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NORTHEAST
NEWS BRIEFS
by Russ "Jaeger" Kassner
December
‘09 EDITION
NEW JERSEY
New
Jersey deer hunters are counting
the days until December 7,
opening day of the state's most
popular and eagerly awaited deer
season. The Six-day Firearm Deer
Season runs December 7 through
Saturday, December 12.
The
six-day season is the
traditional statewide "buck"
season when firearm hunters
target antlered deer. The season
bag limit is two antlered deer
but the first buck must be
brought to a check station
before a second buck is taken.
Hunters should note that the
legislative change amending the
law to legalize deer hunting on
Sundays on Wildlife Management
Areas and on private property
only pertains to bow and arrow
hunting. This change does not
include any firearm hunting for
deer. There are no
exceptions to this law.
An
exciting new hunting opportunity
for bowhunters was added this
year by allowing the use of a
bow (recurve, compound or
crossbow) during the
Six-day Firearm Season. Hunters
choosing to use a bow must have
an All-around License or both a
current firearm and current
archery license. Antlered
deer taken during the Six-day
Firearm Season with a bow must
be tagged with the Six-day
Firearm Season Transportation
Tag.
Hunters must have permission to
hunt agricultural or private
land even if the land is not
posted, and need to obtain
permission before hunting any
private property. Firearm deer
hunters must wear a cap made of
solid daylight fluorescent
orange or an outer garment
containing at least 200 square
inches of fluorescent orange
material visible from all sides
at all times while engaged in
hunting. A camo-orange hat alone
is not adequate.
Baiting is allowed for deer
hunting in New Jersey, and
hunters may hunt for deer while
in a tree, on the ground or in a
structure, and from any height
and any distance from the bait
pile.
Checking in a deer is a
mandatory requirement in New
Jersey
for successful hunters. During
the Six-day Firearm Season
hunters must check in their deer
no later than 7 p.m. on
the day the deer was killed. A
list of deer check stations can
be found beginning on page 56 of
the
2009 Hunting and Trapping Issue
of the Fish and Wildlife Digest.
NEW
YORK
New
York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Commissioner Pete Grannis
announced the second annual
winter "Becoming an
Outdoorswoman" workshop will be
held the weekend of Jan. 29-31,
2010, at the Rensselaerville
Meeting Center, Albany County.
This is 17th year that DEC has
offered these types of
workshops; more than 2,500 women
have already participated.
Becoming an Outdoorswoman is a
program that offers
weekend-long, outdoor skills
workshops for women ages 18 or
older, and is designed for women
with little or no experience
with outdoor activities. Nearly
25 different classes will be
offered at the Rensselaerville
workshop. These classes include
ice fishing, snowshoeing, winter
camping, nature journaling,
trail cameras,
bicycle maintenance, winter
survival, cross country skiing,
fly tying, ecology of the winter
forest, reading wildlife
sign and backcountry
skiing. The upcoming January
workshop also includes an
exciting biathalon-type class
that combines snowshoeing and
target shooting with .22-caliber
rifles.
The
early registration fee is $310,
which covers instruction in
three classes, meals, two nights
lodging, program materials and
use of equipment.
Workshop information and
registration materials are
available on the DEC website.
Information is also available by
calling DEC at 518-402-8862 or
writing to "Becoming an
Outdoorswoman," NYS Dept. of
Environmental Conservation, 625
Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.
Coyote hunting. Deer and
other hunters are reminded that
coyote season runs through March
28 throughout the state except
for Long Island where it is
closed. Hunters are also
reminded that feral hogs
are fair game year round and
should be taken whenever
possible to help stop the
invasion of the nuisance
species.
PENNSYLVANIA
Hunting for antlered or
antlerless deer with a flintlock
opens December 26th and runs
through Jan. 9 or 26th
depending on the specific
wildlife management unit. One
antlered per hunting license
year, or one antlerless deer and
an additional antlerless deer
with each required antlerless
license. For more information,
please see the Pennsylvania Game
Commission web site at:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=161003
VERMONT
Vermont's muzzleloader deer
season and the second part of
the archery deer season are
December 5-13 this year. Hunters
are reporting seeing larger,
older bucks due to the antler
restriction that began in 2005.
A legal buck must have at least
one antler with two or more
points one inch or longer. The
main antler beam counts as one
point. For more please see:
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/information
November
‘09 EDITION
NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA
Most
big and small game seasons are
well underway and I could find
little new information on
proposed regulations or season
changes.
NEW
YORK
In NY,
however, many new items have
arose due to the DEC’s desire to
reevaluate its deer management
programs and specific interest
groups desire for new seasons
and dissatisfaction with
existing seasons.
New
Early Seasons proposal
The
New York State Muzzleloader
Association (NYSMLA) and the New
York Bowhunters, Inc. (NYB) have
been working jointly on a
southern zone deer season
proposal that allows both
parties to meet their
objectives. Copies of the
proposal have been sent to the
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation,
Bureau of Wildlife (DEC) and
other Sportsmen’s organization
throughout New York State.
The
DEC desires to increase the
harvest of antlerless deer in
their effort to effectively
manage the whitetail deer herd
as well as allow for a weekend
of early hunting opportunity for
junior big game firearms
hunters.
The
NYSMLA wishes to have an early
“primitive” muzzleloading season
and NYB seeks to restore certain
lost hunting opportunities that
occurred with the implementation
of the 2005 big game
restructuring regulations. The
timing of the proposal coincides
with the DEC’s scheduling of
public meetings this September
and October regarding the state
of the deer herds in New York
Under
the proposal, the proposed Youth
season would be the weekend
before the start of the regular
rifle season. NY Muzzleloaders
would be getting a 5-7 day early
season and the NYBowhunters
would get 17 extra days added to
their early bow season which
would start October 1st
of each year...
Additional Deer Management
Permits to be Issued
The
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC)
announced two additional
opportunities when hunters may
obtain Deer Management Permits
for the upcoming big game
seasons.
First,
approximately 21,000 Deer
Management Permits (DMPs) will
be issued to hunters who were
previously denied permits
earlier this year during the
initial DMP application period
that ended on Oct. 1. To issue
the remaining 21,000 DMPs, DEC
randomly selected recipients
among applicants who were
previously denied DMPs in some
affected WMUs during the initial
application period. An average
of 20 percent of the hunters
previously denied permits in the
units listed below will receive
a DMP through the mail
Second, leftover DMPs will be
available in several Wildlife
Management Units (WMUs)
beginning Nov. 1. The DEC will
reopen the DMP application
process starting Nov. 1 on a
first-come, first-served basis
for WMUs that have not reached
target totals during the random
selections. Hunters may apply
for up to two leftover DMPs in
these units at any DEC license
sales outlet beginning Nov. 1.
For
information on these two
additional opportunities, please
go the DEC web site at:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/59293.html
Additional Deer Management
Meetings Scheduled
Two
additional public meetings on
the status of deer management in
NY have been scheduled for
November, one for Region 2 and
one for Region 3. For more
information on these meetings go
to:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57795.html
October
‘09 EDITION
National Hunting
and Fishing Day
National
Hunting and Fishing Day was
September 26th this
year and for those who missed
it, please see my article. Here
in the Northeast many
Game/Conservation Departments
and Sportsmen’s organizations
had events to promote the
outdoor sports.
For those
who are unfamiliar with it,
National Hunting and Fishing Day
was established by Proclamation
on May 2, 1972 by then President
Nixon. It is celebrated the
fourth Saturday of every
September and, according to the
NHFDay organization, remains the
most effective grassroots
efforts ever undertaken to
promote the outdoor sports and
conservation.
For more
information about past or future
events, contact the National
Hunting and Fishing Day
organization at:
NHFDay
Coordinator
500 W. Sunshine
St.
Springfield, Mo
65807
Phone:
417890-9453
On the Web at:
http://www.nhfday.org/Default.aspx
NEW JERSEY
The fall
turkey season opens Monday,
October 26th and
continues through Saturday,
October 31st. A
permit is required to hunt
turkey in NJ and it is only
allowed in zones that are open
for fall turkey hunting. For
more information, go to:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/2009/turkey_fall09.htm
NEW YORK
Youth Pheasant
Hunt
The early
youth pheasant hunt in western
New York is October 10th-11th
this year, check your guide for
zone boundaries.
Whitetail
Management in NY
In
September and October, the NYS
Dec is going to be running a
series of meetings to get public
input on the current state of
deer management here in NY. For
more information and dates and
locations of meetings, please go
to:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57795.html
PENNSYLVANIA
Small game and
Turkey
Most
hunting for small game and
turkey starts later this month,
for specific species and dates
go to:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=161003
September
‘09 EDITION
NEW JERSEY
Hunters
in zone 25 will be allowed to
take feral hogs during the deer
season. See:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/2009/feralhogs09.htm
This is
an interesting development as NY
has also issued hunters
permission to take feral hogs.
It seems the Northeast Game
Departments are sufficiently
concerned with this invasive
species to start issuing
guidelines for taking them.
Let’s help them stay ahead of
these hogs before they get out
of control.
NEW YORK
License Sales:
Just as a
reminder, the deadline for
applying for Deer Management
Permits has been moved up to
October 1st for the
upcoming season. Additionally,
the age requirement for Senior
status has been raised from 65
to 70. License fees have gone
up as of August 17th.
However, those hunters 65-70 may
still purchase a lifetime
license under the former fee up
to October 1st. This
is highly recommended and will
save most hunters, in that age
bracket, money in the first
year. Turkey permits are
included in lifetime licenses
and Deer Management Applications
are free.
Early Seasons
Hunters
are reminded that the 2008-2009
license is need to hunt any of
the early seasons before October
1st. This includes
the beginning of squirrel
season, some northern zone big
game seasons and early waterfowl
seasons, including the September
Canada Goose season.
Migratory Game
Birds
Most
hunting for migratory game birds
require a Federal Duck Stamp and
registration in HIP. See your
regulations guide at pages 47
and 48 for the exceptions to the
duck stamp and HIP requirements.
This
seasons waterfowls seasons have
been set and may be found on
line at
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28888.html.
It should
be noted that, Federal Duck
Stamps are valid from July 1 of
the current year to June 30 of
the following year. Annual HIP
registration is required and, in
New York, the HIP registration
period runs concurrently with
the Federal Duck Stamps period.
Therefore, hunters need new duck
stamps as well as a current HIP
registration to hunt migratory
game birds these upcoming
seasons.
Long Island
January shotgun/muzzleloader
hunt
Long
Island’s January
Shotgun/Muzzleloader season is
the first 4 full weekdays. This
season the dates are January
4-January 29, 2010.
The hunt
on the DEC managed properties is
by drawing. To enter, one must
mail a self addressed stamped
envelope to the DEC to obtain a
date pick order number and the
drawing. For more details see
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40409.html.
In general,
according to that site: “To
hunt for deer on NYSDEC-managed
lands you must enter a drawing.
This drawing is always held on
the first Tuesday of December.
All entries must be received by
4:45 p.m. on the day before the
drawing.
There are no
applications for this drawing.
To enter send a No. 10
legal-size envelope (4" x 9 ½")
to:
NYSDEC - Deer
Drawing
Box 659
Ridge, NY 11961-0659
This envelope
must contain a self-addressed,
stamped, legal-size return
envelope (4" x 9 ½"). You must
write your back tag number on
the back of the return envelope.
Applicants not sending correct
envelope sizes will be rejected.
Within two weeks of the drawing
date you will receive a drawing
number in the mail. This drawing
number will indicate the day in
which your are to make a
reservation to hunt. You must
make your reservation at the
Ridge hunter Check Station
during the last full week
(Monday-Friday) before December
25”.
Side note:
Finally,
hunters should double check
their Hunting Guides as some WMU
boundaries have changed.
Hunters need to be aware of
these changes when reporting
game and when applying for Deer
Management Permits.
PENNSYLVANIA
There are
still some deer management
permits available in a few
units. Please see the following
web site for the remaining
permits:
https://www2.pa.wildlifelicense.com/deeravail.php
It has
been determined that crossbows
will be legal for the 2009-2010
archery and bear seasons. See:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=177096&A=11
for the specific
details on the seasons.
August
‘09 EDITION
NEW YORK
License Sales:
Just a reminder.
New York State Hunting and
Fishing Licenses go on sale on
August 17, 2009. As most of you
know, there are across the board
increases in license fees. Deer
Management Permit Applications
will now cost $10 and are free
only to Lifetime Sportsman,
Junior Hunting and Junior Bow
hunting license holders. The
fees for lifetime licenses will
remain the same until October 1st,
after which they will also
increase.
Additionally, the
age for SENIOR STATUS has
been raised from 65 years old to
70 years old. Seniors have the
opportunity to buy a lifetime
license under the old fee until
October 1st. All
other fees for seniors go up on
August 17th.
There are two
proposals open for public
comment. The first would change
the deadline for applying for
deer management permits from
October 15th to
October 1st. The
second add WMU 5A to the second
split season muzzleloader season
in the Northern Zone.
Your humble
reporter has been embroiled in a
nasty client matter this past
month, it should not have
affected my reporting, but it
has.
Please review
July’s edition for upcoming
deadlines, I’ll be back on top
of things soon.
Your humble
servant,
Jaeger
July
‘09 EDITION
MAINE
Any deer permit Application
Deadline
·
Application
deadline by mail or in person:
July 31, 2009.
Applications must
be postmarked by July 31, 2009
or delivered to 284 State
Street, Augusta before 5:00 p.m.
·
Application
deadline online only: August 17,
2009.
Apply
online
until 11:59 P.M. August 17,
2009.
(Note: Residents applying to
hunt on their own land without a
license, and applicants with a
legal residence outside the U.S.
or Canada
must use the
paper application
and
may not apply for
an Any-Deer permit online.
The Any-Deer
lottery drawing will be held in
September.
MARYLAND SEASONS
The upcoming
Maryland Hunting seasons may be
found at:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/2009_2010_Seasons.asp
MASSACHUSETTS
The 2009 Antler
less Deer Permit deadline is
July 16, 2009. Applications
postmarked after July 16 will
not be accepted.
NEW JERSEY
Crossbows and Sunday Hunting
(some) are in!
On
Tuesday, June 16, the New Jersey
Fish and Game Council
voted on adopting proposed
amendments to the 2009 – 2012
Game Code.
The most significant amendment
adopted expands the definition
of "bow" by removing the
prohibition on all draw locking
and draw holding devices and by
including crossbows in the
definition. This allows the use
of crossbows in any bow and
arrow hunting season and other
hunting seasons for all species
where the use of bow and arrow
is allowed. Crossbows must have
a minumum draw weight of 75
pounds and a minimum stock
length of 25 inches. (Note that
that crossbows are NOT legal
for bowfishing at this time;
bowfishing is covered by the
Freshwater Fish Code.)
This amendment, in addition to
the recently passed law allowing
Sunday bow and arrow deer
hunting on
Wildlife
Management Areas
and private property, is
expected to increase
participation in New Jersey bow
and arrow hunting seasons.
The 2009 – 2012 Game Code
becomes law five days after it
is published in the New Jersey
Register. Hunters are advised to
consult the NJ Division of Fish
and Game website for updates on
the Game Code publication date
and effective date of the
amended Code.
NEW YORK
New - Long Island
Turkey Season
Hurrah!!!!!!!!!
On June 17, 2009 the NYS DEC
adopted a new regulation
establishing a Turkey season in
Wildlife Management Unit 1C
(Suffolk county) on Long Island
in New York State. The new
season runs 5 consecutive days
starting on the third Saturday
in November that is November 21
this coming season!
It is also the
day the upstate regular deer
season starts so many of us will
have to choose what to do. Me,
I'll be supporting the new
turkey season.
Thank you to all who wrote,
called or emailed your support
for this new hunting
opportunity. It gives Long
Islanders, and especially Long
Island youth, another "big game"
season to look forward to on the
Island.
License Sales:
New York State
Hunting and Fishing Licenses go
on sale on August 17, 2009. As
most of you know there are
across the board increases in
license fees. Deer Management
Permit Applications will now
cost $10 and are free only to
Lifetime Sportsman, Junior
Hunting and Junior Bow hunting
license holders. Additionally,
the age for senior status
has been raised from 65 years
old to 70 years old.
Please see DEC
web page for the fee increases:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6107.html
I have previously
touted getting a Lifetime
license and now the NYS DEC is
advising seniors between the
ages of 65-69 to do so. I
believe all resident New York
State seniors between 65 and 69
should get a lifetime license,
its $50, easy to apply at your
local DECALS license issuing
agent and worth it.
For example; if
you purchase an annual sportsman
license this year, the cost will
now be $47 (instead of the $10
now only available to those 70
yrs or older). If you add the
Doe permit at $10 it is now $57
per year. If you add the turkey
tag at $5 it is now $62 per
year.
The Senior
Lifetime sportsman license is
$50 and would pay for itself
almost immediately with just the
Sportsman privileges.
Additionally, the turkey tag is
included and the doe permit
application is free.
The DEC is
holding the time to apply for a
Senior Lifetime Sportsman
License open until September 30th
of this year (all other fee
increases go into effect on
August 17 for the upcoming
license year). Get it now. You
will not regret it.
PENNSLYVANIA
According to the Pennsylvania
Game Commission the following
changes are in effect:
DOE LICENSES: The
application process for antler
less licenses has changed
dramatically since last year.
The most important change for
hunters to keep in mind is that
this year County Treasurers will
begin receiving antlerless
license applications from
resident hunters beginning July
13. That’s three weeks
earlier than last year, when
hunters began to apply August 6.
Hunters will submit doe license
applications directly to County
Treasurers via U.S. Mail. An
antlerless license application
will be printed with every
general license purchased, and
an application also will be
available in the Hunting and
Trapping Digest.
BUY YOUR LICENSE(S) EARLY:
The Game Commission will begin
selling licenses June 15. On
that date, you may order your
license through the Pennsylvania
Automated Licensing System.
NO PAPER LICENSE APPLICATION
MAIL ORDERS: With the
implementation of PALS, the
Game Commission has eliminated
paper applications. Nonresidents
who have always submitted a
paper application are strongly
encouraged to use PALS. It’s
fast, easy and secure.
ONLINE HARVEST REPORTING:
This year, in conjunction with
the move to PALS, the Game
Commission will roll out a new
online reporting system for deer
and wild turkey harvests. A
hard-copy of the postage-paid
report card will still be
available in your Hunting and
Trapping Digest, but the agency
is hoping hunters will report
online to save on the cost of
postage and data entry.
Reporting online also will
ensure your harvest data will
not be lost in the mail. So do
it online and save the agency a
few bucks to spend on other
important wildlife conservation
work. Thanks in advance for
helping to improve harvest data
collection!
VERMONT
The upcoming
Vermont 2009 Deer Seasons,
as reported by Bowmanraasch in
Talk Hunting’s North East Deer
Hunting thread are as follows:
-Oct 3, 2009 - Oct 25, 2009
Bow & Arrow Deer Hunting Season
Split Second Season Dec. 5 -
Dec. 13;
-Nov 7, 2009 -
Nov 8, 2009 Youth Deer Hunting
Weekend;
-Nov 14, 2009 -
Nov 29, 2009 Rifle Deer Hunting
Season; and
-Dec 5, 2009 -
Dec 13, 2009 Muzzleloader Deer
and Second Split Bow & Arrow
Deer Hunting Season
The 2009 Vermont
Moose Permit Auction Deadline is
August, 4 2009
To receive a
packet, call 802-241-3695
Bid Receipt Deadline: Complete
bids
must be received
by the Fish & Wildlife
Department's Waterbury office
by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 4,
2009
to be entered into the auction.
Description of
the Moose Auction Program
The
Department will auction five
moose hunting permits to
applicants who submit the
highest bids through a written
bid process
Vermont's
antlerless deer hunting lottery
applications
for the
muzzleloader season are now
available.
Applications must be postmarked
no later than August 27, 2009,
or delivered in the Waterbury
Fish & Wildlife office by 4:30
p.m. on August 27, 2009. On line
applications will be accepted
until midnight of August 27,
2009. The cost to apply is $10
for residents and $25 for
nonresidents. A person may
submit only one application.
For more on the
upcoming Vermont Hunting
seasons, see:
In addition,
please check with your State
Game Department for specific,
regulations, license
requirements and season dates.
While I try to
keep you apprised of changes and
events, I would strongly
recommend you visit Talk
Hunting’s various areas,
including legislation alerts,
Deer Hunting, etc. for
regulation and season changes.
These are frequently posted by
our fellow Talk Hunting members
who have the “inside scoop” on
new developments.
As always, be
safe hunting, and as The Hunt
Master says “If you can’t be
hunting, be here!”. ‘Till next
time.
Russ Kassner aka
“Jaeger”
June
‘09 EDITION
IN THE NEWS:
– NJ
may be getting closer to
allowing Sunday hunting, See
Jimgivens post “Need your help
if you live in NJ” in
Legislation Alerts;
--
Maine recently defeated 2
anti-gun measures, See Shooters
post under Legislation Alerts;
and
--New
York, Zos41 provided the
following information about the
possible closing of the New York
State Nursery:
While I was at the New York
state Nursery I saw the
following notice:
The New York state nursery has
been targeted by the DEC and the
Governor's office for closure as
early as July 1.
If
you have options in this matter
contact your NY legislative
members, the governors off and
the DEC commissioner and express
your feelings. The NY state
Nursery program has been serving
NY residents since 1902. It
survived the great depression
and provide jobs during the CCC
days.
The nursery still plays a
important role in the
preservation of NY's forested
lands and provided trees for
plant at a very low price to NY
residents. It also plays a part
in the environmental education
of today’s youth.
The fee increases across the
board are now Law.
All NY hunters should look at
the following website, DEC
License fee page, to see the
increases in upcoming fees:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6107.html
In addition to raising the fees,
the DEC RAISES THE AGE
FOR SENIOR STATUS FROM 65-70
Interesting to note that the DEC
actually points out to Seniors
(65-70) the desirability of
getting a Lifetime License now,
before September 30 as it will
be cheaper than the new fees.
HUNTER EDUCATION
The fee increases across the
board are now Law.
All NY hunters should look at
the following website, DEC
License fee page, to see the
increases in upcoming fees:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6107.html
In addition to raising the fees,
the DEC RAISES THE AGE
FOR SENIOR STATUS FROM 65-70
Interesting to note that the DEC
actually points out to Seniors
(65-70) the desirability of
getting a Lifetime License now,
before September 30 as it will
be cheaper than the new fees.
It
is never too early take a hunter
safety course for next hunting
season and June is a great time
to do it as classes fill up fast
later in the summer.
Looking for a specific course?
The following is a list of links
to the North East States web
sites directed to hunter
education. Check them
frequently, as the lists of
available courses and dates are
constantly changing. Also, as
indicated in many of them, it is
also a good idea to check local
papers, town halls, etc. as many
courses are given by local
sportsman’s clubs.
For
courses in your state, check the
following sites:
Connecticut -
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2222&q=320790&depNav_GID=1633
Delaware -
http://www.fw.delaware.gov/HunterEd/Pages/HunterEd.aspx
Maryland -
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/nrp/education/
Maine -
http://www.state.me.us/ifw/education/safety/index.htm
Massachusetts -
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/education/hed/hed_course_schedule.htm
New
Hampshire -
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunter_ed.htm
New
Jersey -
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/hunted.htm
New
York -
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7860.html
Pennsylvania -
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=461&q=167457
Rhode Island -
http://www.dem.ri.gov/topics/wltopics.htm
Vermont -
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/HE_Courses.cfm
Washington, D.C. -
http://ddoe.dc.gov/ddoe/cwp/view,a,1209,q,492187,ddoeNav_GID,1486,ddoeNav,%7C31375%7C31377%7C.asp
West Virginia -
http://www.wvdnr.gov/LEnforce/Education.shtm
In the South East, see:
North Carolina -
http://www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_04_hunting.htm
Thanks goes out to Gutshot for
providing the Pennsylvania link
and to Puddle Jumper for the
North Carolina link.
So go ahead and take a Hunter
Ed. course this summer. Better
yet, take a course to become a
Hunting Education Instructor and
teach a course!
Good luck and remember, be safe
out there!
“Jaeger”
MAY
‘09 EDITION
There is not a lot of news to
report this month. I would like
to extend an invitation to all
who hunt here in the Northeast
to send me news of your states
developing hunting issues and I
will report them here for all to
read.
At
the time of this writing, the
Turkey season is up and running
here in the Great Northeast. On
my own land, my neighbor’s
granddaughter, with the help of
her father’s great calling
skills, took her first gobbler
on April 26th during
the early junior turkey hunting
weekend. I think I was almost
as proud of her as was her
father and grandfather. I truly
hope all who participated in
their states early youth seasons
were equally lucky or, at the
very least, had a lot of fun and
excitement.
We
have a month of great fun ahead
of us, those who hunt turkey.
Bring along a non-turkey hunting
friend, keep them still and
quiet and let the turkey hunting
bug bite them, they’ll be back
for more.
For
those of you new to Talk
Hunting, or just reading this
issue of Campfire News, we have
a Turkey Hunting section where
you can relate your successes,
failures and well remembered
near misses. So join us and
enjoy all that Talk Hunting has
to offer.
Good
luck and remember, be safe out
there!
Till
next time, I’m GONE TURKEY
HUNTING!
APRIL ‘09
EDITION
Preparing for Spring Turkey
Seasons:
Last
month we reviewed the dates for
the upcoming spring turkey
seasons. As they get closer,
now is the time to start
checking your equipment to make
sure you have every thing you
need. If you are taking a new
junior hunter out during one of
the early youth seasons, it is
also time to make sure that
he/she is properly and fully
equipped.
As
the season draws closer, you
should also review your states
regulations for the specific
seasons opening and closing
times, bag limits, etc.
Finally, and perhaps most
importantly, please go over
safety procedures. Turkey
hunting is conducted while fully
camouflaged, staying as still as
possible and looking for
movement. Calling turkeys draws
the attention of any other
hunters directly to you. Most
State Game agencies post
recommended safety procedures,
such as the ones listed below.
-
Do not wear red, white or
blue as these colors are
present in the heads of
toms.
-
Assume that anything that
sounds like a turkey is
actually another hunter
unless you can visually
confirm it is a turkey.
-
If you do see a turkey, be
100% sure of your target and
the background. Actually,
those wonderful minutes of
early dawn, before legal
shooting time, are an
excellent time to plan where
you expect turkeys to
approach, and review clear
lanes of fire and any
background issues.
-
If you see another hunter,
DO NOT wave or move. Cease
turkey calling and speak up
in a loud, clear voice to
make the other hunter aware
of you presence. Do not
move until you are sure he
has identified and located
you.
-
Do not try to stalk the
turkey or sneak into turkey
calls. This is the
recommended procedure
suggested by most game
agencies. I recently came
across an article in a major
hunting publication which
advocated crawling through
grass toward turkeys. DO
NOT DO THIS on public land
or on any private land where
trespassers or other unknown
hunters may be encountered.
The majority of hunting
accidents occur when one
hunter mistakenly “stalks”
another.
I do
wish all of you a safe and
successful turkey season. You
are strongly invited to report
you successes, stories and yes
failures in Talk Hunting’s
Turkey Hunting section. Don’t
forget the Turkey hunting
Championships!
License fee increases
Rumors are floating around of
Hunting License fee increases
here in New York State. As of
press time there were no reports
of such increases on NYS’s
Department of Environmental
Conservation web site Press
Release page or Proposed
Regulations page. I will do my
best to keep you informed.
As
an aside, now is perhaps a good
time to look into a lifetime
license for a child before any
increases occur. The cost for a
child is usually low and well
worth the expense.
Until next time, good luck and
remember, be safe out there!
MARCH ‘09
EDITION
Upcoming Spring Turkey Seasons:
Dust
off your guns and tune up your
calls Spring Turkey Season is
almost upon us! The following
are the dates for the upcoming
spring turkey seasons here in
the great Northeast:
-
Connecticut – Junior Hunting
Training Day is May 2,
2009, Regular season runs
May 6, -May 30, 2009
-
Maine – Youth Day is May 2,
2009, Regular season runs
May 4 – June 6, 2009
-
Massachusetts – Mentored
Youth Hunt day is April 25,
2009, Regular season runs
April 27 – May 9th
or 23rd depending on zone
-
New Hampshire – Youth Hunt
weekend is April 25 – 26,
2009, regular season runs
May 3 – May 31, 2009
-
New Jersey – Youth Hunting
Day is April 11, 2009,
Regular season extends
through six segments with
earliest starting April 13
and ending May 22, 2009
depending on segment
-
New York – Youth Hunting
Weekend is April 25-26,
2009, Regular season runs
May 1- May 31, 2009
-
Pennsylvania – Junior Hunt
day is April 18, 2009,
Regular Season runs April 25
– May 25, 2009
-
Rhode Island – Junior Hunter
weekend is April 25-April
26, 2009, Regular Season
runs April 30 – May 26 2009
-
Vermont – Youth Hunting
Weekend is April 25-26,
2009, Regular season runs
May 1- May 31, 2009
Please note that some states use
complex systems of zones and
dates and those listed above are
all inclusive. Please check
with your respective
Conservation Department for
specific dates and zones by
clicking here.
Don’t forget to tell us your
success and stories in Talk
Hunting’s Turkey Hunting section
and remember, if you think
you’re good enough, the Turkey
Hunting Championship.
Good
luck and remember, be safe out
there!
|
PACIFIC
NORTHWEST NEWS BRIEFS
by
Jeff "ke7cjw" Love
December
‘09 EDITION
IDAHO
As the fall gives way to Winter
the hunting season are winding
down in Idaho, however there are
still a number of opportunities
to get out.
The pheasant season in Areas 1 and 3 is open through December 31.
The forest grouse season also is open statewide through December
31.
Seasons for bobwhite and California quail in Area 2 are open
through January 31, 2010. Chukar
and grey partridge seasons are
open statewide through January
31 as well.
For upland game hunters, the cottontail season is open through
February 28, and snowshoe hares
through March 31, 2010. There is
no season on pygmy rabbits.
Waterfowl seasons are also open through the holidays - to January
15, in Area 1, northern and
eastern Idaho; and to January 22
in Area 2, southwestern Idaho
and Magic Valley.
For anglers with time off during the holidays, the fall steelhead
season remains open through
December 31. The spring
steelhead season starts January
1, but anglers will need a new
steelhead permit and a 2010
fishing license.
Many rivers and streams are
closed to other fishing, though
some are open under winter
fishing rules for certain
species, such as whitefish and
brook trout.
Wolf hunting is also still open in 8 of the 12 management zones set
by the IDFG with the season in
all units open until March 31,
2010 or when the unit quota is
met. The 4 zones that are now
closed are the Palouse-Hells
Canyon zone in north Idaho,
Dworshak-Elk City zone,
McCall-Weiser zone in west
central Idaho, and the Upper
Snake zone in eastern Idaho.
Remember that your current licenses and tags expire on December 31,
2009 so if you are planning any
hunting or fishing after the
first of the year pick up your
new licenses and tags before you
head out.
Check the
IDFG web page
for season details and to check
wolf quotas for your unit.
Despite sub-zero temperatures, bitter wind chills and drifting
snow, two mule deer bucks were
shot and left to waste this past
week in the South Hills. For
more information ab out this
poaching incident check the
IDFG web site.
OREGON
ODFW finds popular salmon bait cure harmful to
fish.
A recent study by the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife confirms some
commercially-available cured
fish eggs – a popular salmon and
steelhead bait – are harmful to
juvenile salmon and steelhead.
ODFW released the results of its
study today. For more
information check the
ODFW web page.
Go rabbit or pheasant hunting with ODFW Outdoors
Program.
ODFW Outdoors will host a family-friendly rabbit
hunting clinic and a pheasant
hunt for women and youth in
January and February. For more
information check out the
ODFW web page.
WASHINGTON
Still time to comment on Washington’s draft wolf management
plan.
The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will
continue to accept public
comments for another month on a
Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for a state
wolf conservation and management
plan. For more information and
to leave a comment check out the
WDFW web page.
Oregon, Washington adopt 2010 sturgeon, smelt
fishing rules.
Fishery managers from Oregon and
Washington adopted 2010 sturgeon
and smelt fishing regulations
Thursday during a joint state
hearing in Kelso, Wash.
Current rules regulating the
harvest of white sturgeon on the
Columbia River were left
unchanged from 2009 while
representatives from the two
states negotiate an agreement on
2010 harvest objectives. The new
agreement is expected to lead to
a reduction in the harvest
guidelines due to reduced
abundance of legal and sub-legal
sized fish. Following adoption
of the 2010 objectives, managers
plan to revisit sturgeon
regulations at their next joint
state hearing, which is
scheduled for Feb. 18, 2010.
October
‘09 EDITION
Idaho
The
IDFG commission has authorized
the sale of ten auction Wolf
tags that will commemorate the
first Wolf hunt in Idaho
history. The proceeds of the
sales will be used to fund Wolf
conservation efforts. There will
be six non profit groups that
will be selling the tags. To
find out which groups and where
they will be selling them check
out the
IDFG web site
Nearly One thousand one hundred
dead waterfowl have been
recovered from the American
falls area since September 17,
2009. Officials suspect that
the cause of the deaths is
botulism. For more information
on this read the report at the
IDFG web site
IDFG
is seeking information about the
shooting of an American white
pelican in southeast Idaho on
September 17. To find out more
details or to report any
information you may have go to
the
IDFG website.
October means general rifle deer
season in Idaho. Seasons run
from early October to late
November depending on the game
management unit you will be
hunting. Check the latest
hunting regulations to find
the exact season for your GMU.
Oregon
ODFW
is accepting applications for a
hunter representative opening on
the access and habitat board.
The deadline is October 12,
2009. For more information on
this position and how to apply
check out the
ODFW web site.
The
ODFW fall hunting forecast is
now available online. If you are
planning a hunt in Oregon check
out the forecast on the
ODFW web site
With
October comes the general rifle
season for deer in Oregon. Check
the hubnting regulations for
GMU's and season at the
ODFW web site.
Washington
The
WDFW commission has selected
Phil Anderson as the new
director of the Department of
Fish and Wildlife. To learn more
about Phil and to welcome him to
the job go to the
WDFW web site.
The
public comment period for
changes to the 2010 – 2012
Washington sport fishing
regulations has been extended.
To find out how long the
extension is and how to comment
visit the
WDFW web site.
As
with Idaho and Oregon October
means general rifle deer season.
There are many GMU's with
different seasons. Check out the
hunting regulations for seasons
and GMU's at the
WDFW web site.
September
‘09 EDITION
Idaho
Idaho Grey Wolf tags went on
sale Monday August 24, 2009 at
10:00 am Mountain time. Sales
were brisk all day. A total of
nearly 4000 tags were sold the
first day. The IFG has set a
total limit of 220 Wolves to be
taken for the year. This number
is broken down between 12
management regions. Check the
IFG web site for the regions
and numbers of wolves. At this
time a hearing is scheduled for
August 31, 2009 on the merits of
a request for an injunction to
stop the Fall Wolf hunts in
Idaho and Montana. If the Hunt
is stopped the IFG will refund
tag fees.
The
Deer, Elk, Pronghorn and Fall
Black Bear second draw results
are in. Check to see if you were
drawn at the
IFG web site
Left
over controlled hunt tags are
now on sale. For a list of
available tags, check the
IFG web site here.
The
Super hunt drawing results are
in. To see if you are a winner,
check the
IFG web site here.
Hunting season is here, so be
sure to check the game
regulations for what seasons are
open and in what GMU's at the
IFG web site here.
Oregon
The
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife is predicting strong
returns for fall Salmon seasons
on the Columbia River. For more
information check the
ODFW web site here.
ODFW
and U.S. Forest Service staff
released 18 Rocky Mountain goats
into the Wenaha-Tucannon
Wilderness in the Umatilla
National Forest during the week
of July 20 as part of a
continuing effort to establish a
population in this area. For
more information check the
ODFW web site here.
Hunting season is here, so be
sure to check the game
regulations for what seasons are
open and in what GMU's at the
ODFW web site here.
Washington
The
new Two pole fishing regulations
started August 15, 2009 on most
lakes in Washington. For more
information, visit the
WDFW web site here.
Washington Fish and Wildlife
Commission members plan to
select a permanent director for
the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) during
a public meeting Sept. 11-12 in
Olympia, after selecting two
finalists yesterday. For more
information, check the
WDFW web site here.
North Central Washington
residents will have an
opportunity to discuss fish and
wildlife issues with Phil
Anderson, Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
interim director and regional
staff in a round table-style
meeting Sept. 9. For more
information, visit the
WDFW web site.
The
WDFW has a lot of really useful
information on their web site.
One of the more useful tools are
the interactive maps. These are
good topographical maps of the
state that are searchable by
GMU's as well as many other
criteria. For more information
check out the maps on the
WDFW web site.
Hunting season is here, so be
sure to check the game
regulations for what seasons are
open and in what GMU's at the
WDFW web site.
August
‘09 EDITION
Idaho:
The
first early archery Elk season
open August first in some areas.
Check the
IDFG web site for details.
About 500 more Chinook Salmon
have been released in the Boise
River. The season is scheduled
to run until September 6, 2009.
Check the
IDFG web site to find out
where the Salmon were released.
The
deadline to buy your controlled
hunt tags was August 1, 2009.
All unclaimed tags will go on
sale after a second drawing.
Check out the
IDFG web site for more
information on the left over
tags.
With
hunting season fast approaching
check out the
IDFG web site to find a
Hunter's Education class for
your new hunter.
Oregon:
The
Oregon department of Fish and
Game took to the air last week
to plant more than 350,000 fish
in the high mountain lakes in
the Cascades. For more
information check out the
ODFW web site.
Cougar season opens August 1,
2009 To find out when other
season open check out the
ODFW website for the latest
hunting regulations.
With
hunting season fast approaching
check out the
ODFW web site to find a
Hunter's Education class for
your new Hunter.
Washington:
Bear
and Cougar season opens August
1, 2009. To find out when other
season open check out the
WDFW web site for the latest
version of the hunting
regulations.
WDFW
are looking for members for the
Master Hunter Advisory Group.
The
WDFW is accepting letters of
interest through Sept. 30, 2009
for membership on the
WDFW Master Hunter Advisory
Group for more information check
out the
WDFW web site.
The
group, which represents master
hunters statewide, advises WDFW
on issues and opportunities
affecting master hunters and the
Master Hunter Permit Program.
With
hunting season fast approaching
check out the
WDFW web site to find a
Hunter's Education class for
your new Hunter.
July
‘09 EDITION
Idaho
Winners in the first of two
Super Hunt drawings have been
announced. The Super Hunt is a
tag that is valid for any open
season anywhere in the state. If
you win the combo Hunt it
includes tags for Deer, Elk,
Moose and Pronghorn. The Winners
of the first drawing are listed
on the
Fish and Game web site.
The Idaho Fish and Game are
seeking public comment on new
Falconry rules. The
proposed new falconry rules have
been rewritten to bring state
law into compliance with new
federal falconry regulations,
simplify and correct errors in
existing rules, and streamline
the permitting process for the
practice of falconry in the
state. For more information and
to leave your comments visit the
Fish and Game web site.
Become an Idaho Master
Naturalist
An Idaho Master Naturalist
chapter is forming in Idaho
Falls with the first meeting at
6:00pm Friday July 17, 2009 at
the Idaho Fish and Game regional
office at 4279 Commerce Circle,m
Idaho Falls. For more
information visit the Idaho
Fish and Game web site.
fish and game seeks comments on
big game proposals.
Idaho Fish and Game is seeking
public comments on 11 proposed
big game and upland game rules.
For more information and to
leave your comments visit the
Idaho
Fish and Game web site.
Oregon
ODFW seeking landowners’ help in
locating beavers
For a limited time, Douglas
County residents with a problem
beaver on their property can
contact the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife which will
trap and relocate the animal as
part of a scientific study. In
the wrong place, beavers can
flood roads, fields, and yards,
and damage trees while in the
right place, they can create
habitat for juvenile salmon. For
more information visit the
ODFW web site
ODFW honors outstanding volunteers
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has named three
Oregonians as recipients of the
department’s 2009 Dave Liscia
Volunteer Award. For more
information visit the
ODFW
web site.
ODFW seeks input on Sauvie Island management plan
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will seek public
comments on a proposed
management plan that will guide
activities on the Sauvie Island
Wildlife Area over the next 10
years. For more information
visit the
ODFW
web site.
Crab molts wash up on beaches
Crab shells, hundreds of them, are washing up on Oregon
beaches, but don’t worry – the
crabs are only molting.
Adult crab populations tend to
molt simultaneously: females in
the spring, males in the late
summer. Crabs need to break out
of their old shell to grow, just
like a child needs a new pair of
shoes when they outgrow last
year’s pair. For more
information visit the
ODFW web site
Controlled hunt draw results now available online
Controlled hunt draw results are now available online, at
ODFW’s Web site under Hunting Resources.
Hunters will need to have their
Hunting License Number in order
to use the online system. For
more information visit the
ODFW web site.
Commission adopts 2009 big game
tags
The Fish and Wildlife Commission
today adopted fall 2009
limited-entry big game tags and
concepts for 2010 big game
regulations.
Statewide, 2009 fall
buck deer tags,
antlerless deer tags,
elk tags and
pronghorn antelope tags are
down slightly while
bighorn sheep and
Rocky Mtn goat tags are up.
Final 2010 big game regulations
will be adopted at the Oct. 2
Commission meeting in Salem. For
more information visit the
ODFW web site.
Washington
Master hunters invited to
meeting in Ellensburg on Elk
Area 3911
Master hunters and area
landowners are invited to attend
a meeting July 18 in Ellensburg
for an orientation on this
year’s hunting season in Elk
Area 3911, located near
Ellensburg in Kittitas County.
For more information visit the
WDFW web site.
Positions open on new
sportfishing panel for Columbia
Basin salmon, steelhead
The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is
seeking nominations for a new
citizen advisory board
responsible for reviewing plans
to improve sport fishing
opportunities for salmon and
steelhead in the Columbia River
Basin. For more information
visit the
WDFW web site.
Results available for special
hunt drawing
Hunters who submitted
applications for 2009
special-hunt permits can check
the results of this year’s
drawing on the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW)
website.
Recruitment under way for new WDFW director
The search is officially under way for a new director to
lead the Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The new director will be chosen
by the Washington Fish and
Wildlife Commission, composed of
nine citizen members appointed
by the governor. For more
information visit the
WDFW web site.
Women's workshop offers
instruction on fishing, hunting,
outdoor skills
Women can learn the basics of
fishing, hunting, and other
outdoor skills in a September
weekend workshop that includes
several sessions led by
Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) experts and
other certified instructors.
Scheduled for Sept.18-20 at Camp
River Ranch in Carnation, Wash.,
the annual workshop is
coordinated by Washington
Outdoor Women (WOW), a
non-profit program dedicated to
teaching women outdoor skills
and natural resource
stewardship. WOW, now in its
12th year, is an educational
outreach program of the
Washington Wildlife Federation.
For more information visit the
WDFW web site.
WDFW issues corrections to
the2009-10 Sportfishing Rules
pamphlet
The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has
issued corrections to the
recently published 2009-2010
Fishing In Washington
Sportfishing Rules Pamphlet. For
more information visit the
WDFW web site.
June
‘09 EDITION
Idaho:
Chinook season set on the upper
Salmon River.
On
May 14 the Idaho Fish and Game
Commission approved Chinook
salmon seasons for several river
reaches in Idaho, including the
upper Salmon River between the
city of Salmon and the Sawtooth
Hatchery near Stanley.
Unlike other salmon fisheries in
the state, when the season opens
in the upper Salmon River on
June 20, no harvest of Chinook
less than 24 inches in total
length, commonly referred to as
jacks, will be allowed. A number
of anglers have inquired why.
For more
information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4910
Nesting swans at Sand Creek
delay access.
The
continued attempts of trumpeter
swans to nest at the Sand Creek
Wildlife Management Area means
that Idaho Fish and Game will
again delay opening access to
parts of the area until July 1.
For more
information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4908
Ask Idaho Fish & Game: Keeping
road kill.
Q.
If I find a dead animal along
the road, can I keep it?
A.
It is illegal to pick up
wildlife hit by vehicles.
Protected wildlife that has died
of natural or accidental causes
is considered the property of
the state. Parts of animals that
have died from natural causes
may be kept for personal use.
These parts, such as horns,
antlers, skulls, teeth, bear and
lion parts, may be sold or
bartered. The horns of bighorn
sheep that have died of natural
causes must be pinned by Idaho
Fish & Game if kept, but they
may not be sold.
Idaho F&G wants comments on Bear
Lake Management Plan.
Idaho Fish and Game managers are
seeking comments on a proposed
fishery management plan for Bear
Lake.
The
2009-2013 Bear Lake Fisheries
Management Plan is a joint
effort by the Idaho Department
of Fish & Game and the Utah
Division of Wildlife Resources.
The two agencies share
management authority for the
fisheries of Bear Lake and
cooperated in the development of
this management plan.
The
plan outlines goals and
objectives for sport fishing and
conservation goals for endemic
and native fish populations.
For
more information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4905
Deadline closing in on Super
Hunt drawing.
There's still time to enter the
drawing for the hunt of a
lifetime.
Entries in the first Super Hunt
and Super Hunt Combo drawing
must be received at the Idaho
Fish and Game headquarters by
May 31 for the first drawing set
for June 15.
For more
information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4904
Time now to sign up for
depredation hunts.
The
sign-up period to participate in
depredation hunts this year runs
through June 30.
Special controlled hunts are
sometimes used to relieve big
game damage problems on
agricultural crops. If these
hunts are needed, they will be
held on short notice, involve
small areas and be limited to a
few hunters.
Any
Idaho resident with a valid
hunting or combination license
may participate, but hunters may
apply in only one region for a
given species.
For more
information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4903
Salmon bag limit cut in the
lower Clearwater River.
No
adult Chinook salmon may be
taken on the mainstream
Clearwater River downstream of
the Cherrylane Bridge effective
at the end of fishing hours
Monday, May 25.
But
anglers may still keep four
Chinook salmon less than 24
inches in total length, commonly
referred to as jacks, per day in
that stretch of river until
further notice.
Reducing the bag limit of
Chinook salmon greater than 24
inches, commonly referred to as
adults, downstream of Cherrylane
Bridge is intended to provide
salmon fishing opportunities for
upstream communities, such as
Orofino, Kamiah, Kooskia and
Grangeville, while still
allowing anglers a chance to
catch some of this year's
relatively abundant jack
returns.
For more
information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish & Game. Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4902
Horsethief Reservoir needs
summer host.
Horsethief Reservoir is a summer
weekend fishing destination for
thousands of Idahoans.
But
the right person could spend the
entire summer there in 2009,
serving as host for the Idaho
Fish and Game-owned reservoir
and camping area.
Applications are currently being
accepted for the position of
camp host at the popular
recreation site. This is an
unpaid, volunteer position, and
applicants must have a fully
self-contained recreational
vehicle. A small per diem is
offered to help hosts defer some
expenses.
For
more information visit the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4901
Oregon:
Hunter position
open on A&H Deschutes/Klamath
Advisory Council.
ODFW
is seeking a hunter
representative to serve a
three-year term on the Access
and Habitat Program's
Deschutes/Klamath Advisory
Council.
Individuals living in central
Oregon (from The Dalles to
Klamath Falls or counties Crook,
Deschutes, Hood River,
Jefferson, Klamath, Lake,
Sherman, and Wasco) with an
interest and experience in
hunting, forestry, farming,
ranching and/or wildlife
conservation are encouraged to
apply.
For more
information visit the Oregon
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2009/may/052609.asp
Maury, Warner tag
reductions for Mule Deer
Initiative:
Rifle deer tags
available for hunters may be
reduced by 440 tags in the Maury
unit and 33 tags in the N.
Warner unit for the fall 2009
seasons.
Reducing tags in Warner and
Maury is one of the strategies
being used as part of the Mule
Deer Initiative, a new effort to
reverse declining mule deer
trends in five wildlife
management units (Maury, Warner,
Steens Mtn, Heppner, and
Murderers Creek).
ODFW
is proposing the following rifle
deer tag numbers for the fall
2009 season: 385 tags in Maury
(compared to 825 last year) and
32 for N. Warner rifle (65 last
year).
Buck
tags in the Murderers Creek unit
are also proposed to be reduced
(from 1,100 last year to 950 in
2009) but the reduction is
because the buck ratio (bucks
per 100 does) is below ODFW’s
management objective.
For more information
visit the Oregon Department of
Fish and Game. Http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2009/may/052209c.asp
Leave young wildlife in
the wild: Removing wildlife
reduces their chances at
long-term survival and it is
against the law .
This is the time of year
when Oregon’s wildlife are
giving birth and raising their
young, teaching them what to
eat, where to take shelter, and
how to survive in the wild.
During this time, parents will
temporarily and naturally leave
their young to feed elsewhere.
Unfortunately, well-intentioned
people sometimes mistake young
animals temporarily left by
their parents as orphans and
remove them from the wild. Doing
so reduces the animal’s chances
at long-term survival in their
natural habitat. Last year, of
628 “orphaned” animals admitted
to licensed wildlife
rehabilitators, 150 died, 16
were euthanized and 16 may never
be released back to the wild.
For more
information visit the Oregon
Department of Fish and Game.
Http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2009/may/052209.asp
New trout season to open
on lower Clackamas.
Anglers have a new
opportunity to harvest stray
hatchery trout, starting May 23
when trout season opens on the
lower Clackamas River.
This
year fishermen will be permitted
to keep up to two adipose
fin-clipped trout per day caught
in a 20-mile stretch of the
river from its confluence with
the Willamette River upstream to
North Fork Dam.
Previously, the lower Clackamas
was a catch-and-release only
trout fishing area.
The
new trout season was adopted
last fall by the Oregon Fish &
Wildlife Commission as part of
the 2009 Oregon Sport Fishing
Regulations. The decision was
based on recommendations of
biologists who had observed
increases in the number of
resident hatchery trout present
in the lower Clackamas the past
two years.
For more
information visit the Oregon
Department of Fish & Game. Http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2009/may/052009.asp
Fish & Wildlife
Commission adopts summer and
fall salmon seasons for the
ocean and Columbia River.
The Oregon Fish &
Wildlife Commission today
adopted the 2009 summer and fall
salmon seasons for the ocean and
Columbia River. The seasons are
in keeping with Pacific Fishery
Management Council guidelines
adopted in April
For a complete
list of seasons and dates visit
the Oregon Department of Fish &
Game. Http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2009/may/051509.asp
Washington:
Budget cuts lead to WDFW
layoffs, service reductions.
A
$21 million reduction in state
and other funding over the next
two years will require the
Washington Department of Fish &
Wildlife (WDFW) to lay off 76
employees and curtail some
public services.
The
layoffs, along with elimination
of dozens of vacant positions,
will be effective at the close
of the current fiscal year June
30.
WDFW
executive managers have been
planning for a significant
budget reduction for months, and
in the meantime have been
pursuing a number of savings and
efficiency efforts to reduce
current spending.
For more
information visit the Washington
Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=may1309c
WDFW starts mandatory boat
checks to stop aquatic invasive
species .
Starting Memorial Day
weekend, boaters heading to
Washington waterways may
encounter new mandatory stops by
the Washington Department of
Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) to check
for aquatic invasive species.
The
long-planned emphasis patrol,
which will take place throughout
the summer, coincides with the
recent seizure of a boat in
Spokane contaminated with quagga
mussels from Nevada’s Lake Mead.
A multi-state tracking effort
and tips from alert citizens led
to the seizure by WDFW
enforcement officers.
For more
information visit the Washington
Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=may2109b
Public invited to propose rule
changes for 2010-11 recreational
fisheries.
People with ideas on how
to improve the state’s sport
fishing rules can submit their
proposals to the Washington
Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)
through June 1.
Proposals will be evaluated by
fishery managers as they develop
potential changes to the 2010-11
sport fishing rules. The
proposed changes will be
available for public review and
comment in early September.
For more
information visit the Washington
Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=apr2409a
MAY
‘09 EDITION
Idaho:
The
application period for this
fall's deer, elk, pronghorn and
black bear controlled hunts
starts May 1, and runs through
June 5. Also remember that the
Archery Antelope rules have
changed. There are no more over
the counter Archery Antelope
tags. All Archery Antelope tags
will be issued by drawing. There
are unlimited tags available so
everyone that applies for an
archery Antelope tag will get
one. For more information check
out the
IDFG web site.
2009 Landowner Incentive Program
Grants Applications Are Due June
1, 2009. For more information
check out the
IDFG web site.
The Idaho State legislature has
passed some fee change rules for
Hunting and Fishing licenses.
This bill has not yet been
signed into law so no changes in
fees yet, but They could change
at any time.
Now that spring is here the
Idaho Fish and Game department
regular fishing reports. Check
out the
report page to see where the
fish are biting.
Spring Chinook salmon fishing
seasons open April 25 on the
Clearwater, the lower Salmon,
Little Salmon and the Snake
Rivers.
The
season opens May 23 on the
Lochsa River, and a season opens
June 20 on the Salmon River from
Shorts' Creek upstream about 25
miles to the boat ramp at
Vinegar Creek. For more
information check out the
IDFG web site.
Oregon:
One
Member Sought for Oregon
Hatchery Research Center
Advisory Committee.
Check the
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife web site for more
details.
Hunters, others invited to
statewide meetings about seasons
and regulations.
Check the
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife web site for more
details.
The ODFW Spring fishing forecast
is available from here on their
website.
Oregon's Fish Passage Task Force
will meet Friday, May 8, 2009 at
the Coquille Tribal office at
3050 Tremont in North Bend to
consider current statewide fish
passage issues. Members of the
public are welcome to attend.
For more information check the
ODFW web site.
Starting May 1, saltwater sport
fishers will be able to put one
more groundfish in the marine
fish daily bag – the highest bag
limit since summer of 2005. For
more information check the
ODFW web site.
Pacific halibut season opens May
1. For more information check
the
ODFW web site.
Hunters, avoid the long lines
and busy fax machines and get
your controlled hunt application
in as soon as possible. Apply by
fax, mail order, at a license
agent or
online. The deadline to
apply is May 15. For more
information check the
ODFW web site.
Washington:
2009
Puget Sound shrimp season to
open May 2. For more information
check the
WDFW web site.
WDFW will auction shed elk
antlers to help fund winter elk
feeding. For more information
check the
WDFW web site.
Public invited to propose rule
changes for 2010-11 recreational
fisheries. For more information
check the
WDFW web site.
Fish and Wildlife Commission to
meet May 8-9. For more
information check the
WDFW web site.
Sport halibut season opens April
23 in Marine Areas 6-11 and 13.
For
more information check the
WDFW web site.
The application submission
period for the deer, elk,
mountain goat, moose, bighorn
sheep, and turkey controlled
hunt drawings is May 15 to
midnight June 18, 2008.
For more information check the
WDFW web site.
APRIL
‘09 EDITION
Idaho
The spring turkey youth hunt
season is April 11, 2009 to
April 14, 2009 and the General
season is April 15, 2009 to May
15, 2009. Check the regulation
for open units and restrictions.
The Idaho Department of Fish and
Game is requesting comments on
proposed Fishing rule changes.
the deadline for comments is
April 15, 2009.
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/surveys/09fish/
The Idaho department of Fish and
Game is asking for a revenue
adjustment. They are wanting to
increase the fees for some
licenses and tags. The proposal
has passed the Seante resources
committee by a vote of 8 to
1sending the bill to the full
house for a vote. To review the
proposed fee changes
click here.
Hides, furs, antlers, horns to
be auctioned off at the Idaho
Fish & Game annual "Fur Sale" in
Jerome, ID - 9am Saturday, April
25.
the Spring Bear season for Idaho
is by drawing only and is set
for April 15 to April 30, 2009
in most units and April 1 to May
22, 2009 in others. check the
Regulations for exact dates of
the unit you are hunting
Oregon
The spring youth Turkey hunt for
Oregon is set for April 11-12,
2009 and the general season is
April 15, 2009 to May 31, 2009.
Check the state regulations for
areas and restrictions.
the Spring Bear season for
Oregon is by drawing only and is
set for April 1 to May 31, 2009
in most units and April 15 to
May 31, 2009 in others. check
the Regulations for exact dates
of the unit you are hunting
The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife invites young
anglers to take part in the
Youth Angling Enhancement
Program Saturday, April 4 at
Canby Pond from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The date of the next meeting of
ODFW's Access and Habitat Board
has been changed from Tuesday,
April 14 to Wednesday, April 29
in John Day due to scheduling
issues.
Washington
The spring youth Turkey season
is April 4 - 5, 2009 and the
general season is April 15, 2009
to May 31, 2009. check the game
regs for rules and restrictions.
Washington department of Fish
and wild life is looking for
nominees for habitat
conservation plan advisory
committee. to find out more
about this position and the
committee visit the Departments
web site.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=mar1309a
the Spring Bear season for
Washington is by drawing only
and is set for April 15 to May
31, 2009 in most units and April
15 to June 15, in others. check
the Regulations for exact dates
of the unit you are hunting.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife
Commission will consider
adopting a three-year package of
statewide hunting seasons and
rules during a public meeting
scheduled April 3-4 in Olympia.
New state mineral prospecting
rules, which go into effect
April 3, are now available from
the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/habitat/goldfish/
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