N.J. hunters load up for turkey – NYPOST.com

Ken Moran

The arrival of spring has hunters doing the turkey trot, and first up to dance are hunters from New Jersey.

The spring hunt starts Monday and runs for five weeks. With turkey populations restored statewide, Garden State hunters can enjoy some of the finest turkey hunting on the East Coast. Spring turkey hunting is the fastest growing hunting pursuit in the nation, and it’s easy to see why.

The tranquility of being in the pre-dawn and early-morning forest, coupled with the adrenaline surge caused by turkeys gobbling from the roost and on the ground, provides an exciting and rewarding experience. Youth hunters will get the first chance to harvest a bird during the Special Youth Turkey Hunting Day scheduled for Saturday.

Youth hunters with a Youth License who have obtained a turkey permit may begin their spring season before the opening of the regular season. The statewide wild turkey population is currently estimated at more than 20,000 birds, and the outlook for this spring’s turkey season is good.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via N.J. hunters load up for turkey – NYPOST.com.

Duck Commander to talk of hunting, Jesus’ salvation » The Huntsville Item

By Tori Brock Staff Reporter

HUNTSVILLE — “If it flies, it dies, and if it just sits there, it dies too!” If the Duckmen motto is any indication, Jase Robertson of the Outdoor Channel’s “Duck Commander” promises to bring some color to Huntsville on Thursday.

In addition to crafting duck calls and producing duck hunting DVDs, Robertson and his father, Phil, travel the country spreading a message of salvation. The Huntsville Church of Christ is hosting Jase Robertson at 6 p.m. Thursday and plans to feed the first 400 folks through the door.

According to the Robertson family website at www.duckcommander.com, “The Duckmen’s lives revolve around calling ducks, eating well and spreading the Gospel.”

Matt Springfield, minister of Huntsville Church of Christ, said he has been involved with various outdoor ministries over the years. For the past 20 years, he has been using Duck Commander duck calls and when he learned of the Robertson ministry, he figured it would be a perfect fit for the community.

“They have become wildly popular after their show got on the Outdoor Channel,” Springfield said. “They come in and give a discussion on duck hunting interwoven with a testimony of Jesus Christ. They try to merge the two as often as they can.”

via Duck Commander to talk of hunting, Jesus’ salvation » Local News » The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX.

Outdoors: Ohio’s turkey hunters fare poorly on opening day – news-herald.com

By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com

Monday, the opener of Ohio’s 2011 spring wild turkey hunting season, hunters missed the bull’s-eye by a wide margin.

In all, Monday’s 70,000-strong turkey-hunting clan shot 2,646 birds. That figure is a decline of 20 percent from the 2010 opening-day spring turkey kill, said Mike Reynolds, the Ohio Division of Wildlife wild turkey biologist.

“I think there are some pretty clear indicators when you look at the various counties,” Reynolds said.

For instance, in Ashtabula County, the opening-day kill was off 52 percent, while Trumbull County was down 45 percent.

“Geauga County wasn’t too bad, though — down just 19 percent, while Lake County was down 31 percent,” Reynolds said. “In general, Northeast Ohio didn’t have a very good season opener due to the poor weather.”

That was not true for all counties. Athens County saw an opening-day kill similar to that of 2010 with 69 turkeys. And counties in North Central to Northwest Ohio also posted reasonably good numbers, according to Reynolds.

Reynolds credited the largely pleasant weather in those areas on Monday for at least some of the success.

“It’s only one day, though, and we’ll get a more clear picture later on,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds added some glitches in the new check-in system were encountered, among them being an occasional double login of a harvest.

“All in all, though, things seem to be working pretty well,” he said.

As for the impact the ongoing rainy, cold weather may have on poult production, that is probably minimal — at least for now.

“There are hens laying right now, but it’s too soon to say. It’s quite common for hen turkeys to re-nest,” he said.

Ohio’s turkey flock is estimated at about 200,000, of which about 75,000 are males.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Outdoors: Ohio’s turkey hunters fare poorly on opening day – news-herald.com.

No license needed for fishing weekends | Pensacola News Journal

There will be two weekends in June when a saltwater fishing license will not be required statewide in Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the license- free weekends at a meeting Tuesday in Panama City.

The first license-free weekend is June 4-5 — the first weekend red snapper season opens in the Gulf of Mexico. The second license free weekend is June 18-19.

FWC also announced that it will expand bay scallop season to open a week early, on June 25, and extend the season by two weeks to end Sept. 25.

For more information, visit http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/

via No license needed for fishing weekends | Pensacola News Journal | pnj.com.

Outdoors: Good crappie fishing just steps away | Mansfield News Journal

Written by

Dick Martin

Take a survey of the favorite fish sought by Buckeye anglers, and you’ll find a close competition between Lake Erie walleye and perch and inland largemouth bass and bluegill.

Crappie won’t rank high, but their ranking is deceptive because when spring rolls around, thousands of anglers stop their casting for serious game fish, and turn to this little silver-sided panster — and that includes people who rarely fish.

Why does this flat-sided little fish have such popularity?

That’s hard to say. Maybe it’s that they’re an unusually picturesque fish, black and silver with sleek lines, or that it takes so little to catch them, usually a float, splitshot, No. 6 hook, and a minnow.

One thing has to be a factor, that they’re delicious eating, so good that arguments over which is best, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, or walleye can last for hours. It adds up to lots of reasons to try them during spring fishing.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Outdoors: Good crappie fishing just steps away | Mansfield News Journal | mansfieldnewsjournal.com.

Outta’ the Woods: Hunting Public Land Turkeys | Hunting

Written by Tony Young, FWC

Back in November, my girlfriend, Katie Hughes, and I each applied for 2011 spring turkey quota hunt permits. Katie has never bagged a turkey before, so I really want her to have an opportunity to get one.

I was hoping the “guest permit” would increase the odds of us being able to hunt together. If I got drawn, we would obtain a guest permit in her name, and if she got drawn, she would take me as her guest.

I was not successful this year in drawing a spring turkey quota permit, but I am happy to report that Katie was, drawing the weekend of April 15-17 on L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife and Environmental Area in Tallahassee.

For those who didn’t get drawn, missed the application period or want even more hunting opportunities, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has 42 wildlife management areas (WMAs) where you don’t need a quota permit to hunt during all or parts of the spring turkey season. All you need in most cases is a hunting license ($17 for residents, $46 for a 10-day nonresident license), a management area permit ($26) and a turkey permit ($10 for residents, $125 for out-of-state hunters). On a few of them, you also need a daily quota or daily use permit, both of which are free and given out at the management areas’ check stations on a first-come, first-served basis. For a list of these 42 WMAs, go to MyFWC.com/Hunting.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Outta’ the Woods: Hunting Public Land Turkeys | Hunting.

Ruling reaffirms hunters’ rights on refuges | Great Falls Tribune

An Ohio federal court ruled last week that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can go ahead and open 30-some National Wildlife Refuges to waterfowl hunting. The ruling reaffirmed one of the reasons the refuges exist in the first place — hunting.

The Fund for Animals had sued to challenge hunting on 31 refuges where there never had been hunting and on 21 that are all within the Mississippi flyway. None of the refuges was in Montana.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2003, claimed the FWS had not completed a sufficient environmental analysis of the impact of hunting on these refuges.

The animal rights group claimed the refuges aren’t refuges if the animals are not safe there and the group also said those in the Mississippi Flyway offered sanctuary to a number of endangered species.

The “refuge is a refuge” question is an old one — been around since Teddy Roosevelt created the National Wildlife System in 03 — 1903.

“The refuges were never created to be sanctuaries where no hunting would be allowed,” Mitch Snow, a NWS spokesman said when the lawsuit was first filed.

“Ever since the inception of the refuge system, hunting has been allowed, largely because hunting is good for conservation — hunters contribute enormously to conservation. Without hunting, we couldn’t do what we do.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Ruling reaffirms hunters’ rights on refuges | Great Falls Tribune | greatfallstribune.com.

House committee endorses ending voter-approved ban on spring bear hunting – The Denver Post

A House committee Monday approved a bill that would overturn a 19-year ban on the spring bear hunt.

House Bill 1294, sponsored by Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio, won agricultural committee approval on an 8-5 vote. The bill would let the Division of Wildlife allow the hunting of bears whenever necessary. The legislation drew praise from Colorado’s agriculture community and fire from animal-rights activists.

Colorado voters passed the ban on the spring hunting of black bears, the only bear species that lives in Colorado’s wilds, with a 70 percent approval rate in 1992.

The ban was part of Measure 10, which also banned the use of dogs or bait by bear hunters. The bill does not change those aspects of the law.

Brown said he brought the bill as a “health and safety” concern following publicized incidents of human-bear encounters. Brown said he didn’t intend to reinstate the spring hunt but wanted to give the Colorado Division of Wildlife the authority to maintain the bear population as it sees fit.

“I just feel like the division needs a little more flexibility,” Brown said.  Click link below for full story!

via House committee endorses ending voter-approved ban on spring bear hunting – The Denver Post.

Kentucky Elk Hunt Lottery Deadline Is April 30

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Calling all elk hunters – the deadline to apply for Kentucky’s elk hunt lottery is fast approaching.

Lottery applications must be purchased online at fw.ky.gov by midnight (Eastern time) April 30.

New this year, hunters may apply for up to two of four permit types: bull firearms, bull archery or crossbow, cow firearms and cow archery or crossbow. Hunters may not, however, apply twice for one permit type.

“Offering separate permits is in response to hunter requests,” said Tina Brunjes, deer and elk program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “In the past, a significant number of hunters who drew cow permits chose not to hunt. Since hunters will now be able to apply for a cow permit, we feel like more of these will be filled.”

Lottery applications are $10 for each permit sought.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will issue 800 permits in its general hunt lottery to successful applicants, including 80 permits for antlered elk (archery or crossbow); 120 permits for antlered elk (firearms); 240 permits for antlerless elk (archery or crossbow) and 360 permits for antlerless elk (firearms).

Additionally, hunters who will be younger than 16 years old on the first day of the hunt may apply for the youth-only quota elk hunt at Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and adjacent private lands (with landowner permission) for the weekend of Sept. 24-26. Five permits for either a bull or cow elk will be awarded in the youth-only drawing.

Also new this year, there will be a two-week archery-only (no crossbows) bull elk season Sept. 17-30.

Youth under 16 years of age, seniors 65 years of age and older, and persons with a crossbow exemption may hunt with a crossbow during the entire elk archery season.

Firearms hunters may only hunt during the seven-day firearms season for which they were drawn; they may not hunt with archery gear or crossbows outside of that week. An archery or crossbow hunter may not hunt during the four weeks of firearms elk hunts.

Only individuals, not groups of hunters, may apply for Kentucky’s elk lottery. A random computer drawing will be held in early May to select hunters for the quota hunts.

Hunters drawn for a bull elk permit will be blocked for three years from applying for another bull elk permit. For example, hunters drawn for a 2011-12 season bull permit are ineligible to apply for another bull permit until the 2015-16 elk season. Youth drawn for the youth-only elk hunt at Paul Van Booven WMA will be permanently blocked from applying for that hunt again.

The 16-county elk zone is 4.1 million acres and is divided into 10 Elk Hunting Units (EHUs) with a total of 576,994 acres open to public hunting. The EHUs have been established to manage the elk herd, spread out hunting pressure and provide hunters with a high chance of success.

Kentucky’s elk herd was first hunted on Oct. 6, 2001. Last season, hunters took 540 elk, including 198 bulls and 342 cows.

For elk season dates and other information on elk hunting in Kentucky, go to http://fw.ky.gov/elkfaq08.asp on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website.

Programs that introduce kids to fishing are important – oneidadispatch.com

By Leo Maloney, Outdoors Columnist

We all know it is important to take a kid fishing. Hopefully you will introduce them to a lifetime of enjoyment in an outdoor sport.

But getting them involved in the outdoors often means that they eventually develop a deeper understanding of the environment and important issues involving it as well.

Although getting a youngster a rod and reel and taking him or her fishing a couple times or holding a fishing derby are good start, it is typically not enough. Proper instruction, making fishing a regular experience and progressing to the next level – kids like to catch big fish – are important.

Fortunately there are two innovative programs that have benefitted many youngsters in central New York that otherwise would not have the chance. Whether it is getting parents involved and trained, or opening the eyes of youngsters to the excitement of fishing for sizable game fish, two award-winning programs have benefitted area youngsters and continue to do so.

FUTURE ANGLERS OUTREACH: Are you aware of any youngsters that may be interested in fishing but don’t really know how, and have no one to teach them?

Studies have shown that the main reason many kids do not take up fishing or continue even if they have been introduced to it at a derby is that their parents do not fish or even know where to begin.

Now there is a program designed to introduce kids to fishing and prevent frustration by providing basic instruction in casting, familiarity with tackle and fishing techniques.

More importantly it also involves parents so that neither will become frustrated and give up when things do not go right.

It is called Future Anglers Outreach, and is sponsored by Oneida Charters, The NYS Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame, Hanifin Tires, Marion Manor and S.H.O.T.S. It will provide tackle, basic instruction, an opportunity to fish and practice these skills and the fun, prizes, and refreshments. It is not a derby or contest, but a fun and educational experience.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Programs that introduce kids to fishing are important – oneidadispatch.com.

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