Ohio: Hunters Take 19,251 White-tailed Deer During Statewide Muzzleloader Season

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COLUMBUS, OH - Hunters took 19,251 deer during Ohio's muzzleloader season, January 7-10, with Coshocton County again leading the state with 722 deer checked.   In 2011, a preliminary total of 16,934 deer were taken during muzzleloader season.

Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked during the muzzleloader season included: Coshocton-722, Licking-639, Muskingum-638, Guernsey-612, Tuscarawas-581, Belmont-577, Harrison-569, Knox-470, Meigs-466, and Jefferson-465.

Hunters can enjoy deer hunting through February 5 as the archery season continues.  Hunters who wish to share their success may submit a photo of themselves and the deer taken at wildohio.com.

Hunters can still donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need.  The division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison.  Hunters who give their deer to a participating food bank are not required to pay the processing cost while funding for the effort is available.  Counties being served by this program can be found online atwww.fhfh.org

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No additional CWD positive deer detected in southeastern Minnesota

That’s what the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has received following the testing of more than 2,300 deer this fall and winter for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD was discovered last fall in a hunter-harvested white-tailed deer near Pine Island. Since then the DNR has instituted several hunting regulation changes including mandatory submission of samples for disease testing of deer taken in the CWD zone.

“The 2011 deer hunting season is over and extensive sampling in southeastern Minnesota did not detect a single case of CWD,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR wildlife research manager. Cornicelli said test results lend confidence “that we caught the disease on the front end of the infection.” Since the discovery of CWD in a wild white-tailed deer in fall 2010, DNR has sampled 1,850 adult deer without finding another positive.

Cornicelli said 1,125 adult deer were tested in CWD zone (deer permit area 602) during the hunting season and an additional 1,265 samples were obtained from deer areas surrounding the CWD zone. .

Cornicelli said there are no plans to conduct winter sharpshooting. However, hunter-harvested surveillance will be conducted again during the 2012 deer season. While the evidence suggests there is not a widespread CWD infection, surveillance in future years is needed to make that final determination. Also, a deer feeding ban remains in effect in Dodge, Goodhue, Olmsted, and Wabasha counties for the foreseeable future.

“Overall, hunter cooperation and public support has been tremendous,” said Cornicelli. “While there are always challenges when you conduct this type of surveillance effort, it really couldn’t have been successful without the cooperation of hunters, taxidermists, landowners, and the businesses that allowed us to operate check stations.”

Cornicelli also thanked the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association for their support in the surveillance effort and for donating a muzzleloader as a raffle prize as an incentive for hunters to provide a CWD sample.

See maps of the surveillance area and where samples were taken on DNR CWD page.

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• Sampling of 1,300 deer shows no sign of CWD so far (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
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IOWA REMAINING HUNTING SEASONS STARTING TO CLOSE

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Iowa’s pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and fall turkey seasons close on Jan. 10.  The January antlerless deer season is Jan. 11 to 29. Furbearer seasons, squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31.

Rabbit season is open until Feb. 28. Crow season is Jan. 14 to March 31. Pigeon season closes on March 31. Beaver trapping season closes on April 15.

For waterfowl, the south zone for Canada goose hunting closes Jan. 11 and the light goose season, south zone closes Jan. 13. The light goose conservation order season is open Jan. 14 to April 15 statewide additional licenses and fees apply.

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IOWA: 2011 HUNTING, FISHING LICENSES EXPIRE 1/11/2012

All 2011 Iowa hunting and fishing licenses expire on Jan. 10, 2012. All hunters and anglers will need a 2012 license to hunt or fish beginning Jan. 11. 

North Dakota: 2012 Season Opening Dates, Calendar of Events

January 2012

8: ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, male pheasant, and tree squirrel seasons close

February 2012

15: spring turkey application deadline

March 2012

10: spring crow season opens
28: moose, elk and bighorn sheep application deadline

April 2012

1: 2012-13 fishing license required
14: spring turkey season opens (tentative)

June 2012

2: free fishing day
3: free fishing day
6: deer gun and muzzleloader application deadline

July 2012

5: fall turkey application deadline

August 2012

11: fall crow season opens (tentative)
15: swan application deadline
31: deer bow, mountain lion seasons open (tentative)

September 2012

1: dove season opens (tentative)
8: sharptail, partridge, ruffed grouse and squirrel seasons open (tentative)
14: youth deer opens
15: youth waterfowl and sandhill crane seasons open (tentative)
22: early resident waterfowl season opens (tentative)
29: regular waterfowl season opens (tentative)

October 2012

6: youth pheasant season opens (tentative)
13: pheasant and turkey seasons open (tentative)
27: mink, muskrat and weasel trapping seasons open (tentative)

November 2012

9: deer gun season opens (tentative)
30: muzzleloader deer season opens (tentative)

December 2012

1: darkhouse spearfishing season opens (tentative)

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Ohio Wildlife Council Hears 2012-2013 Hunting Regulations Proposals

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COLUMBUS, OH – The 2012-13 hunting and trapping regulation proposals were presented on January 4 to the Ohio Wildlife Council by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

September 1 is the proposed kick-off date for the state's fall hunting season beginning with squirrel and dove hunting. Other proposed hunting and trapping rules will be similar to those now in effect, with only slight changes to fall and spring hunting dates.

Hunters age 17 and under are proposed access to hunt statewide for rabbit, pheasant and all other legal game in season during two designated weekends, October 20-21 and 27-28. Spring youth turkey season is proposed for April 20-21, 2013.

The remainder of the proposals concerning Ohio's white-tailed deer hunting will be heard during a separate Wildlife Council meeting on February 8.

Open houses will be held on Saturday, March 3 in each of the state's five wildlife districts to provide the public an opportunity to view and discuss proposed hunting and trapping regulations with state wildlife officials. Directions to the open houses can be found at wildohio.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

A statewide hearing on all of the proposed rules will be held at the Division of Wildlife’s District One office on Thursday, March 8 at 9 a.m.. The office is located at 1500 Dublin Road in Columbus.

After considering public input, the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on the proposed rules and season dates during its April 4 meeting.

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Minnesota DNR conservation officers take aim to free dee

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Conservation officers (CO) with the Minnesota Department of Natural resources recently saved a couple of deer by shooting them.
State conservation officer Jeremy Woinarowicz of Thief River Falls received a call Dec. 28 that two bucks were locked together by their antlers in a field near Warren in Polk County. When Woinarowicz arrived at the scene, he noticed that the larger buck had already died and the live buck was frantically trying to break free.
“I did not have any assistance and I did not want the buck to stay attached any longer. I recalled that several years ago CO Greg Oldakowski of Wadena used his sidearm to shoot the antlers and free a couple of bucks that were locked together,” Woinarowicz said.
“I didn’t know if the buck that was still alive would survive the stress of roping, hog tying and sawing of antlers, so I decided to use the ‘Oldakowski Method.’”
Taking care and careful aim not to harm the live buck, Woinarowicz shot multiple tines off of each of the bucks, but that was not enough to free them. He decided he needed more firepower.
“I retrieved my duty shotgun from my patrol vehicle. A single well-placed slug on the dead buck’s antlers did the trick. The antlers flew apart and the live buck bounded away with one antler attached, and lived to fight another day,” Woinarowicz said.
Meanwhile across the state in Cook County, CO Darin Fagerman of Grand Marais received a call Tuesday of a buck with its antlers wrapped up in a hammock.
“It was dark and the deer was extremely tangled in the hammock, but the buck was still on its feet and able to move,” Fagerman said.
Fagerman and the caller cautiously approached the buck a couple of times to see if they could position themselves to free the animal, but each time the buck turned and kicked its hind legs in their direction.
Fagerman said the hammock was so wrapped up on one of the buck’s antlers that there was little hope of releasing it without injuring himself or the caller. Killing the deer was “the last thing I wanted to do, but I was running out of time and options,” he said.
Approaching the deer with his flashlight and sidearm, Fagerman shot but missed when the deer moved. It proved to be a saving shot.
“The gunshot startled the buck, which then pulled straight back on the hammock, exposing about two inches of the antler just above the base of the head,” Fagerman said. “Thankfully, the buck stayed still and I was then able to shoot the antler off. The deer, wasting no time, then ran off into the darkness,” Fagerman said.
“Conservation officers never know what they may encounter.”

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