Maine Deer Hunting Season Begins Amid Conservation Efforts – MPBN

The state has reduced any-deer permits by 46 percent in an effort to boost Maine’s beleaguered population.

As Maine’s deer hunting season gets underway, the state is taking steps to conserve the population. Maine Conservation Commissioner Chandler Woodcock says any-deer permits–in other words, permits to take a doe–have been reduced by 46 percent for the coming season.

Hunters are allowed to take one antlered deer annually, but those with any-deer permits can bag a deer with or without antlers. State deer biologist Lee Kantar says the doe harvest this year has been set fairly low.

“By decreasing any-deer permits by 46 percent for the coming season, we hope to give a boost to deer numbers across the state for future growth,” he says in a statement.

Kantar says harsh winters in 2008 and 2009 took a tool on deer populations across the state. He predicts that about 4,800 antlerless deer will be harvested this fall and about 12,000 antlered bucks.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Maine Deer Hunting Season Begins Amid Conservation Efforts.

MDC scientist discusses elk – Sports News Story – St. Joseph

Missouri’s first shipment of wild elk arrived from Kentucky earlier this year and were released onto Peck Ranch Conservation area in south eastern Missouri.

Since that time, not much has been heard about the overall restoration effort, it’s future and the current elk, now roaming the Show-Me State.

Realizing the importance of this subject, The National Audubon Society took it upon itself to invite Missouri Department of Conservation Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen to the campus of Missouri Western to discuss the details of this important project at a public forum.

Overall, MDC transplanted 15 adult cows, five female calves, six yearling bulls and eight male calves in Missouri. Officials hope to transfer about 150 in total. The next transfer from Kentucky will take place next spring and should consist of about 35 animals. Hansen pointed out that the restored elk population will eventually be managed through hunting. “Once we achieve a certain number of elk, hunting will be by far the most efficient way of managing numbers,” Hansen said. “When that will start will depend on how the populations do.”

All of the adult elk were fitted with GPS collars which enable officials to monitor their locations very well.

Since their release, they have distributed out over 10,000 acres. The majority of the elk have been keeping a home range of about 500-1,000 acres, Hansen said. As predicted, the elk are bedding in the wooded areas and coming out into the open fields to feed.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via MDC scientist discusses elk – Sports News Story – St. Joseph.

Surviving in the Reel World: New World Record?

By Joe Thomas

When you travel to hunt and fish as much as I do, you learn to prepare for each trip the best you can, then take whatever comes in stride, good or bad! As most of you know, I have a tremendous passion for bow hunting, and over the past several years hosting various hunting shows on Outdoor Channel has provided me the opportunity to travel and hunt in places I could have only dreamed of growing up.

Last week I traveled to Newfoundland to hunt Woodland Caribou with River Run Outfitting for Scent Lok’s High Places. I had been there this time last year and had lots if opportunities, but couldn’t close the deal. I honestly left there very disappointed in myself. That being said, I traveled there this year with cautious optimism trying not to get my hopes too high. My realistic goal with to take a good representative Woodland (the smallest antlered of all caribou species), get a good TV show and move one step closer to taking all 29 North American big game species with a bow.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Surviving in the Reel World: New World Record?.

For deer hunters, rutting season is best time to harvest | lehighvalleylive.com

By Mark Demko

Archery hunters in search of a mature white-tailed buck know there’s perhaps no better time to be in the woods than the first two weeks of November.That’s because with the rut here, it’s the one time of the year that the big boys are likely to give up their primarily nocturnal ways as they head out in search of receptive does to breed.For archers who are hoping to score on a nice buck during the rut, one of the primary keys to being successful is keeping your impact on the whitetail’s world to a minimum. As with any time during the season, paying attention to wind direction is crucial and a hunter should refrain from over-hunting his favorite stands if possible, so as not to alert deer to his presence.Petersen’s Bowhunting editor and former Hellertown resident Christian Berg says if a hunter wants to harvest a mature buck, he has to be on top of his game and pay attention to detail at all times. “That means carefully planning entry and exit routes to your stands, never hunting a stand when the wind is wrong and doing your best not to educate lesser deer of your presence,” Berg said. “Remember, there aren’t many mature bucks out there and you are going to encounter a lot more does and young bucks. Many times a mature buck may be hanging back out of sight and if you spook the deer you don’t want to shoot, you may never see the one you do.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via For deer hunters, rutting season is best time to harvest | lehighvalleylive.com.

Hunters donate venison to needy – Coldwater, MI – The Daily Reporter

Hunters who are willing to share the rewards of their deer hunting efforts with the less fortunate should check out Sportsmen Against Hunger.

The program, which began in 1991, is designed to help hunters donate venison to those in need.

“The program’s a win-win situation,” explained Dean Hall, an officer with the Michigan Bow Hunters Association and chairman of Sportsmen Against Hunger. “We have a lot of people who out there — especially during times like these — who need help getting enough to eat. We can help the soup kitchens and shelters and food pantries with donations of venison.”

Although the program is designed for deer hunting season, Hall said his crew has been active all summer, too, working with landowners who have crop-damage permits identify programs that can use the venison.

“Anyone who donates a whole deer does not have to pay any processing fees,” Hall said. “We reimburse the processors for their efforts. And sportsmen who wish to donate as little as a pound or two of venison can donate, too.”

Hall recommends interested hunters go the group’s website www.sportsmenagainsthunger.org for a list of processors who are enrolled in the program.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Hunters donate venison to needy – Coldwater, MI – The Daily Reporter.

An old art to stalking deer | Sun Journal

By V. Paul Reynolds, Outdoors in Maine

Soon we will be out in the deer woods. Depending upon our personal hunting styles, we will be spending long hours in a tree stand waiting for a big buck to make a foolish mistake, or we will be still-hunting our way through a beech ridge or a dark cedar swamp.

Maine deer hunting, or more specifically Maine deer hunters, have changed, I think. More and more deer hunters, spurred by the popular outdoor media and modern marketing razzle dazzle, will spend hours in comfortable tree stands, some equipped with heaters and camo umbrellas that help fend off the elements.

This is a far cry from the Maine deer hunters of my, or my late father’s, generation. In the 1940s through the early 1960s, most deer hunters that I knew, still-hunted deer. Still-hunting, or course, is a bit of a misnomer. Still-hunters move in the deer woods, but move ever so slowly, at least the most skillful ones do. And they stop a lot, to listen in hopes of hearing or seeing a moving whitetail before it detects their presence.

As a youthful, wet-behind-the-ears hunter, the most skillful deer hunter that I knew was my Uncle Bud. He always got his deer and, it can be told now, sometimes more than one. From my observations, he was, as a hunter, more of a stalker than a still-hunter. He was blessed with keen eyesight, lots of patience, and had that 6th sense about deer movements during any time of day. It is said that in Maine, year after year, there is a certain group of hunters who almost always get their deer. Like most of the other keen-eyed huntsmen of this special fraternity, Uncle Bud spent long hours in the woods, too. You know the type, they grab a sandwich at deer camp, head into the woods at first light and stay until dark, rain or shine.  Click Link Below For Full Story!  This is a great read.

via An old art to stalking deer | Sun Journal.

Cougar Captured On Camera In Wisconsin | Ashland Current

A recent photograph of a cougar has been verified as legitimate by two wildlife biologists with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.The photograph, taken in Juneau County, clearly shows a young adult cougar moving against a nighttime background of native grasses. The camera was located a bit more than two miles north of Mauston.Two DNR biologists – Adrian Wydeven and Jon Robaidek – visited the site, interviewed the landowner, checked other photos in sequence on the camera and checked the background in the photograph against the actual location.“It’s obviously a cougar,” Wydeven said of the large, tawny cat in the photograph. “It’s good sized, most likely a young adult.”While it is not possible to determine the gender of the cat using the photograph, Wydeven said it is likely this is a male cougar in search of new territory.This is the seventh time a trail camera has captured a cougar in Wisconsin, although three of these instances probably involved the same cougar. DNR biologists have confirmed the presence of four individual cougars in Wisconsin during the past three years.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Cougar Captured On Camera In Wisconsin | Ashland Current.

The Ronnie Stevens Buck

By Jeff Pilger

They may not see a National Championship in Columbus, Ohio anytime soon but one thing is for certain, giant whitetails are going down around this city year after year.  Check out this amazing whitetail taken by Ronnie Stevens.  This deer taken with archery equipment reportedly green scored 189 inches with 11 scoreable points.  It is estimated that this deer may be one of the top 20 Boone and Crockett typicals of all time. One thing is for sure,  he will not be trading those antlers for tattoos anytime soon.  This story was first reported by Field and Stream.

 

The Badger Herald: Earn-A-Buck deer hunting law repealed

By Annie Murphy

Hunters in the state would no longer have to shoot an antler-less deer before killing a buck, a policy enforced by the Department of Natural Resources, under a bill recently passed in the Assembly.

On Tuesday, the Assembly voted in favor of a bill which would repeal the Earn-A-Buck Bill, which is now headed to Gov. Scott Walker for final approval. The program is a Wisconsin law that requires deer hunters in specified areas first kill an antler-less deer before they can aim for bucks.

Rep. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said the law was “inconvenient” for trophy hunters who only desired the big antlered bucks.

She also said the law also has had many positive effects, including helping DNR scientists monitor the deer population in Wisconsin to make sure it remains stable.

“Deer hunting is a strong tradition in the state and an important economic driver. Deer hunting in Wisconsin creates more than $1 billion of economic activity annually and supports 16,000 jobs,” Kurt Thiede, an administrator for the Division of Lands in the Department of Natural Resources, said in testimony before the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

The DNR estimates the size of the state’s deer population by analyzing the data from the previous year’s deer hunting reports, Thiede said.

Hunters had previously opposed the Earn-a-Buck program, saying it caused disruption to the archery season and required hunters to pass on a trophy buck if the hunter had not had the option to shoot a doe first, he said.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via The Badger Herald: Earn-A-Buck deer hunting law repealed.

Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Questions And Answers For Modern Gun Deer Season

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Modern gun season for deer, the highlight of the fall hunting calendar, opens Nov. 12, 2011.

Hunters often wonder about rules and regulations concerning deer hunting. Here are some FAQs (frequently asked questions) about Kentucky’s most popular big game hunting season:

Q: Does modern gun season for deer open on Nov. 12 every year?

A: No. It opens statewide on the second Saturday in November. The actual date changes annually due to calendar shift.

Q: How long is modern gun season open?

A: Kentucky’s 120 counties are divided into four deer management zones. Counties in Zones 1-2 have a 16-day season (Nov. 12-27) and there’s a 10-day season in the counties of Zones 3-4 (Nov. 12-21).

Q: How many bucks can a hunter take during modern gun season?

A: All hunters have a bag limit of one antlered deer per season, no matter what they hunt with (modern gun, bow, crossbow, or muzzleloader), or the seasons they choose to hunt.

Q: How many antlerless deer (does) can a hunter take during modern gun season?

A: In the Zone 1 counties, hunters may take an unlimited number of antlerless deer. There’s no “daily” bag limit on deer. In Zones 2-4, the combined bag limit for all deer seasons is four deer. Hunters are reminded that in the Zone 4 counties, antlerless deer may not be taken during modern gun season.

Q: How do hunters check in the deer they take during modern gun season?

A: Hunters now have three Telecheck options: The first is to call (800) CHK-GAME (245-4263). The second and third options are online. Visit the department’s website at fw.ky.gov from a home computer or laptop, or a phone with a web browser, and follow the prompts. All deer taken in Kentucky must be Telechecked.

Q: Can hunters use archery gear or muzzleloaders during modern gun season for deer?

A: Yes; any legal rifle, handgun, bow, crossbow or muzzleloader may be used. All deer hunters must wear hunter orange clothing and must follow all firearm season restrictions, zone guidelines and other hunting requirements.

Q: A 30-year old resident who is new to hunting wants to know what license and permits are required for modern gun deer season. A co-worker invited him to hunt on their family’s farm.

A: Kentucky residents must purchase an annual hunting license and deer permit. Additionally, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1975 must carry a valid hunter education course completion card while hunting. Anyone hunting for the first time is also eligible to buy a hunter education exemption permit. This permit allows apprentice hunters to hunt for one year without a hunter education card. The permit requires its holder to hunt with a licensed, adult hunter who meets the hunter education requirement.

Q: Where can a hunter get more information about Kentucky’s deer seasons?

A: A summary of Kentucky’s deer season dates, a list of counties in the various management zones and other important laws can be found in the 2011-12 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, a 66-page booklet that’s available wherever licenses are sold. Also, deer season regulations are posted online at: fw.ky.gov.

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