While total hunters in the U.S. decreased slightly (.05 percent) between 2008 and 2009, the number of female hunters increased by 5.4 percent, netting 163,000 new participants. Growth areas for women included muzzleloading (up 134.6 percent), bowhunting (up 30.7 percent) and hunting with firearms (up 3.5 percent).

Data also show women outpaced men among net newcomers to target shooting with a rifle, where female participation grew by 4.1 percent.

New hunters and shooters are cause for celebration because more participation helps with funding for conservation, according to officials with National Hunting and Fishing Day. Congress established NHF Day, set for Sept. 25, 2010, to recognize America’s sportsmen and women for their leading role in fish, wildlife and habitat conservation (more info at www.nhfday.org).

“New hunters, shooters and anglers are a good thing for everyone who loves the outdoors,” said Denise Wagner of Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo., the official home of NHF Day. “Hunting and fishing license sales, combined with special taxes on firearms and ammunition, bows and arrows, and rods and reels generate about $100,000 every 30 minutes, totaling more than $1.75 billion per year, for conservation. When it comes to funding for wildlife and wild places, more is definitely better.”

The growth in new participation among women, perhaps counterintuitive to traditionalists, is no surprise to Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry.

He explained, “Over the past several years, our industry has worked hard to help build this segment of our market. We’ve developed shooting and hunting products especially for women, reached out with welcoming and instructional workshops for women, and encouraged existing hunters and shooters to introduce their spouses, daughters and other newcomers to shooting sports and outdoor lifestyles. I believe these efforts are paying off, which is a bright spot for our industry as well as for conservation.”

Also unsurprised at the number of female hunters and shooters are the women Olympians of the USA Shooting Team, whose ever-increasing visibility has made them effective ambassadors, role models and recruiters of women to traditional outdoor sports.

“Shooting is one of the most fun and empowering things you can teach a young girl or a grown woman,” said Corey Cogdell, 23, a lifelong hunter and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in trap shooting. “Most men are surprised to find out that I am an avid outdoors woman and are often intrigued to learn how they can get females in their own lives involved in hunting and shooting.”

Connie Smotek, 45, a two-time Olympic skeet shooter, bronze medalist in the 2009 World Cup, and avid bird and big-game hunter, added, “Shooting and hunting are activities which a woman can enjoy for a lifetime.”

Cogdell and Smotek are among the many USA Shooting Team members who parlayed early interests in hunting into international success in shooting sports—an opportunity that didn’t exist for women until comparatively recently. Women’s shooting wasn’t officially added as an Olympic sport until 1984 (although U.S. rifle shooter Margaret Murdock won a medal competing against men in the 1976 games). Since then, U.S. women have won 10 Olympic medals in shooting, which is a growing source of pride.

Four of those 10 medals were won in the past four Olympics by Kim Rhode, a double-trap and skeet shooter now among the most elite and enduring athletes in all of sports.

The entire USA Shooting Team is serving as honorary chair for NHF Day 2010.

Sponsors for NHF Day 2010 include Wonders of Wildlife, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, Smith & Wesson, Sportsman Channel, Realtree, Cabela’s, GunBroker.com, Yamaha, Pope and Young Club and Izaak Walton League of America.

For more information about NHF Day, visit www.nhfday.org.

Participation statistics are from the National Sporting Goods Association report “Sports Participation in 2009–Shooting Sports.”

via Women Outpace Men as New Hunters – National Hunting and Fishing Day.

The Service will continue to monitor the impact of the ongoing spill on waterfowl, and will take those impacts into account when establishing waterfowl hunting frameworks for the upcoming season.

Working with conservation partners, the Service is also preparing to implement a range of on-the-ground habitat conservation and management measures near the oil-impact area in the Gulf designed to minimize the entrance of oil into managed habitats along the Gulf and to enhance the availability of migratory bird food resources outside the oil impact area.

Recently obtained results of annual spring waterfowl population surveys indicate that population sizes of most duck species and breeding habitat conditions are good this year.

“While the current information we have suggests that regulatory restrictions on waterfowl hunting are unnecessary, we remain very concerned about both the short and long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill on migratory birds, their habitats, and the resources on which the birds depend,”  said Paul Schmidt, the Service’s Assistant Director for Migratory Birds.

From a National harvest-management perspective, the Service intends to respond to the ongoing oil spill as it would any other non-hunting factor with the potential for substantial effects on mortality or reproduction – such as hurricanes, disease outbreaks or drought – by monitoring abundance and vital rates of waterfowl and other migratory game birds, and adjusting harvest regulations as needed on the basis of existing harvest strategies.

Through the Adaptive Harvest Management process and associated species-specific harvest strategies, monitoring data are explicitly linked to regulatory decision making, ensuring that appropriate regulatory actions will be taken if warranted by changes in continental population status.

The provision of additional, reliable food sources could also help buffer against the worst-case scenario – an early winter in northern portions of the Mississippi and Central Flyways, combined with dry habitat conditions in the northern Mississippi Alluvial Valley that would result in large wintering waterfowl populations along the Gulf Coast.  The Service is working with partners to determine whether certain refuges and other habitat should be available as “sanctuary” (areas closed to hunting) to encourage bird use of these areas and minimize redistribution due to disturbance.

While large-scale efforts to influence bird migration and distribution would be extremely difficult given the importance of weather on the timing and speed of bird migrations, actions that prompt re-distribution of birds at smaller scales could help reduce oil exposure.

There remains considerable uncertainty regarding the short-term and long-term impacts this spill will have on waterfowl and other migratory game birds that utilize the impacted region during all or part of their annual life cycle.

The Service is working with partners to assess potential pathways for long-term acute and sub-lethal effects of the oil spill on the full suite of migratory birds utilizing Gulf (or other impacted) habitats during some portion of their life cycle. The intent of this assessment is to assist in identifying potential mitigation and conservation measures as well as long-term monitoring and assessment needs for migratory birds.

During the upcoming summer regulatory meetings, the Service will have the opportunity to discuss the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill response and appropriate regulatory measures with state wildlife agencies through the Flyway Council process.  One focus of these discussions will be whether any additional regulatory or conservation measures should be considered for the upcoming hunting season, especially for species of concern or species that rely on a restricted range of threatened resources.

“We will continue to work with the states and the conservation community to ensure that reasonable and science-based measures are implemented in the face of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, and that the rationale for decisions regarding harvest regulations or other actions are clearly communicated to the public,” added Schmidt.

For more information on oil spill impacts to migratory birds and other wildlife, please visit the Deepwater Horizon Web site at http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/, or on  the Service’s web site at http://www.fws.gov.

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.

For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

via Unified Command for the BP Oil Spill | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Develops Strategy to Help Waterfowl and other Migratory Birds Weather the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.

It pays to always have your correct fishing license. And sometimes it costs you A LOT when you don’t.

The winning fishing team in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City, NC found that out when they lost a prize of $1.2 million dollars because a mate on their boat did not have his $30 nonresident NC coastal recreational fishing license.

According to the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament official website, the team on the Hatteras, NC-based boat Citation was disqualified by the tournament board of directors despite landing what would have been a tournament record 883-pound blue marlin and thinking they had won $1.2 million.

Tournament directors spent three days consulting with NC’s attorney general and other state officials before deciding to withhold the money. The Big Rock board of directors voted unanimously to disqualify the Citation’s team for breaking the tournament rules.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament team loses $1.2 million prize over $30 fishing license.

And with the news comes logical speculation over the future of BASS, which the network owns.

It’ll be weeks or months until the full ramifications of the news materialize, but clearly, the unstable world of outdoor media was dealt another serious blow today.

Elite Series Remains

ESPN’s “Outdoor Block” was a long and storied cornerstone of outdoor programming. It grew from the first broadcast of The Fishin’; Hole in 1980 to encompass a wide array of fresh- and saltwater fishing, as well as hunting varietals.

The Fishin’ Hole, although now off the air, is still the second-longest running show ever aired on ESPN networks, bested only by SportsCenter. ESPN offered outdoor programming for 30 years as it grew from genre pioneer to powerhouse. It brought an integrity and worldwide reach to the genre that had never been there before.

The network giant even formed a separate ESPN Outdoors division to focus on the market and in 2005, aggressively branched into competitive bass programming with shows like Loudmouth Bass, BassCenter, Bass Tech and same-day coverage of Bassmaster Majors. Although those shows went by the wayside after a short run, ESPN did continue with BASS-centric programming like Day on the Lake.

But as the network proceeds with a core mission to focus on live and event-based broadcasting, such programming is out the window. The weekend block will now be filled by other properties, such as English Premier League soccer, NASCAR and SportsCenter, which are all either live or event-based programs.

Thus the only show in the current outdoor block that will continue to air on ESPN2 is The Bassmasters, which focuses on Elite Series events, as well as Bassmaster Classic programming.

The ESPN-owned Saltwater Series will not air on ESPN2.

The news does revive rumors that ESPN is actively engaged in an effort to sell BASS. Earlier this spring, there was significant talk about a potential sale of BASS to the Outdoor Channel. No confirmed news surfaced, but highly placed industry officials firmly believed that talks between the two companies did take place.

If ESPN is divesting itself of outdoor programming, that would seem to indicate that its interest in BASS lies only within a potential to broadcast BASS events. BASS’s membership program, print media, or youth, conservation and grassroots programs would not seem to fit into that equation.

And sale chatter did noticeably intensify today, with many industry sources noting that BASS and the Outdoor Channel are deep in talks, but that BASS’s print business is something the Outdoor Channel might not be willing to invest in.

A BASS official addressed the rumors of a potential BASS sale by saying: “There’s nothing there to announce right now. As with any business, the potential for a sale exists. It’s a coveted property. People are looking into it. But again, there’s nothing to announce there.”  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via BassFan.com.

Johnny Clay, 37, of Minford, Ohio is no stranger to southern Ohio wildlife officials, cited for 10 deer hunting violations over the years. The huge trophy deer he illegally killed in September, 2009, set a Buckeye standard when Clay was ordered Friday to pay $23,572 in restitution in Adams County Court.The deer’s trophy antlers measured 197 2/8 inches according to Boone & Crockett Club guidelines, the largest typical white-tailed deer harvested in North American in 2009. It would have ranked fourth in Ohio’s Buckeye Big Buck Club standings. It is now the property of the Division of Wildlife.Clay pled guilty to taking a deer out of season, hunting property without the landowner’s permission and a failure to have a valid hunting license or deer permit.A confidential informant contacted wildlife officers Chris Rice and Chris Gilkey last March, said district law enforcement supervisor Dave Brown. Clay had checked the Adams County deer in Kentucky, reporting it as a legal kill during the Kentucky archery season, but trail camera photos revealed it was killed in Ohio.”It was the largest amount of restitution we’d ever sought,” said Brown. Clay, who has served jail time for deer violations in the past, was also fined $1,500, forfeited his bow to the state and lost his hunting privileges for life. Ohio is a member of the 34-state Wildlife Violator’s Compact, which makes it illegal for Clay to hunt in all of those states.

via Poached Ohio trophy buck costs Johnny Clay of Minford, Ohio record $23,572 in restitution | cleveland.com.

CAMPBELLTON — The host and the cameraman of a syndicated hunting show each were charged with breaking four state hunting laws the opening weekend of turkey season.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers say Gary Finch of “Gary Finch Outdoors” knowingly exceeded bag limits, lied on a permit application and baited birds illegally with food. Cameraman Steven Layton also was charged with shooting a turkey too close to a feeding stand.

State law prohibits hunters from taking a turkey from within 100 yards of an active feeding station, FWC Lt. Stan Kirkland said, and he said anyone who hunts ought to know that.

“It’s considered unethical,” Kirkland said. “Hunters by and large know baiting laws. If they turkey hunt, they do.”

Finch told officers he killed three turkeys on a two-day hunt March 20 and 21, which violates both the one-per-day bag limit and the two-per-season limit. He gave one of the carcasses to the man who owns the land, near Cecil Road in northern Jackson County, on which he and Layton were hunting and filming.

“I felt … that Finch gave one turkey to the landowner so he could continue to hunt and film without being caught attempting to take over the bag limit,” the FWC officer reported.

The TV host initially lied to officers about how many birds he had killed “because he was scared” but later admitted to exceeding the bag limit, police reported. He also pointed out to officers, who had interrupted his and Layton’s second-day hunt, the spots where he killed the birds.

Gary Finch Outdoors issued a statement saying “neither Finch nor Layton were aware of the presence of baiting stations in the proximity of where the turkey hunting was taking place.”

“The property was not managed by Finch or Layton and the locations of the wheat on the property were not disclosed to the two hunters,” according to the statement.

Finch told officers he shot one of the birds within 12 yards of wheat seed that was “spread heavily on the ground,” according to the FWC report.

Officers reported finding turkey feathers and blood in the feed.

The host killed another turkey 22 yards from bait; he took the third bird a legal distance from a feeding station, according to the report.

Layton, who told police he “knew it was wrong” for Finch to hunt more than one bird in a day, was charged with killing a turkey 67 yards from bait.

Finch’s statement argued the number of turkeys harvested did not exceed the limit allowed for two hunters in a single season, but did not address the daily bag limit charge.

The events of the hunt are “regrettable,” the statement read, but “should not overshadow the weekly efforts that the show and its host have made towards promoting conservation, education and safety in the outdoors.”

Finch was charged with two counts of taking wild turkey within 100 yards of a feeding station, two counts of exceeding the bag limit (for the day and for the season) and one count of giving a false statement in the application for his hunting license.

Finch, an Alabama resident, used the property owner’s address instead of his own because, he told police, “he had a lot of problems and could not get a Florida driver license.”

The charges, all misdemeanors, each are punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and 60 days in jail. However, Kirkland said, it’s “extremely rare” for an offender to get jail time, unless there are repeat violations or other extreme circumstances.

Finch and Layton are scheduled to appear before a Jackson County judge May 3.

“Gary Finch Outdoors” airs locally on WTVY at 6:30 a.m. Sundays.

via Outdoors host arrested for illegal turkey hunting | outdoors, arrested, turkey – Local News – ChipleyPaper.com.

April 05, 2010, 11:25AM Southern Ohio wildlife officer Allan Wright and five top officials of the Ohio Division of Wildlife were indicted by a Grand Jury in Brown County Common Pleas Court on Monday morning. All were charged with felonies over the illegal sale of a resident Ohio hunting license to a South Carolina wildlife officer, a savings of $106.The Ohio Office of the Inspector General said a confidential informant kicked off its four-month investigation of the license sale made in 2006, and failure by the Ohio wildlife agency to investigate the deception as a crime. DOW administrative officials charged with fifth-degree felonies are: Chief David Graham; Assistant Chief Randy Miller; law enforcement administrator James Lehman; District 5 Manager Todd Haines; and human resources administrator Michele Ward-Tackett.The wildlife officer in Brown County, southeast of Cincinnati, Wright told investigators he let Eric Vaughn use his home address so Vaughn could purchase a resident Ohio license for $19, less then one-fifth the cost of a $125 non-resident license. Vaughn killed three Ohio deer in 2006. All of the deer were checked by Wright, rather than taken to a regular check station.”Regular people get prosecuted for this,” said Brown County Prosector Jessica Little. “This is not the crime of the century, but it is important the law be enforced equally. In this case, the cover up seems to be worse than the crime.”Wright told investigators that providing Ohio resident hunting licenses to wildlife officers from other states was a common practice, and his supervisors approved of it or were aware of it. The OIG report said Ohio wildlife administrators never considered Wright’s actions to be criminal, and issued Wright a verbal reprimand. The more appropriate classification of “dishonesty” by willfully falsifying an official document was not considered, the report said The policies of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Gov. Ted Strickland were also violated by wildlife officials for not reporting the incident to the ODNR, as required.Wright’s home address was also used in 2001 by John D. Coffin of Michigan, who is not a wildlife officer, to purchase a resident Ohio hunting license. Vaughn did purchase a non-resident Ohio hunting license in 2007, using his South Carolina address.Investigators searched the Ohio hunting license database and could find no other instances of the home addresses of wildlife officers appearing on any licenses other than for immediate family.

via Ohio wildlife officer, top Columbus officials charged in phony hunting license sale | – Ohio Hunting, Fishing, Outdoor Sports | The Great Outdoors – cleveland.com.

It was pure torture driving to work during the second week of the Kentucky spring turkey season. The songbirds were singing at least an hour before daylight that morning and there was no doubt the turkeys would be gobbling their beaks off. I caught myself at least a half dozen times glancing off the road at the distant fields trying to spot a fired-up longbeard in full strut after daylight.

Then, just before my exit, something happened that hit me in the gut like a runaway truck. A redheaded gobbler was puffed out like a helium balloon trying to impress at least three different hens. I guess making enough money to cover my house and truck payments were about the only thing that kept me from making an illegal U-turn that morning. Without question, spring turkey hunting has completely changed my life in the Bluegrass State.

It’s just about impossible anymore to find an area in our state that is not covered up with wild turkeys. The reintroduction-stocking program of this magnificent game bird has to be one of the biggest success stories of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resource Agency (KDFWR). The exceedingly high numbers of turkeys that are thriving across the Commonwealth have played a pivotal role in promoting the sport of turkey hunting.

In fact, more and more hardcore turkey hunters are hitting the spring forests every season. Furthermore, a large percentage of these hunters are consistently seeing and even tagging gobblers during these hunts. Over the past several years, turkey hunting in Kentucky has rapidly evolved from a weekend pastime to a way of life throughout the month of April. Click Link Below for full story!