Grizzly spotted in north-central Idaho for first time in a decade
USFWS says the bear crossed into Idaho last August, but wildlife officials captured it and sent it back to Montana.
Associated Press
Illegal antler hunting costs man $15K, loss of hunting privileges for 5 years
Man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing and transporting 104 pounds of unlawfully taken antlers. Sold the antler pieces he collected for dog chews.
Arizona Game and Fish moves to ban coyote killing contests
Coyote-killing contests have drawn the ire of activists in recent years. The Oregon Legislature is considering a law banning the practice, and New Mexico’s governor signed a new law banning the contests in April.
DNR eyes permanent catfish regs
The regulations impose no statewide size limit but establish a daily bag limit of one flathead catfish and five channel catfish.
Balloons – yes, balloons – wreak havoc with Great Lakes wildlife
A recent study found that balloons are the highest-risk plastic debris for seabirds. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)DETROIT — Environmental advocates are raising awareness about the dangers of balloons for wildlife in the Great Lakes and elsewhere. Volunteers for the Alliance for the Great Lakes picked up more than 18,000 balloons, balloon pieces or balloon strings along Great Lakes shorelines…
Overflowing Great Lakes pose new threat for endangered bird
The next few weeks are crucial for piping plovers. Most of this year’s eggs will hatch by the end of June. If additional storms don’t wash away nests, a new batch of youngsters may survive. But long-term prospects will be dicey until the waters recede.
Newly released documents detail EPA’s concerns over PolyMet
Documents that the federal EPA tried to keep confidential show that its staffers criticized how Minnesota regulators drafted a key permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine, and concluded that the permit would violate federal law because it lacked pollution limits based on the state’s water quality standards.
Social media does in Yellowstone mountain lion poachers
Three Montana men all pleaded guilty and were ordered to pay $1,666 each in restitution, sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation and stripped of their hunting and fishing privileges for three years.
Crossbow season for deer extended in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Deer hunters in Kentucky are getting a longer crossbow season, after a proposal to expand the season went into effect May 31. The new crossbow season will open the third Saturday in September and close the third Monday in January. This year it’s Sept. 21 to Jan. 20. A statement from the state Fish and Wildlife Department…
Going against the walleye current: Bass fishing catching on in North Dakota
In this walleye-crazy state, bass fishermen are viewed as a bit of an oddity by some, but the number of dedicated bass fishermen continues to grow.
In Washington state’s Skagit County, elk damage costing farmers $1.4 million a year
About three-quarters of the farmers said they experienced elk damage over a combined 5,182 farmland acres.
Oregon wildlife commissioners adopt wolf management plan
Under the old plan, a wolf that attacked livestock twice or more over any period of time was deemed a “chronic depredator” and could be killed in the eastern third of the state, where wolves are managed by the state. The new plan will allow the state to kill wolves after two confirmed attacks during a nine-month period.
Researchers: As lake levels rise, so do mercury levels in Wisconsin fish
The state DNR already recommends limiting intake of fish from most of the state’s 15,000 lakes because of mercury.
Record lake levels swamp Erie’s landscape
Tidelike motion is continuing to flow in, changing the landscape along the shoreline in Erie County in ways not seen since the mid-1980s, when the water levels of Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes were last at such high levels.
Plan would expand hunting, fishing in wildlife refuges
Under the proposed expansion at sites in 46 states, the number of wildlife refuges where hunting would be allowed would increase by five to 382 while fishing would be allowed at 316 locations.
Arizona turns to muskies to bulk up bass fishery
Hope is tiger muskies will eat small bass, allowing anglers to have larger bass to catch in upcoming years.
A cormorant kingdom grows, and ‘This problem is only just starting’
In mid-May, as many as 10,000 cormorants counted on the Astoria Bridge – a major jump from the 3,400 the state counted last year.
Former Montana guide gets lifetime hunting ban for poaching
Also ordered to pay $33,050 in restitution to the state of Montana.
Audit: Game Commission didn’t track royalties from oil, gas
Auditors said the commission should consider its “full financial position” when making a budget or considering an increase in hunting license fees.
Oregon ranchers blame eagles for livestock deaths
State and federal reports say predation of livestock by eagles is rare on the North Coast. Many people don’t report it or are not sure it’s a bald eagle that did the killing.
Caterwauling cats: The sight – and sounds – as pair of Canada lynx face off [video]
BANGOR, Maine — A Maine man who was scouting fishing locations came across a rare sight: A pair of Canada lynx facing off on a dirt road. Daniel Wadleigh, of Belgrade, tells the Bangor Daily News that the two cats were so focused on their showdown that they didn’t notice him Friday night. He stopped his truck and shot video…
Conservation Congress rejects CWD bounties idea
Board delegates worried over creating a bounty system and the amount of payouts and believe the DNR should continue researching CWD.
With hunting in limbo, grizzlies on the move in U.S. Rockies
Run-ins with bears are happening in agricultural areas where the fearsome animals hadn’t been seen for decades, raising tensions in communities over the grizzly’s status as a federally protected species in the U.S. outside Alaska. They now occupy almost 27,000 square miles, a range that has grown 34 percent in the past decade.
DNR board OKs bear revisions, disallows hounds in new zone
The revisions mark the first updates to the management plan since 1980.
Fight over wolf hunting in Minnesota is heating up again
MINNEAPOLIS — The last time the federal government removed endangered species protections for wolves in Minnesota, the state held recreational hunts aimed in part at culling the population. The open seasons between 2012 and 2014 were controversial, yet backed by both Democratic and Republican leaders, including DFL Gov. Mark Dayton. Now, as the federal government prepares to cut gray wolves…
Officials: Asian carp DNA found near Lake Michigan
But a follow-up search turned up none of the invasive fish.
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