Sturgeon spearing season fizzles out at end but exceeds 2016
The season as a whole was fairly successful, with spearers harvesting 847 sturgeon this year, exceeding the 703 sturgeon taken last year.
Associated Press
Improved technology saves maple syrup producers time, energy
The new machine removes more water from sap, leaving it with higher sugar content and the concentrated sap takes half the time to boil into syrup. Dozens of producers in Vermont, New York, Maine and Wisconsin are now using the machines.
Maine’s smelt, highly sought by ice fishermen, have strong winter
Mild winter last year produced hardly any smelt, but the ice has been thick enough for fishing and smelt have been abundant this winter.
Lawmakers again target wolf protections
Meanwhile, both sides in the debate are waiting for a federal appeals court to decide whether to uphold lower court rulings that put wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Wyoming back on the list or to let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service return management of the species to the states.
Nebraska senator renews quest to ban mountain lion hunting
Chambers came close to passing similar legislation in 2014, but it was vetoed by former Gov. Dave Heineman.
Oregon wilderness area remains public after RMEF purchase
The Montana-based elk foundation identified the land as a priority because it lies between elk summer and winter ranges.
Montana Senate tells Wyoming to stop feeding elk outside Yellowstone
Issue is over concerns the feeding grounds increase the transmission of diseases that can be spread north into Montana.
Utah deer capture, relocation program aids homeowners, families in need
Some 35 deer were killed and 28 were reportedly relocated through the program in Provo, which ran from October to December.
Environmental, fishing groups sue to save migrating salmon
Hope is to provide cooler habitat for migrating fish in the Columbia River system of Washington and Oregon.
Warmer weather puts dent in Illinois maple syrup production
Sap was collected a couple times, but “this long warm spell has put a damper on our efforts.”
Human cases of tick-borne Lyme disease rise in Michigan
There were less than 30 human cases of Lyme disease reported in Michigan in every year between 2000 and 2004, but the number had jumped to 90 reported cases by 2009, and by 2013, it was nearly 170 cases.
Stampede! Drone causes 1,500 elk to charge in Wyoming
Washington, D.C., man gets $280 ticket after he launched the drone from a highway pullout and flew it over the resting elk herd.
Montana considers asking Congress to lift grizzly protections
Federal wildlife officials are considering removing protections for grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park. This resolution would take that further and seek to declassify bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Cabinet-Yaak area, as well.
Game officials: 28 pronghorns poached in eastern Idaho
The animals were left to waste in fields near Monteview, a small community about 50 miles northwest of Idaho Falls.
In Washington state, one-day smelt season a bust
Saturday’s short season was intended to serve as research fishery, but also to keep a minimal connection between the public and once-plentiful species.
Bobcat kittens could signal much-needed comeback on Jekyll Island
Except for gray foxes and alligators, the state-owned island has few predators. Meanwhile, white-tailed deer have grown so abundant that the island’s conservation staff fears they may be overfeeding on its plants.
Alaska game board approves using dogs to hunt coyotes
Will restrict the use of dogs to hunting coyotes in the Delta Junction area.
In North Dakota, Lake Metigoshe an ice-fishing treasure
The lake in the Turtle Mountain region is a haven for bluegills and crappies in the wintertime.
Maple syrup producers face challenges in warming world
In the Northeast, maple syrup leaders such as New York and Pennsylvania wonder what’s next.
Exodus of outdoor show from Utah criticized by beneficiaries
Small business owners join Democratic state leaders to speak out against Utah’s Republican leadership for what they called a stubborn stance on public lands that will leave the state without an estimated $45 million in direct spending the shows bring annually.
A celebration of lake sturgeon on Michigan’s Black Lake
Season again comes to a close in a hurry, but the excitement surrounding lake sturgeons runs long and deep here.
Pennsylvania striving to retain women anglers
Reasons why 56 percent of women decline to renew fishing licenses from year to year are among the questions posed to business professors and students to study.
Critics challenge coyote-killing contest in Atlanta
In the Georgia Coyote Challenge, participants can kill as many as five coyotes a month from March through August for a chance to win a lifetime hunting license.
Progress made on reducing Yellowstone bison herd
Management plan calls for a population of 3,000 bison in the region, but about 5,500 live there now.
Gun club event reflects small game hunting decline in Pennsylvania
For numerous reasons, hunter and quarry numbers nowhere near where they used to be.
In Alaska, environmental groups back feds in lawsuits over hunting ban
Federal ban pertains to certain hunting techniques in national refuges and preserves.
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