Hunters, Be Sure It’s a Deer in Your Gun Sights and Not A Protected Animal
November 21, 2008
MADISON – Hunters across the state will be looking to place a white-tailed deer in their crosshairs starting Nov. 22 with the opening of the 2008 Wisconsin Gun Deer Season. But with that privilege comes a responsibility to be absolutely sure of your target and to know what is legal game…and what isn’t.
Hunters always need to follow the four rules of safety when handling a firearm to make sure they do not endanger themselves, other hunters, or other people recreating in the outdoors:
- T= Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Consider all guns are always loaded – until you determine the firearm is not.
- A= Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. Never allow the muzzle point at anything you are not ready to destroy – that means keeping your firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times.
- B= Be certain of your target and what’s beyond it. Make sure you know your target – what it is, what is in the line of fire and what is behind it.
- K= Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.Â
In addition, they need to clearly identify animals they are pursuing in the field, and know what rules are in place where they are hunting. Mistakes in identification can be costly.
Coyote
Coyote hunting is closed in approximately the northern third of the state during the Nov. 22-30 gun deer season and the Dec. 1-10 muzzleloader deer season, remind wildlife officials. Check the 2008 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations or 2008 Small Game Regulations for the southern boundary of this special closed area. This closure is in place to avoid hunters misidentifying a gray wolf for a coyote. Wolves were recently relisted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered species in Wisconsin.
But wildlife officials caution there has also been an increase in wolf sightings in the southern third of the state, where they coyote season remains open. Officials caution that there could be wolves in any part of Wisconsin and hunters should be careful not to mistake a protected wolf for an unprotected coyote.
Elk
Hunters in the area of Clam Lake need to be certain they are pulling the trigger on a deer and not one of Wisconsin’s protected elk. The reintroduced herd has grown from 25 elk released in 1995 to a current estimate of 150 this fall. The herd’s current range includes portions of Bayfield, Sawyer and Ashland counties [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/elk/map.htm].
Elk are native to Wisconsin but were extirpated in the mid to late 1800s due to unregulated hunting and a rapid decline in habitat following settlement. Elk were last recorded in Wisconsin in the 1886 and historic records show elk once inhabited at least 50 of the state’s 72 counties.
Moose
Although numbers are very, very small, moose are now being recorded in Wisconsin with increasing regularity. The largest of Wisconsin’s native members of the deer family, moose are also a protected animal.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Van Haren – - (608) 266-3244
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Pseudorabies Suspected in Hunting Dogs at Corbett WMA in Florida
November 14, 2008
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are warning hunters using the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Palm Beach and Martin counties to be cautious about wild hogs.Â
“At least three hunting dogs have died after displaying symptoms consistent with the pseudorabies virus (PRV) after tangling with wild hogs,” said Dr. Mark Cunningham, a veterinarian with the FWC. “Tests to confirm the diagnosis of PRV are pending, and we are investigating unconfirmed reports from hunters that other dogs have died of the disease.”
No new cases have been reported to the FWC since Nov. 7. The disease is no threat to humans but always fatal in dogs.
Reports indicate the dogs that died were in the area between trails 1 and 2, behind “N” camp, and south of Corbett’s south check.
Pseudorabies has been present in this country the past 150 years and claims a small number of hunting dogs every year. Wildlife officials are unsure of the cause for the spike in cases at Corbett, but it may be due to environmental stress.
There are no plans to cancel the WMA’s hog hunt, which will end Nov. 16.
PRV is carried by wild hogs and is always present throughout Florida. The virus also has been reported in at least 10 other states. Moving hogs to new areas can spread the disease.
PRV is an extremely contagious herpes virus. Despite its name, PRV is not related to rabies, and it is not contagious to humans; however, other animals and pets, particularly dogs, are susceptible to infection.
“Only dogs that are directly exposed to feral swine or consume raw feral hog meat are at significant risk for pseudorabies,” Cunningham said.
Dogs can become infected with PRV after exposure to infected hogs. Symptomatic dogs will scratch themselves uncontrollably. Death normally occurs within 48 hours.Â
It is unlikely that dogs or other animals would be in danger of contracting PRV unless there has been direct contact through a bite wound or through consumption of raw wild hog meat.
Hunters can minimize risk by keeping their dogs away from hogs and from hog carcasses.
A modified-live vaccine is labeled only for domestic swine and is available only to veterinarians through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Consult a licensed veterinarian for further information regarding vaccination and prevention for domestic swine.
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Ohio DNR Director Designates Ashtabula as State’s 14th State Scenic River
November 6, 2008
ASHTABULA, OH - The Ashtabula River in Ashtabula County was designated as Ohio’s newest State Scenic River today at a ceremony led by Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Sean Logan. The designation makes the Ashtabula River the county’s third State Scenic River and provides additional state protection to three stream segments totaling 46 miles.
“The scenic river designation of the Ashtabula protects a unique natural resource, but there is more to it than that,” said ODNR Director Sean Logan. “We are protecting this river, and Ohio’s 13 other scenic rivers, because we know that our economic and social health cannot, for long, be separated from the health of our air, water and soil.”
Ashtabula becomes the 14th Ohio waterway to achieve State Scenic River status and the second in three years for Ashtabula County. The ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves administers the Ohio State Scenic Rivers Program.
The Ashtabula River watershed supports an exceptionally beautiful river system. High quality natural features include an outstanding wooded riparian corridor and diverse populations of wildlife and plants.
The exceptional aquatic habitat found in the river’s main stem and East and West branches supports 88 species of fish. The Ashtabula is a popular steelhead fishing area in northeast Ohio and 4 miles of public fishing access in Ashtabula Township.
Using a federal Coastal Management grant, the division produced a comprehensive designation study after the entire stream was evaluated in 2007. The Ashtabula was recommended for state designation in September 2008.
Efforts to designate Ashtabula as a state scenic river began in 2006. Local communities and organizations have worked toward that goal, including the Ashtabula Board of County Commissioners, the City of Ashtabula and the townships of Ashtabula, Denmark, Kingsville, Monroe, Pierpont, Plymouth, Richmond and Sheffield.
A strong local supporter of the designation process was the Ashtabula River Watershed Committee, which is comprised of local residents and public officials. It, along with the Ashtabula Township Park Commission, sponsored today’s designation ceremony. Other local sponsors include: Ohio American Water Company, the James L. Smith Estate, Ashtabula County Parks Foundation and Kelley’s Gardens. Each of these partners joins ODNR in seeking a balance between development and conservation.
Ohio passed the nation’s first scenic river protection legislation in 1968, providing for wild, scenic and recreational classifications for rivers. Criteria used to evaluate a river’s status include the stream’s length, adjacent forest cover, biological characteristics, water quality, present use and natural conditions.
The Ohio Scenic Rivers Program identifies and helps preserve those rivers and streams possessing important natural or historic characteristics of state significance. Scenic river designation provides increased protection and stream quality monitoring for the waterway. It is a locally driven process that relies on the support and participation of government and landowners.
The latest designation brings the number of state scenic rivers to 14 encompassing 800 miles. Other state scenic rivers include: the Big and Little Darby Creek, Chagrin River, Grand River, Kokosing River, Little Miami River, Little Beaver Creek, Maumee River, Mohican River, Olentangy River, Sandusky River, Stillwater River/Greenville Creek and Upper Cuyahoga River. The Little Beaver Creek, Big and Little Darby Creek and Little Miami River have also been recognized as National Scenic Rivers.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.gov
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Black Bears, Other Wildlife Begin Preparing for Winter Hibernation
November 6, 2008
SPOONER, Wis. – As temperatures drop and snow flurries begin to fly in November, some Wisconsin wildlife animals begin looking for spots where they can avoid the cold by either hibernating or enter a long winter’s sleep.
State wildlife officials say that there are generally two kinds of winter sleepers: true hibernators and “light sleepers.”
“Both styles help animals and some reptiles endure the winter,” says Gary Dunsmoor, a Department of Natural Resources wildlife technician in Spooner. “And both most likely have a lot to do with food availability — just as many species of wildlife migrate for the winter months due to lack of food here, many animals likely hibernate for the same reason.”
Dunsmoor says true hibernators like bats, woodchucks, and ground squirrels “sleep so deeply, it is almost impossible to wake them.”
A woodchuck’s heart rate, he notes, goes from 80 beats a minute when active to four to five beats a minute in hibernation. Other true hibernators include snakes, turtles, and frogs. Frogs and turtles bury themselves in the mud below the frost line getting oxygen from air trapped in the mud. Some snakes head underground while others gather together in sheltered places like rotted logs.
Dunsmoor says bears, skunks, raccoons, opossum and badgers are “light sleepers.”
“These characters can be awakened from their winter nap. They breathe a little more slowly and lower their body temperature a few degrees during sleep but will awaken to feed.”
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Black bears in Wisconsin usually begin looking for places to make their dens by mid-October, Dunsmoor says, but warm weather or a healthy acorn crop will keep them active into November. Bears generally make dens in shallow holes near overturned stumps or blown-over trees, in shallow caves, in hollowed-out trees or in rock crevices. However, Dunsmoor says, some bears take only a low spot on the ground with plenty of leaves to sleep on.
While scientists are not sure how or why animals go into hibernation, Dunsmoor says they have found a special substance in the blood of hibernators.
“It is called Hibernation Inducement Trigger. If blood is taken from a hibernating squirrel in the winter and injected into an active squirrel in the spring, the active squirrel goes into hibernation,” he says..
What biologists also know is that hibernators put on a special kind of fat known as brown fat. This special fat is found across the back and shoulders of hibernating animals, close to their organs like the brain and liver. Brown fat delivers quick energy to an animal coming out of hibernation.
Dunsmoor says wildlife watchers can see hibernators out foraging for foods now in attempt to put on as much fat as possible because they will not eat much when the snow flies.
Come the snow when outdoor adventurists are cross country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing they will probably be passing by hibernators without knowing it.
“Snows provide insulating warmth and cover. They won’t hear them either, most hibernators, don’t snore,” Dunsmoor notes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Dunsmoor – (715) 635-4092
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Come See One of Colorado’s Largest Sheep Herds at the 3rd Annual Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival
October 31, 2008
Join the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) for a full day of family-friendly and free wildlife fun! The Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival, sponsored by the DOW and the Town of Georgetown, will be held on Saturday, November 8th.  New activities and a full day of events starting at 10:00 am, promise something for everyone interested in our wildlife heritage.
“Early November is a great time to watch bighorn sheep,” said Karen Hardesty, Watchable Wildlife Coordinator for the northeast region of the DOW. “Late October through mid-December is the rut – or courtship season. The herd gathers more closely together than usual and the rams are contesting one another for dominance and the opportunity to reproduce. It’s the best of wildlife watching right here in Georgetown’s backyard!”
Participants will have the opportunity to watch Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep from the Georgetown Wildlife Viewing Area on the west side of Georgetown Lake. Trained DOW volunteers will offer a cup of hot cider and help visitors find and learn about the sheep.
In addition to wildlife viewing and guided hikes, the festival offers educational programming and a variety of crafts and activities for kids. This year the festival has expanded to include a climbing wall for youth, a Colorado Critters Parade (made up of young or young-at-heart festival participants), wildlife films at the Canyon Winds Winery, and Georgetown Loop Railroad trips.
Special Presentations:
- Wildlife of Clear Creek County
- The Story of Georgetown’s Bighorns – their history and current research updatesÂ
- Catching the Bad-guy: how wildlife forensics help managers track down poachers
- Peeking at Pika: Life on the alpine tundra and changes we may see soon
- Impacts of Global Climate Change to Colorado Wildlife ( a special traveling presentation by the Colorado Wildlife Federation)
- Story-telling: Tales of the “Wild” Colorado
- Wildlife and Landscape Photography with photographer Gary Haines of Grizzly Creek GalleryÂ
 Festival Activities Guide:
See the final schedule of events at http://wildlife.state.co.us/Viewing/EventsFestivals/BighornFestival.htm OR pick up a schedule on-site at the Gateway Visitor Center or the Georgetown Community Center. All of these events are free.
Georgetown is located just less than an hour west of Denver on I-70. Programs and activities take place in several venues throughout town, but most are on 6th Street. Be sure to plan time to visit the numerous art galleries and unique shops where artisans and shop owners will showcase their wildlife related art, gifts, crafts and other merchandise
WHAT: Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival: A full day of family-friendly &Â free wildlife fun.
WHERE: Town of Georgetown: One hour west of Denver on I-70.
WHEN: Saturday, November 8, 2008, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
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Pennsylvania Game Commission Announces Results of October Board Meetings
October 27, 2008
BOARD TAKES STEP TO EXPAND MENTORED YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
HARRISBURG – Taking a step forward to grow the agency’s popular Mentored Youth Hunting Program (MYHP), the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to add coyotes to the list of species that may be hunted by youths under the age of 12 while under the supervision of a mentor.Â
The addition of coyotes to the MYHP line-up was recommended by the Governor’s Youth Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation and the Pennsylvania Fox and Coyote Hunters Association.
Under the MYHP, a mentor is defined as a properly licensed individual at least 21 years of age, who serves as a guide to a mentored youth while engaged in hunting or related activities, such as scouting, learning firearm and hunter safety and wildlife identification. A mentored youth is defined as an unlicensed individual under the age of 12, who is accompanied by a mentor while engaged in hunting or related activities.
The mentor-to-mentored youth ratio may not exceed one mentor to one youth, and the pair may possess only one sporting arm while hunting. While moving, the sporting arm must be carried by the mentor. When the pair reaches a stationary hunting location, the mentor may turn over possession of the sporting arm to the youth and must keep the youth within arm’s length at all times.
“As with other MYHP opportunities, mentored youth who choose to hunt for coyotes must do so from a stationary hunting location,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director.Â
The MYHP, first implemented by the Board in 2006, also enables participating youth to hunt for squirrel, woodchuck (groundhog), spring gobbler and antlered deer. Antlerless deer are not legal, so mentored youth may not participate in any antlerless-only deer seasons. Also, if mentored youth are participating in the early or late archery deer seasons, or the late flintlock muzzleloader seasons, they must use the sporting arms legal for those seasons to take antlered deer only.
Youth and mentors are required to abide by all fluorescent orange regulations, and the mentored youth must tag and report any antlered deer or spring gobbler taken. Mentored youth may participate in the youth-only squirrel season and the youth-only spring gobbler day, as well as the general squirrel and spring gobbler seasons.
Youths participating in the Mentored Youth Hunting Program are required to follow the same antler restrictions as a junior license holder, which are two or more points on one antler or one antler three or more inches in length. Mentored youth may only pursue antlered deer, and may only participate in seasons in which antlered deer are legal and must follow appropriate sporting arm restrictions.
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BOARD APPROVES ADDITIONAL URBAN DEER MANAGEMENT OPTION
Continuing to implement recommendations of its Urban Deer Management Plan, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to a regulatory change to allow homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding organizations to apply for a Deer Control Permit under the same process provided for political subdivisions, such as boroughs and townships.
“In developed landscapes, lower deer populations result in fewer deer human conflicts,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “And, although we prefer to use hunting to manage deer populations, hunting is not always feasible in an urbanized setting due to safety zone restrictions. We must, therefore, consider alternative herd reduction tools for communities to address their growing deer populations.
“Recognizing that urban deer issues do not always affect an entire township or borough, the Board is proposing to expand the list of authorized Deer Control Permit applicants to include homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding companies. This does not change the requirements of the review process, but it does make this tool available to more groups experiencing unacceptable levels of deer-human conflicts in developed areas.”
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BOARD GIVES PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO EXPANDED USE OF CROSSBOWS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to expand the lawful use of crossbows to include both the archery deer and bear seasons. The Board would need to approve the measure at another public meeting in order for the proposal to take effect, so this change will not be in place for the 2008-09 seasons.
The proposal given preliminary approval also would remove the lawful use of crossbows during the October muzzleloader or late flintlock muzzleloader season.
Other changes made by the proposal would simplify and make the language of the regulations easier to understand.
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BOARD APPROVES SIX STATE WILDLIFE GRANTS PROJECTS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved six projects that will study or help species of concern in Pennsylvania. The projects approved are funded from an allocation provided by the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program, administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Federal Aid Program.
The SWG program focuses on endangered species prevention and ensuring that common species remain common. To be eligible for SWG appropriations from the federal government, Pennsylvania developed a “Wildlife Action Plan” that focuses on species with low and declining populations and species that are in great need of proactive conservation, by monitoring more abundant species for which Pennsylvania bears a special responsibility in their long-term conservation, and by incorporating habitat-level management rather than case-by-case, species-specific intervention.
“The SWG program has made Pennsylvania a better place for many species of concern and provided managers with important background to improve resource management programs,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “This work, conducted largely by both local and national partners to our agency, has accomplished great good for wildlife and the environment. But there’s much more work to do, and the cost of doing that research and intervening usually becomes more expensive with each passing year. That’s why the SWG program is critical to Pennsylvania. It makes an important difference for some species before it’s too late.”
Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) can be viewed on the internet by going to the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “Wildlife” in the left column, and then selecting “Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan” in the “Wildlife Grants & Programs” box.
The projects approved by the Board today are as follows:
EASTERN WOODRAT (NEOTOMA MAGISTER) MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS: Classroom and on-site instruction (at four, two-day regional workshops), will provide 90 or more resource managers with a foundation for the adaptive management of insular, surface rock communities, emphasizing the delineation of N. magister habitat sites and the avoidance, reversal or mitigation of factors potentially contributing to the decline of this species and ultimately federal listing as a threatened species. Concurrently, a workshop steering committee will form the nucleus of a N. magister recovery team (Jerry Hassinger - $30,000).
STATE GAME LAND 214 (PYMATUNING) WETLAND RESTORATION: This work will restore and enhance 113 acres of emergent and scrub-shrub wetlands for WAP species of high concern (Kurt Dyroff, Ducks Unlimited - $63,000).
TESTING SOLUTIONS TO BAT FATALITIES BY WIND TURBINES: PROACTIVE RESPONSE TO THREATS: This is the first time a wind power facility is participating in a program designed to test deterrence and curtailment options to reduce the threat of wind turbines to bats. This work will ensure substantial and measurable progress in understanding patterns of activity and fatalities and implementing deterrence and curtailment options to reduce fatalities (Ed Arnett, Bat Conservation International - $45,000).
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP NGTC GRASSLAND HABITAT: Improve high quality native warm-season grassland habitat by implementing an ecosystem based restoration plan to benefit 19 WAP priority species. Rehabilitating former grasslands and expanding current grasslands at FIG will have a tremendous impact on the cohesiveness and connectivity of this segmented habitat (Todd Bacastow, Pennsylvania State University - $41,549).
PINEY TRACT IMPORTANT BIRD AREA GRASSLANDS MANAGEMENT: This project will improve habitat at the Piney Tract IBA, a site of global significance to several grassland-obligate bird species of conservation concern. Invasive trees and shrubs will be removed and bird populations will be monitored in response to the removals. The results will help inform additional restoration efforts on similar habitats (Sarah Sargent, National Audubon Society - $30,000).
ANALYSIS OF BREEDING BIRD ATLAS DATA IN PREPARATION FOR PUBLICATION: This effort will compile and analyze data resulting from 5 years of the successful 2nd PA Breeding Bird Atlas that resulted in an average of over 68 birds in nearly all 5,937 blocks. The result is a new comprehensive assessment of all breeding birds, summary of broad distribution and abundance patterns, and thousands of point-specific locations for priority species. The resulting report will focus on new conservation guidance and tools for conservation and management of breeding birds and new evaluation of habitat associations. (Bob Mulvihill, Carnegie Museum of Natural Science at a cost of $120,000).
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BOARD APPROVES THREE LAND DONATIONS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved three land donations offered in Greene, Lebanon and Luzerne counties to be added to the agency’s network of 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands.
In Greene County, the Board approved accepting a donation of 125 acres in Richhill Township, adjoining SGL 302, which currently is comprised of 1,196.2 acres in Greene and Washington counties. This donation from Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, of Pittsburgh, consists of 60 acres of mixed hardwoods, 35 acres of shrub lands and reverting old fields and 30 acres of agricultural land; of which 20 acres are tillable. There is a small stream originating from ground water and springs o