Pure Michigan Hunt winners - from McBain, Kawkawlin and Westland - take home their prizes

The three Michigan hunters randomly chosen as the 2013 Pure Michigan Hunt winners - Jim Bosscher of McBain, Dave Gittins of Kawkawlin and Jason Webb of Westland - received their prizes at last Feb. 7's Natural Resources Commission meeting in Lansing.

Each winner gets a license to hunt in every limited-access hunt available in 2013. This includes elk, bear, antlerless deer, and spring and fall turkey, as well as first choice at a managed waterfowl area during any open hunting season in the state.

"My friends didn't believe me until they saw my name in the paper a few weeks ago," said Gittins, who owns a roofing business in Kawkawlin. "I still can't believe it!"

Bosscher, the sherriff of Missaukee County, also needed some convincing that he had won. "I thought someone was playing a joke on me, so I had to call around to make sure this was real," he explained.

In addition to the hunting licenses, the Pure Michigan Hunt winners also received the ultimate hunting prize package.

"I can't wait to get home and go through everything again," said Marine Corps veteran Jason Webb.

Winners received the following prizes donated by Michigan companies and organizations:

• 2012 Darton Crossbow package
• 30.06 Ruger Model 77 rifle from Michigan Gun Owners
• 12 GA shotgun from the Lake Effect Chapter of the Michigan Duck Hunters Association
• Camouflage ground blind from Ameristep
• Two-day/two-night guided spring turkey hunt from East Lake Outfitters
• Custom rear-window graphic from Steel Skinz Graphics
• Gas cards and magazine subscriptions from Michigan United Conservation Clubs
• Sitka camouflage clothing package from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Camouflage vest, custom box call and patch from the National Wild Turkey Federation
• Rapid River knife, duck decoy and membership from Ducks Unlimited
• Herd monitoring kit and membership from Quality Deer Management Association
• National and local memberships from Safari Club International
• Sweatshirt and hat from South West Lake Erie Chapter of Waterfowl USA

The 2013 lottery drew a total of 29,295 applications. Dollars generated from this opportunity fund wildlife habitat restoration and improvements in Michigan.

Applications for the 2014 Pure Michigan Hunt go on sale online at all retail license agents and online starting March 1. Hunters may purchase as many Pure Michigan Hunt applications as they like for $4 apiece. Visitwww.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt for more information.

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2013 Pure Michigan Hunt winners named

The dreams of three more Michigan hunters to participate in "the hunt of a lifetime" have come true.

Jason Webb of Westland, Jim Bosscher of McBain, and Dave Gittins of Kawkawlin recently received phone calls from Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason, letting them know they had been chosen as the three lucky winners of the 2013 Pure Michigan Hunt package.

“I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke,” said Missaukee County Sherriff Jim Bosscher of McBain. 

Bosscher and the two other 2013 Pure Michigan Hunt winners will be officially awarded their hunting prize package at the Thursday, Feb. 7, Natural Resources Commission meeting in East Lansing.

“I am like a 5-year-old on Christmas Eve every moment of the day” since finding out, said Marine Corp veteran Jason Webb. 

The three winners each purchased $4 Pure Michigan Hunt applications between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2012 and were randomly drawn in the January lottery. They will each receive all of the available limited hunting licenses for 2013: elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer, and first pick at a managed waterfowl hunt area opening morning. 

In addition to the hunting licenses, each winner will receive the ultimate hunter’s prize package:

• 2012 Darton Crossbow package
• 30.06 Ruger Model 77 rifle from Michigan Gun Owners
• 12 GA shotgun from the Lake Effect Chapter of the Michigan Duck Hunters Association
• Camouflage ground blind from Ameristep
• Guided spring turkey hunt from East Lake Outfitters
• Custom rear-window graphic from Steel Skinz Graphics
• Gas cards and subscriptions from Michigan United Conservation Clubs
• Sitka camouflage clothing from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Camouflage vest, custom box call, and patch from National Wild Turkey Federation
• Rapid River knife, duck decoy and membership from Ducks Unlimited
• Herd monitoring kit and membership from Quality Deer Management Association
• National and local memberships from Safari Club International
• Sweatshirt and hat from Southwestern Lake Erie Chapter of Waterfowl USA

 The next Pure Michigan Hunt application period will start on March 1. Visitwww.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt for more information.

Related articles

• Time is running out to apply for the Pure Michigan Hunt! (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
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• News Roundup: 12/27/2012 (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Hunting and Conservation (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
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Wisconsin: Hunters may harvest deer with tags and collars

Wisconsin wildlife researchers ask for basic, valuable information in return

MADISON – With the upcoming nine-day gun season approaching fast, wildlife researchers are looking for assistance from Wisconsin hunters who may harvest any of the more than 240 white-tailed deer marked with radio-collars and approximately 200 deer marked with ear tags.
The researchers say hunters’ help may play a role in how Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer herd is managed for generations to come. That’s a big impact for help that may take each hunter who harvests a marked deer only a few minutes to provide. With the start of the early archery season a few weeks ago, we have now entered an important phase of the project that involves collecting harvest data from marked deer.
“These deer were marked in 2011 and 2012 as part of a study to better understand how long deer live and how they die,” said Michael Watt, Natural Resource Research Scientist. ”Hunters are free to harvest these marked deer. And if they do, we would like some basic information that shouldn’t take more than a minute to provide.”
The requested information about marked deer include:

• ear tag or radio collar number;
• how, when and where the animal died or was harvested; and,
• the hunter’s phone number, complete with area code.

Hunters are being asked to call Watt at (608) 221-6376 to report this information.
Watt and his colleagues marked the deer in the northern counties of Rusk, Sawyer and Price, and the east central counties of Shawano, Waupaca and Outagamie as part of the buck mortality study and fawn predation study sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Safari Club International (SCI), Wildlife Restoration Funding, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, Whitetails Unlimited, Applied Population Laboratory, Menn Law Firm, and private donations from Wisconsin citizens.
“I want to stress that hunters should treat these deer like any other deer you might see. These deer may be harvested, but the information that hunters provide is important to the research and the future of our deer herd,” said Watt.
While the DNR uses a deer population modeling system built upon sound science and data, Watt says challenges remain.
“The distribution and numbers of predators has changed in the last 20 years and we hope this study can shed some light on how these changes are affecting our deer herd,” Watt says. “Not only is this a wildlife issue, it is an economic issue – Wisconsin’s tourism relies upon its healthy and abundant natural resources. Deer hunting is part of that tourism industry. Our deer hunters have expressed concerns about the impact that predation may be having on deer population growth and recruitment rates across the state – the department is listening to their concerns and trying to better understand predation impacts with our ongoing collaborative research.”
And this is where the hunters come in, Watt says.
“The only way we will be successful in our deer herd management is through hunters’ participation,” Watt says. “And the research partners who make it possible for us to increase our ability to gather this key information.”

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Kansas: HUNTERS NEEDED FOR MANHATTAN-AREA YOUTH/HANDICAP DEER HUNT

Application deadline Aug. 1
MANHATTAN — The 10th Annual Youth/Handicap Assisted Deer Hunt is just three months away, and now is the time to sign up. The Riley County Fish and Game Association; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Reservoir are seeking participants for the hunt, to be held Sept. 8 and 9.

Kansas youth 11 through 16 years old and Kansas residents with a certified disability are eligible to participate in this hunt. Participants will need a Kansas hunting license, a deer permit, and, if required by Kansas law, to take or have taken an approved hunter education course. Sponsoring agencies and associations can provide assistance meeting these requirements, including scholarships to help purchase licenses and permits. Rifles and/or ammunition can be provided, as well.

Each hunt participant will be paired with an experienced hunter who will serve as guide. Arrangements have been made with area lockers, where basic processing of harvested deer will be handled free of charge. Other items provided for this hunt include accessible hunting blinds, access to hunting property, hunter orange hats and vests, and transportation to the field.

Hunt participants will also be required to attend a firearm safety presentation and sight-in at the Fancy Creek Shooting Range at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 19.

Other groups and organizations contributing to this hunt include the Friends of Fancy Creek Range, Kansas City Chapter of Safari Club International, Kansas State Rifle Association, and the Tuttle Creek Lake Association.

For more information or an application, phone Steve Prockish at the Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers Office, 785-539-8511, ext. 3167, or email stephen.e.prockish@usace.army.mil. Applications will be accepted thru Aug. 1.

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(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MADISON – Dozens of volunteers assisted state wildlife researchers in capturing and placing radio-collars on 132 yearling and adult deer in January, February and March. Now the call is going out again for volunteers to help locate fawns born to does that were fitted with implant radio transmitters designed to signal when fawns have been born in mid- to late May.
“With the whitetail birthing season just around the corner, volunteers are again needed to sweep the woods looking for the newborns,” said Chris Jacques, Department of Natural Resources research scientist. “When located, fawns will be fitted with expandable radio collars so we can follow them through their first year of life to determine causes of death, whether it be due to nutrition, environment, vehicle, hunters or predators. This is real applied research and last year’s volunteers found the work rewarding.”

Some hunters have questioned assumptions about fawn recruitment used by wildlife biologists for estimating deer populations. Recruitment is the net addition of new fawns to a population each year and is an important input in estimating deer population numbers. At the end of this three-year effort to monitor fawns, researchers hope to fine tune their inputs to population estimates based on real-world data collected in this research effort.
Volunteers will be assigned to search teams working in the vicinity of Shiocton in Shawano County and Winter in Sawyer County. When transmitters have been expelled (presumably when a fawn has been born), a search team will form a line and comb the woods, somewhat similar to a deer drive, in search of bedded fawns. Opportunistic searching in high quality fawning habitats also will be conducted across both study areas. Captured newborns will be fitted with a radio collar of their own and left for the doe to raise normally.
If a fawn dies, the collar will emit a unique signal that researchers will again use to locate the animal to determine cause of death. The collars are designed to expand as the deer grows and eventually drop off as the animal approaches its first birthday.

Impact of predators on deer populations of special interest to hunters

“Determining causes of death in fawns is vital to the accuracy of our deer population estimates,” said Jacques. “Of special interest is the impact of predators on fawn deaths. We have a suite of predators in Wisconsin, including black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and gray wolves, that may have some impact on yearly fawn production. What we are less certain of are the relative roles that each of these predators may play on fawn recruitment over the course of an entire year.”
During 2011, thanks to the help of volunteers across the state, researchers enjoyed tremendous success capturing fawns. A total of 104 fawns, including 68 (48 radio collared, 20 ear-tagged) in the Shawano area and 36 (30 radio collared, six ear-tagged) in the Winter area, were captured.
“Though we have collected just one year of field data, preliminary evidence indicates that predation (primarily by black bears and bobcats) is likely having some measurable impact on fawn survival across northern Wisconsin, having accounted for 14 of 22 (64 percent) deaths during the first month of life,” according to Jacques. “The predation impact across east central Wisconsin appears to be considerably lower, having accounted for just six of 18 (33 percent) recorded fawn deaths. Vehicle collisions and fawn abandonment appear to be primary causes of death, accounting for half of all recorded fawn deaths in the eastern farmland region. Fawn survival through December 2011 in the northern and east central study areas was 27 and 63 percent, respectively, indicating that the northern forest region is a much tougher place to scratch out a living for fawns than the eastern farmland region of Wisconsin.”
This work is possible only with the involvement and work of dozens of volunteers representing hunting groups such as the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Safari Club International and Whitetails Unlimited, the University of Wisconsin- Madison and UW-Stevens Point, the AFL-CIO Union Sportsmans Alliance, and hundreds of Wisconsin citizens.
“Anyone who has looked for newborn fawns or been startled to discover a fawn lying motionless in the forest or field next to them knows what a challenge it is to find them,” says Jacques. “They have excellent natural camouflage and instinct to remain absolutely still when approached. The transmitters will give us a better idea of where they are but it will still take time on the ground to locate them.”
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer search Deer Research on the DNR website.

Related articles

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OK Hunters making a difference for the hungry

Image via Wikipedia

Every year thousands of hungry Oklahomans reap the benefits of deer season through the Hunters Against Hunger program. 
            According to Becky Rouner, administrator of the Hunters Against Hunger program for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, hunters donated over 49,000 pounds of venison last year. 
            Through the program, hunters who legally harvest a deer during any of this year’s deer seasons can donate the meat to feed the hungry. All they have to do is deliver their harvested deer to the nearest participating meat processor after checking the deer at a hunter check station or online atwildlifedepartment.com. Sportsmen can also use wildlifedepartment.com to view a list of participating meat processors.
            To help with processing charges, each hunter is requested to contribute a tax-deductable $10 to assist with the program. 
            The ground venison is then distributed to the needy through a network of qualified, charitable organizations. Participation by meat processors and hunters is critical in providing this meat source to Oklahoma’s hungry.
            The Wildlife Department pays a special thanks to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of eastern Oklahoma for their participation in the Hunters Against Hunger program. Important donors to this program also include Tulsa-based conservation group NatureWorks, and the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International. To learn more about NatureWorks, log on to natureworks.org. To learn more about the Oklahoma Station Chapter of SCI, log on tooklahomastationsci.org.
            To learn more about the Hunters Against Hunger program, contact the Wildlife Department at(405) 521-4660.

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Wisconsin- Deer Hunt 2011 will air Nov 3 & 8 on Public Television and Nov. 10 & 12 on Fox Sports

Image via Wikipedia

MADISON – Deer Hunt 2011, hosted by Public Television’s Dan Small is set to air on public television on November 3 and 8 and on the Fox Sports Network on November 10 and 12.

This year’s show will be packed with interesting deer hunting features. Some examples include: efforts to recruit new hunters and retain old hunters with a drop in on a youth deer hunt; current deer research focused on answering Wisconsin hunters’ questions about populations and predators; a new deer hunter outreach effort called Hunt, Harvest, Help; deer season forecasts; hunter safety tips; new rules and regulations; and a fireplace conversation on hunting traditions and values.

Broadcast dates and times:

• Milwaukee Public TV: Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 5 at 9 a.m.
• Wisconsin Public TV Digital Wisconsin Channel: Nov. 3 at 8.p.m.
• Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Wisconsin: Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 12 at 8 a.m.

Show segments will also be posted to the DNR webpage following public broadcast dates.

“The annual outbreak of buck fever is spreading rapidly across Wisconsin as the rut and November gun deer season fast approach,” said Tom Hauge, DNR’s wildlife program director. “Deer Hunt 2011 is a fantastic way to kick off the fall hunt and keep your fever under control.”

Host Dan Small will be joined by DNR wildlife biologists and conservation wardens who will share updates and important information hunters should review before they head to the woods for the November deer hunt.

“This is the 20th season for our annual Deer Hunt Special,” Small said. “This year we’ve decided to broaden our reach to include the Fox Sports Network in an effort to reach even more hunters in Wisconsin and also those in Minnesota, the Dakotas and northern Iowa. Wisconsin offers some of the best deer hunting in the U.S., and we hope to help convey that message to our viewers.”

Highlights of the show also will include advice on sighting in a rifle, gear and strategy tips to help hunters improve their chances of success, a look at a hunter recruitment program for college students at UW-Madison and an interview with DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp

Deer researchers will share first year data collected from radio-collared adult deer and fawns on causes of death from predators to vehicles to environmental stresses and how hunters can help by getting involved.

DNR customer service lines will be open during the broadcast and are just a toll-free phone call away nearly every other day of the year. DNR operates its toll-free information line 1-888-WDNR-INFo (936-7463) 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, year round, including right through the hunting seasons when operators have taken calls from hunters sitting on their deer stands on opening morning. The call center is closed only Christmas Eve and Christmas day and New Year’s Eve and New Years day.

“I hope you’ll join Dan and the rest of the crew in this annual salute to one of our most hallowed traditions, the November deer hunt,” Hauge said. “It’s part of who we are in Wisconsin and I wish all hunters good luck and safe hunting.”

Deer Hunt 2011 is sponsored by: Milford Hills Hunt Club; Safari Club International – Wisconsin Chapter; Whitetails Unlimited; Lightfield Ammunition; Rosen Nissan of Milwaukee; Wisconsin Safes; Legendary Whitetails, The Outdoor Heritage Education Center, TenPoint Crossbows, Fuel Powersports of West Bend and the Department of Natural Resources.

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Kansas Deer Hunting: TUTTLE CREEK YOUTH/DISABLED DEER HUNT SEPT. 10-11

Image via Wikipedia

Application deadline Aug. 1
MANHATTAN — The 9th Annual Tuttle Creek Youth/Disabled Assisted Deer Hunt is just around the corner, and staff and volunteers with the Riley County Fish and Game Association, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), and the Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers are seeking participants for the hunt, which will be held Sept.10-11.

The application deadline is Aug. 1.

Kansas youth 11 through 16 years of age and Kansas residents with a certified disability are eligible to participate in this hunt. Participants need a deer permit, and, if required by Kansas law, a Kansas hunting license and an approved hunter education course. Assistance meeting these requirements, including scholarship assistance to purchase a hunting license and deer permit, is available through sponsoring agencies and associations.

Hunt participants will also be required to attend a firearm safety presentation and sight-in at the Fancy Creek Range on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 21. If participants do not have a rifle or ammunition for the hunt, these items will be provided. Each participant will be guided by an experienced hunter. Arrangements have been made with area lockers, where basic processing of harvested deer will be handled free of charge.

Other items provided for this hunt include accessible hunting blinds, hunting locations, hunter orange hats and vests, and transportation to the field.

Additional groups and organizations contributing to this hunt include the Friends of Fancy Creek Range, the Kansas City Chapter of Safari Club International, and the Tuttle Creek Lake Association.

For more information or an application, phone Steve Prockish at the Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers Office, 785-539-8511, ext. 3167, or email Stephen.E.Prockish@usace.army.mil.

Wisconsin Deer Hunters: Help You can Help with Research Project

Image via Wikipedia

Locating new fawns is next step in deer research project; volunteers needed

MADISON – Dozens of volunteers assisted state wildlife researchers in capturing and placing radio-collars on 204 deer in February and March. Now the call is going out again for volunteers to help locate fawns born to does that were fitted with implant radio transmitters designed to signal when fawns have been born in late May and early June.

“With the whitetail birthing season coming up fast, volunteers are again needed to sweep the woods looking for the newborns,” said Chris Jacques, Department of Natural Resources research scientist. “When located, fawns will be fitted with expandable radio collars so we can follow them through their first year of life to determine causes of death whether it be due to nutrition, environment, vehicle, hunters or predators. This is real hands-on field research.”

Some hunters have questioned assumptions about fawn recruitment used by wildlife biologists for estimating deer populations. Recruitment is the net addition of new individuals (fawns) to a population each year and is an important input in estimating deer population numbers. At the end of this three-year effort to monitor fawns, researchers hope to fine tune their inputs based on real-world data collected in this research effort.

Volunteers will be assigned to search teams working in the vicinity of Shiocton in Shawano County and Winter in Sawyer County. When transmitters have been expelled (presumably when a fawn has been born), a search team will form a line and comb the woods, somewhat similar to a deer drive, in search of bedded fawns. Newborns will be quickly fitted with a radio collar of their own and left for the doe to raise normally.

If the fawn dies, the collar will emit a unique signal that researchers will again use to locate the animal to determine cause of death. The collars are designed to expand as the deer grows and eventually drop off as the animal approaches its first birthday.

“Determining causes of death in fawns is vital to the accuracy of our deer population estimates,” said Jacques. “Of special interest is the impact of predators on fawn deaths. We have a suite of predators in Wisconsin that we suspect impact yearly fawn production, including black bear, bobcat, coyote and gray wolves. What we are less certain of are the relative roles that each of those predators plays on fawn recruitment over the course of an entire year.”

He stresses this work is possible only with the assistance of dozens of volunteers representing hunting groups such as the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Safari Club International and Whitetails Unlimited, the University of Wisconsin- Madison and UW-Stevens Point, the AFL-CIO Union Sportsmans Alliance, and hundreds of Wisconsin citizens.

“Anyone who has looked for newborn fawns or been startled to discover a fawn lying motionless in the forest or field next to them knows what a challenge it is to find them,” says Jacques. “They have excellent natural camouflage and instinct to remain absolutely still when approached. The transmitters will give us a better idea of where they are but it will still take time on the ground to locate them.”

For more information and to sign up as a volunteer go to the Deer Research page of the DNR website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Jacques – (608) 221-6358 or Bob Manwell - (608) 264-9248