with the Service, with the strong backing of his refuge manager.

If he and his cohorts succeed, that will also mark a success for the Conservation Intern Program (CIP), conceived to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the natural resources ranks.

National recruiting for summer 2010 CIP internships throughout the Northeast Region is expected to begin again in December. Just as last year, there will be 30 slots to fill.

Harper, who graduated in May with a degree in psychology, calls his 12-week internship “a great experience in opening my eyes to different methods of conservation and wildlife management.”

CIP, now entering its third year, is a joint program of the Service’s Northeast Regional Office and the Student Conservation Association ( http://www.thesca.org), a nonprofit organization that matches high school and college students with conservation service opportunities. This partnership is targeted toward freshman and sophomore students. Students selected for refuge internships on the basis of teacher and mentor recommendations receive a one-week orientation. For the next 11 weeks they get a taste of activities from biological monitoring and habitat restoration to refuge maintenance and recreational public-use programs. They live in refuge housing and are mentored by refuge staff.

“We look at this as a feeder group for future leaders of the Service,” says Joe McCauley, manager of the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has permitted more openings in other refuge internship programs. These include Youth Conservation Corps positions, for students age 15-18, and the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) and the Student Career Experience Program, both for students age 16 and up. Postings for some of these positions can be found at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov or http://www.studentjobs.gov.

For more information, contact: Rita Corliss, Assistant Director, Conservation Internships, Student Conservation Association, rcorliss@thesca.org, or 603-543-1700 ext. 398.

Lamar B. Gore, Assistant Refuge Supervisor, Northeast Regional Office, USFWS, lamar_gore@fws.gov or 413-253-8542.

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.

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Wild Angles – News from the National Wildlife Refuge System

HunterSurvey.com

Southwick Associates - -(AmmoLand.com)- In an October 2009 survey, Southwick Associates asked anglers and hunters which type of organization they trust the most for accurate information regarding fish and wildlife conservation.

The results of the monthly AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com poll show that state fish and wildlife agencies are considered the most trustworthy source of conservation information among hunters and anglers.

Of the 2,771 anglers surveyed, 54.4 percent reported state fish and wildlife agencies were their most trusted source. Of the 3,378 hunters surveyed, 50.7 percent agreed.

The second most trusted source, with 25.1 percent of anglers and 29.5 percent of hunters, was sport-fishing and hunting non-profit conservation groups.

Other sources of conservation information were presented to hunters and anglers. Non-profit conservation groups not focused towards fishing or hunting were preferred by 5.3 percent of anglers and 7.4 percent of hunters.

Federal fish and wildlife agencies were rated as the most trusted source by 5.0 percent of anglers and 4.3 percent of hunters. Non-outdoor television programming and magazines ranked even lower.

”The results indicate that sportsmen and women want to hear from their state fish and wildlife agency when it comes to fish and wildlife conservation issues,” reported Donna Leonard.

“Efforts to increase conservation awareness or behavior will have better success if state fish and wildlife agencies are involved.”

About:
Launched in 2006, AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com help the outdoor equipment industry, government fisheries and wildlife officials, and conservation organizations track consumer activities and expenditure trends. The information above represents only a small sample of the vast amount of data that is available from the complete survey results. The results are scientifically analyzed to reflect all U.S. anglers.

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State Fish and Wildlife Agencies are the Most Trusted Source for Conservation Information

Texas Bison Association

FORT WORTH, Texas — Buffalo are a true American icon that hold a special place in the hearts of all Texans, and the Fifth Annual Texas Bison Exposition hosted by the Texas Bison Association (TBA) will deliver informative seminars to help Texas ranchers and landowners learn to raise and care for these majestic animals. Admission is free.

The Texas Bison Expo will be held on November 7, 2009 at the Stockyards Station in Fort Worth, Texas. The annual event features a trade show, live animal sale, the World Championship Buffalo Burger Challenge, and much more.

Preserving the legend of the North American Bison, the TBA welcomes some of the industry’s most renowned authorities on bison.

The 2009 Texas Bison Expo seminars include:

• John Hurd, general manager of Bluestem LLC (Bison-Bluestem-Burns & Bucks), provides an intensive review of bison grazing behavior in the tall grass prairie and bluestem grass, and the benefits of burning to grazing behavior and bison production bottom lines. Part B of Hurd’s segment is “Protocol for Profit,” a look at large-scale humane bison handling.
• Dr. Gerald Parsons will give a ‘Bison 101’ discussion that will help bison enthusiasts get started in buffalo ranching. He will also speak to the importance of the North American Bison Registry to the bison species and the industry overall.
• Rob Denkhaus of the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge will share an inside look at the management and programs built around the star attraction of the Refuge, the bison herd owned by the Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.

“Buffalo ranching is an extremely dynamic industry which is growing in popularity,” says Tim Frasier, president of the Texas Bison Association. “For anyone wanting to learn more about buffalo and how to raise them for as a hobby or business, the Bison Expo offers great opportunities to meet and talk with some of the state’s most experienced and knowledgeable breeders and ranchers.”

The Texas Bison Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by bison owners and individuals concerned with the preservation and promotion of the North American Bison. Today, the TBA provides assistance in raising and producing bison and promotes the nutritional health aspects of the North American Bison to consumers.

For membership or sponsorship information, visit www.TexasBison.org.

Headquartered in San Antonio, the Texas Bison Association is a non-profit organization of producers, ranchers and bison enthusiasts. For more information on Texas bison, bison ranching or membership in the Texas Bison Association, call Tim Frasier at 940.594.1169 or Ronny Wenzel at 254.386.5069; or visit www.TexasBison.org.

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Texas Bison Expo Delivers Bison Ranching Seminars

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(AmmoLand.com)- DNREC urges motorists to watch out for deer crossing roadways, especially at dusk.

The end of daylight savings time means more 9-to-5 workers will be driving home at dusk, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife would like to remind drivers to remain alert for deer crossing roadways.

“We might be heading home to relax at the end of our day, but deer are just beginning their busiest time around dusk,” said DNREC Game Mammal Biologist Joe Rogerson. “Twilight hours, especially from sunset to midnight and shortly before and after sunrise, are when motorists need to be especially alert and watch for them.”

The average white-tailed deer in Delaware weighs about 130 pounds, with larger bucks tipping the scales at 180 pounds or more. Hitting an animal that size can do serious and expensive damage to your vehicle. Such a collision may also cause injury to you or your passengers or trigger an accident involving you and other motorists.

In 2007, Delaware police departments logged a statewide total of 1,349 animal-vehicle crashes – the overwhelming majority involving deer – which resulted in one fatality, 43 personal injuries and 1,305 major and minor property damage-only cases. In 2008, a total of 1,474 crashes were reported, resulting in one fatality, 44 personal injuries and 1,429 property damage-only cases. For 2009 so far, up to the third week of October, 942 crashes have been reported, with no fatalities and 43 personal injuries. Many more crashes may have gone unreported to the police or were reported only to insurance companies.

National statistics also show that about half or more of all deer-vehicle collisions occur during October, November and December, with most concentrated in October and early November.

“Fall is mating season for deer, and in Delaware this year, we’re expecting the rut to begin in early November,” Rogerson said. “Because of this, deer are more active, with bucks single-mindedly pursuing does – sometimes right into the path of your car.”

“Although in the last three years Delaware’s deer population has finally stabilized and started to decrease, there are still numerous areas in the state that have significant deer populations,” added Rob Hossler, DNREC Game Species Program Manager. “Combine a high deer population with decreasing deer habitat and increased commuters, and you have a recipe for a high number of deer-vehicle collisions.”

Attentive driving is the best way to avoid deer collisions. Keep these tips in mind:

• Turn your headlights on at dawn and dusk and keep your eyes on the road, scanning the sides of the road as well as what’s ahead of you. When there is no oncoming traffic, switch to high beams to better reflect the eyes of deer on or near the roadway. To reduce your risk of injury in a collision, always wear your seatbelt.
• Watch for deer crossing signs that mark commonly used areas, and be aware that deer typically cross between areas of cover, such as woods or where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland.
• If you see a deer crossing the road ahead, slow down immediately and proceed with caution until you are past the crossing point. Deer usually travel in groups, so if you see one deer, there are likely to be others.
• Slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten deer away. Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences and reflectors to deter deer, as these devices have not been proven to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.
• Do not swerve to miss a deer – brake and stay in your lane. Losing control of your vehicle, crossing into another lane, hitting an oncoming vehicle or leaving the roadway and hitting another obstacle such as a tree or a pole is likely to be much more serious than hitting a deer.
• If you hit a deer, stop at the scene, get your car off the road if possible and call police. Do not touch the animal or get too close.

“A frightened and wounded deer can cause serious injury to a well-meaning person trying to ‘help.’ You could be bitten, kicked or even gored by a buck’s antlers. It’s safer to keep your distance,” said Rogerson.

If you would like to keep a deer killed on the road, the Delaware State Police can issue a vehicle killed deer tag.

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DNREC Urges Motorists To Watch Out For Deer Crossing Roadways

Arkansas Deer Harvest 70 Years Of Onward And Upward

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

LITTLE ROCK, AR – -(AmmoLand.com)- From the low three figures to a steady six figures – that’s the story of Arkansas’s deer harvest records.

Numerous hunters in the state, sometimes after an unproductive session in the woods, many grumble that “deer hunting just isn’t what it was in the old days.” The statistics are not on their side, however.

Many other hunters realistically realize that the state has many, many more deer here in 2009 than it did a couple of generations back. They may also have gripes about not enough deer in this area, few bucks in that county, too small racks on the bucks somewhere else. But the numbers are indisputable – Arkansas deer are plentiful, although not to everyone’s satisfaction.

The first year of official checking of deer taken by hunters by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission was 1938.

Picture that autumn. The state and the nation were still in the grips of the Great Depression. Many Arkansans sought deer for the most basic of objectives. They needed food on the table. That hunting season, 203 were checked by hunters with AGFC’s representatives.

The economy was bleak, but restoration of Arkansas’s deer had been underway for more than a decade, most as the efforts may seem today. Deer “farms” were in operation in several locations. Deer were being relocated to places where they were absent and had been scarce for years since the late 19th century and early 20th century.

It is a reasonable assumption that some deer were taken by hunters in the fall of 1938 and were not checked, but were taken straight to kitchen use.

The next year, 1939, there were 540 deer checked as information spread around the state about this new requirement for hunters. In 1940, just 408 deer were checked, and in 1941, 433 deer were checked.

These totals seem tiny compared to recent years of Arkansas hunting.

Last season, the 2008 hunt that stretched into early 2009, 184,991 deer were tallied by Arkansas hunters, a total second only to the peak season of 1999 when 194,687 deer were logged across the state in records of all three hunting methods archery, muzzle-loader and modern gun.

Observers of Arkansas deer hunting can come up with a number of qualifiers. Illegal hunting, meaning deer not checked as required along with the outright poaching and night-hunting, is present today as it was in 1938. Unknown, of course, is the extent of these illegal takings of deer. Does poaching account for a small percentage of the deer taken each year or a large amount?

Arkansas deer harvest: 70 years of onward and upward Deer hunting numbers rose steadily from the early years, especially after the AGFC was reorganized into its present form by Amendment 35 of the Arkansas Constitution which went into effect in 1945. From the 1,687 deer checked that year, the state total was 5,122 just five years later. Fifteen years later, in 1960, the deer harvest total was 15,000.

Deer harvest growth continued through the 1960s and see-sawed a bit in the 1970s as the first steps toward hunting of female deer, does, in some areas began. Some protests came forth after the 1978 season when 43,452 deer were checked. Doe hunting was reduced, and in 1979 the total for the state was 36,074.

About this time, more tailored deer hunting regulations were crafted by the AGFC, allowing for more hunting days and more taking of does in areas where deer had become plentiful. Restricted rules were in effect for areas of lesser deer numbers.

It was 1987 when Arkansas’s deer take reached six figures, with 106,392 checked that year by hunters. The total dipped in 1990, again with tightened hunting rules. Then it returned to six figures in 1991. The peak of 1999 climaxed five years of impressive numbers on the deer hunting scene.

Some hunters protested that too many deer were falling to hunters. New strategies in deer management came forth, including quality deer objectives on both private land and some public land.

After a dip in 2003, when tighter deer hunting rules were coupled with unfavorable weather, the statewide deer totals have climbed again to approach the peak of a decade ago.

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Arkansas Deer Harvest 70 Years Of Onward And Upward

National Wildlife Control Operators Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The National Wildlife Control Operators Association (NWCOA) is a Non-Profit Trade Organization representing the Industry of Nuisance Wildlife Control.

Our Membership is particularly knowledgeable about the use of body-gripping traps and regards such traps as trade tools.

We would like to point out some reasons for our opposition to H.R. 3710.

• The National Wildlife Refuge System is the property of all U.S. Citizens including Hunters, Trappers and Sportsmen.
• Each State has an Agency (Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fish & Game…) that manages and regulates the harvesting of Wildlife and the tools used for this purpose. Said Agencies have Scientific and Field Personnel to analyze the need for restrictions, the latitude to enact Ordinances that address such needs and Enforcement Personnel to provide oversight.
• Wildlife Refuges often have man-made structures or features which may be in need of Professional Services, using the tools in question, to resolve conflicts and protect such properties or features.
• Given the broad dynamics of each Wildlife Refuge across the Nation, such as adjacent human population densities, actual human usership, Refuge dynamics (swamp, desert, heavily timbered, above timberline, access…), sound management of each resource is unique to each location and is as diverse as the Refuge System itself.
• Bill H.R. 3710 is poorly written and encompasses all style, manner and design of trap or restraint equipment and goes so far as to prohibit the use of a mouse-trap.
• Bill H.R. 3710 propagates the concept that Refuge management is unambiguous and is better served by removing sound management practices and restrictions from it’s Regional User Base.
• Bill H.R. 3710 propagates the concept that the responsible use of such tools, in the hands of Professional or Recreational Trappers, on Public Lands, warrants additional non-regional game harvesting oversight beyond each States existing Regulatory Wildlife Agency.
• The National Wildlife Control Operators Association believes Professional Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators have, in the pursuit of our livelihoods, a right to incorporate the responsible use of such trade tools, for the purpose of providing services on Public and Private Lands in accordance with the Law.

The National Wildlife Control Operators Association promotes the professional resolution of Human/Wildlife conflicts through Competence, Integrity and Service.

About:
The National Wildlife Control Operators Association is a Non-Profit Trade Organization representing the Nuisance Wildlife Control Industry, promoting the professional resolution of Human/Wildlife conflicts through Competence, Integrity and Service.

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Oppose the Falsely Named Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act Bill HR 3710

Safari Club Internationa

Washington, D.C. --(AmmoLand.com)- Safari Club International (SCI) and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs Inc. (Federation) filed suit yesterday in New Jersey to force action on black bear management.

Despite the best efforts of the state’s Fish and Game Council (Council), New Jersey’s Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has refused to approve a new comprehensive black bear management policy (Black Bear Policy) that includes hunting as a management strategy. Under New Jersey law, without a policy in place, the State cannot hold a black bear hunt. The Commissioner’s inaction has lead to a drastic increase in bear incidents state-wide since the last bear hunt in 2005.

SCI President Larry Rudolph said, “A well regulated hunt is essential for the sound and responsible management of black bear in New Jersey and for the safety of the general public. The goal of our lawsuit is simply to put legal pressure on the Commissioner and the Council to take the necessary action to adopt a Black Bear Policy. Forcing action on a policy will allow the Council — the people entrusted under New Jersey law to manage wildlife — to decide whether a hunt is both the appropriate means of managing the state’s bear population and a valued recreational experience.”

Legal Background:
In 2006, SCI and the Federation went to court to defend the Black Bear Policy that was adopted in 2005 because then-DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson and Governor Jon Corzine abruptly withdrew that policy and cancelled the annual black bear hunt.

In a 2007 decision, the Court questioned the Commissioner’s authority to unilaterally withdraw the Black Bear Policy, but nevertheless invalidated the 2005 Policy, finding that it had not been properly adopted in the first place. The actions of the DEP and the court’s ruling left New Jersey with no approved strategies for reducing the state’s growing bear population. The Court directed the Commissioner and Council to work together to formulate a new black bear management policy, and encouraged SCI and the Federation to return to court should the parties reach an impasse. That impasse has now occurred.

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SCI and New Jersey Sporting Groups File Suit to Force NJ Bear Hunt Decision

Quail Forever

Decaturville, Tenn. --(AmmoLand.com)- Two western Tennessee shooting preserve owners have joined forces to create the state’s newest chapter of Quail Forever (QF). Jerry Lynn Phillips, owner of Turnbo Creek Shooting Preserve and Barry Stinnett, owner of Lakeview Shooting Preserve, volunteered their free time to organize the new Tennessee River Quail & Dove Chapter of QF.

“People want to bring quail back, but they don’t know how. Through Quail Forever, we’re able to provide that missing habitat expertise that’s been lacking,” explained Tim Caughran, QF regional wildlife biologist. “The leaders in this new chapter have an interest in bringing quail back, as well as a desire to foster the passion for quail hunting that will grow the next generation of quail hunters.”

QF’s unique financial model also appealed to the new chapter’s volunteer leaders. QF applies the successful Pheasants Forever model of empowering local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100% of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent. As a result, grassroots chapter volunteers are able to see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy. Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever are the only national conservation organizations that operate through this truly grassroots structure.

In addition to Phillips serving as the new chapter’s president, Stinnett has been elected treasurer, and Jeremy Vavouris has been elected youth & education chair. The new Tennessee River Quail & Dove QF Chapter plans to hold a quail hunt and banquet on Saturday, October 31st beginning at 1PM. The public is invited to attend. For more information about the event and the new Tennessee River Quail & Dove QF Chapter, please contact Phillips at (731)549-7568 or Stinnett at (731)206-0113.

Tennessee is home to four QF chapters. For more information on Quail Forever in Tennessee, to start a chapter or join one of the states existing chapters, contact QF at (866)457-8245 or via email at contact@quailforever.org.

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Shooting Preserve Owners Join Forces in Tennessee Quail Forever Chapter