By Morgan Lyle Contributing Writer Washington, D.C. — For untold generations, the only requirement for saltwater fishing in New York waters has been the willingness to get up early and to endure the wind and the waves. But if a proposal by the Bush administration goes through, New York’s saltwater anglers will soon be required to obtain a fishing license,…
By Paul Smith Correspondent Kenosha, Wis. — Anglers have strongly supported a plan by fisheries managers to reduce Lake Michigan chinook stocking by 25 percent, but also have expressed concerns about how and where the cuts should be made. Fisheries managers, biologists, and anglers from the four Lake Michigan states gathered Sept. 24 at UW-Parkside in Kenosha for the Lake…
By Steve Piatt Editor Elizabethtown, N.Y. — Deer hunters in New York’s Northern Zone can, with apologies to the folks at Burger King, pretty much have it their way. Looking for some high-density deer populations in farmland-type settings? Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties are your best bets. How about a back-country excursion into the remote Adirondacks wilderness in search of…
By Steve Piatt Editor Buffalo, N.Y. — Only time will tell whether New York hunters ever take crossbows into the field. Until then, the debate over crossbow use won’t likely go away. While crossbow advocates point to other states that have launched crossbow hunting seasons in various forms, opponents continue to gear up for a battle that seems almost certain…
By Bill Parker Editor Gaylord, Mich. — Michigan hunters participating in the early elk season found the hunting to be a little tougher than normal. Of the 60 hunters who received a kill tag for the Aug. 27-31 and Sept. 9-12 season, 30 were successful in killing an elk. That compares to some years past when upwards of 90 to…
By Bill Parker Editor Cannon Township, Mich. — A viral infection found mostly in horses has been pegged by scientists from Michigan State University and the Michigan DNR as the cause of the recent rash of sick deer in northeastern Kent County. As of Sept. 23, researchers at the state’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health in East Lansing…
By Kenny Darwin Correspondent Grand Rapids, Mich. — Michigan salmon anglers are somewhat perplexed by recent fishing results. Unseasonably warm weather has the fishery in a state of flux. In August, cool nights and chilly Great Lakes water temperatures sent chinook up traditional salmon tributaries like the Big Grand Rapids and Pere Marquette, officials say. Then, warm weather and southwest…
By Marty Kovarik Correspondent Marquette, Mich. — The Marquette State Fish Hatchery has the capacity to produce approximately 1.1 million fish each year. However, a small number of fish are the most popular among visitors to the hatchery. And one big lake trout – a 10-pound albino – could indeed be dubbed the star attraction. According to Sharon Babbitt, a…
By Carol Mulvihill Contributing Writer Benezette, Pa. — The illegal shooting of an elk along Gray Hill Road in Jay Township, Elk County, last month may be linked to a bizarre 32-hour spree of shootings, burglaries and eight suspected camp arsons, according to state police. Suspects have been taken into custody for the crimes, according to Trooper Bruce Morris, but…
By Jeff Mulhollem Editor Harrisburg — Sagging hunting license sales rebounded some last month — and antlerless deer tags sold at a brisk pace — leaving game commissioners and agency staffers to hope that the downturn is temporary and short-lived. According to Jerry Feaser, Game Commission press secretary, compared to July and August 2004, sales figures from the last two…
By Jeff Mulhollem Editor Harrisburg — In response to chronic wasting disease being found in a road-killed West Virginia buck near the Pennsylvania border, the state’s CWD Task Force recently announced a series of measures. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and comprised of the Game Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection, the state Emergency Management Agency and two…
By Jeff Mulhollem Editor A recent Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission report saying that despite smallmouth mortalities from a bacterial infection this summer, the bass situation on the Susquehanna looks positive, was greeted by disbelief by a well-known river fishing guide. “Despite mortalities from a bacterial infection, the relative abundance of juvenile bass in the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers is…
By Jeff Mulhollem Editor University Park, Pa. „ These days, with repeated stark TV images of flooding in New Orleans and devastation in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico „ all wrought by Hurricane Katrina „ Bryan Swistock almost hates to mention it. But in dry years like this one, he points out, it is often heavy rains brought north…
By Tim Spielmant Associate Editor St. Paul – Despite the encouragement of state wildlife officials and the involvement of groups attempting to involve more youths and women, hunting continues to be underutilized by suburban municipalities, hunt supporters say. Wendell Diller said he’s tried, without much success, to offer hunting opportunities in the metro to a segment of the hunting community…
By Robert Imrie Associated Press Jurors deliberated three hours before ruling last Friday Hayward, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin jury convicted an Asian immigrant of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of six deer hunters, rejecting his claims that he fired in self-defense after being shot at and taunted by racial slurs. Chai Soua Vang, an ethnic Hmong who came…
By Joe Albert Staff Writer St. Paul – As the Oct. 1 waterfowl opener looms, hunters aren’t the only ones with ducks on their minds. With a poor season last year still fresh in the mind of many – hunters killed about 683,000 ducks – the DNR is preparing a recovery plan in an effort to boost the state’s duck…
By Joe Albert Staff Writer Grand Marais, Minn. – The DNR is considering a proposal to increase its stock of “scientific and natural areas” open to hunting by adding two Cook County units to the list. Currently, 44 of the state’s 138 SNAs are fully or partially open to hunting, or about 162,000 of the 184,000 total SNA acres, said…
By Robert Imriet Associated Press Hayward, Wis. (AP) „ A jury last Friday convicted an immigrant truck driver of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of six deer hunters during a confrontation over trespassing, rejecting his claims that he fired in self-defense after one hunter used racial slurs and another shot at him. Chai Soua Vang, 36, of St. Paul,…
SAK audit taking shape By Dean Bortz Editor Madison „ Even as the DNR is preparing for 10 hearings regarding the 2006 deer season framework, wildlife managers are working on the Sex-Age-Kill audit while trying to clarify an error in its 2005 deer herd projection that has been posted on the DNR web site and listed in press releases. Turning…
By Steve Piatt Editor New Hartford, N.Y. — Deer hunters in several Southern Tier counties will be allowed to tote rifles into the deer woods this fall, but for some, there may be a problem. They don’t own one. Gun dealers in those affected counties, however, are hoping the new law sparks a wave of rifle sales. “We’re hoping to…
Albany — An angler creel survey on Lake Ontario’s popular tributaries this fall will help DEC manage the fishery for the future. DEC officials said the survey will be used to gather information on population trends, habitat preferences, angler effort, and other aspects of the fishery. The creel survey will be conducted on 28 tributary streams, ranging from Twelvemile Creek…
By Steve Piatt Editor Albany — Their numbers may be shrinking, and so, too, may be the species they pursue, but the fact remains that thousands of hunters will take to the woods next month as the small game season kicks into high gear across New York State. In fact, hunters in some portions of the state have already done…
By Tim Eisele Correspondent Spooner, Wis. „ By the time the Natural Resources Board takes up the topic of Crex Meadows expansion again at its October meeting, the DNR should have more information for board members regarding local officialsÍ concern about payment in lieu of taxes for the proposed area of expansion. At the boardÍs August meeting in Spooner, DNR…
By Dean Bortz Editor La Crosse, Wis. „ Heading into a September tournament that is supposed to help the DNR assess the losses of culled bass, the agency will test Shawano Lake for a bass virus ahead of the tournament Ü so it can avoid a fish kill like the one that occurred in La Crosse in early August. The…
By Paula Piattt Associate Editor Ilion, N.Y. — Members of the New York State Assembly’s Republican Hunting and Fishing Task Force are continuing their tour around the state, looking for input from business, sportsmen and tourism officials. The group, led by Chairman William Barclay, R-Pulaski, has been meeting with group representatives throughout the state, asking for their input on hunting…
By Marty Kovarik Correspondent Marquette, Mich, — A large increase in Lake Superior’s population of sea lamprey from 2004 to 2005 has many anglers and some biologists concerned that the blood-sucking parasite is once again out of control in the world’s largest freshwater lake. However, officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Sea Lamprey Management Program in…
