Archive for February 12th, 2010

DNRE Invites Public to Discuss Draft Deer Management Plan

Friday, February 12th, 2010 Posted in Deer Hunting News | No Comments »

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment is inviting the public to participate in the deer management planning process. Throughout February and March, eight public open house meetings will be held across Michigan to discuss the draft statewide deer management plan. These meetings will be held 7 to 9 p.m. EST, with the exception of the Crystal Falls meeting, which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. CST. "These open houses are to present the first draft of the Deer Management Plan to the public and to receive comments on the plan," said John Niewoonder, DNRE wildlife habitat biologist. "The citizen-based Deer Advisory Team, DNRE staff and others involved with the recommendations for this plan have worked diligently to create this document." Read more..

Annual Student Archery Tournament Going Live In Newberry

Friday, February 12th, 2010 Posted in Outdoor Events | No Comments »

The 2010 Florida National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament will be held in Newberry on Feb. 27. The tournament will be conducted in two formats: a live tournament competition that will take place at the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex and a virtual tournament for schools that cannot afford to travel, according to Steve Robbins of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida’s National Archery in the Schools Program coordinator. “The virtual tournament will allow schools to shoot for score in their own gymnasium and have their results compiled in a database of live and virtual tournament participants,” Robbins said. Schools started shooting Feb. 8 and will continue through Feb. 19, and then they’ll mail in their results. Read more..

Northeastern Minnesota Furbearer Registrations Higher Than Last Year

Friday, February 12th, 2010 Posted in Trapping News | No Comments »

Furbearer registrations in northeast Minnesota for the 2009 trapping season increased 13 percent from 2008, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Jeff Lightfoot, DNR regional wildlife manager, said trappers registering 154 more marten, 118 more otter, 240 more bobcat and 112 fewer fisher. The 2009-2010 season for marten and fisher was a nine-day season. This season length was instituted in 2007 to reduce the harvest of these two species due to a high harvest in 2006. A similar harvest to 2008 suggests that the shortened season length is producing the desired result of a reduced harvest level on these two species. Read more..

Steelhead Fishing Will Close Feb. 18 Around Puget Sound

Friday, February 12th, 2010 Posted in Fishing News | No Comments »

Steelhead fishing will close Feb. 18 in five major river systems in the Puget Sound area to protect wild fish, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. The closure will affect the Puyallup, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Samish and Snohomish rivers and their tributaries. Pre-season estimates developed by the department indicate that returns of wild steelhead will fall far short of target levels in all five river systems, said Bob Leland, WDFW steelhead manager. "This is the fourth straight year that we've seen a downward trend in wild steelhead returns," Leland said. "These closures are necessary to meet the conservation objectives of our statewide steelhead management plan and comply with provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA)." Read more..