The SD GFP Commission held their December meeting last week in Pierre.

The Commission finalized the 2013 SD Spring Turkey Seasons and proposed the 2013 Bighorn Sheep Season.  To see a summary of the meeting or to listen to an audio recording of any of the meeting, click here.  To see the Bighorn Sheep proposal, click here.
To see video recordings of information items regarding bighorn sheep, the Legacy Projects that GFP has proposed or the new snowmobile trails smartphone application, click here.
To comment on the proposed Bighorn Sheep season, click here.  Please include your name and city of residence to be included into the public record.
The next GFP Commission meeting will be held at the Ft. Pierre Americinn on Jan. 10-11, beginning at 1 PM CST on Thursday, Jan 10.

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North Dakota Sign Up for Winter BOW

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program is accepting registrations for a one-day winter workshop Jan. 26 at Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Darling, and a three-day workshop Feb. 22, 23 and 24 at Lake Metigoshe State Park, Bottineau.

A darkhouse spearfishing class is offered for $50 at Upper Souris.

Classes at Lake Metigoshe include winter camping, making fish decoys, snowshoeing, winter survival, darkhouse spearfishing, and cross-country skiing. Cost of the workshop is $135.

Women interested in the workshops are encouraged to register online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Those interested should sign up immediately, as each class is limited to 12 participants. Preregistration with payment is required. Equipment will be provided.

More information is available by contacting Nancy Boldt at (701) 328-6312, Brittany Fish at (701) 527-3075, or email ndgf@nd.gov.

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Iowa’s Late Muzzleloader Deer Season Begins Dec. 17

An expected 30,000 hunters will be participating in Iowa’s late muzzleloader season which begins Dec. 17. Although hunters may see fewer deer as numbers have declined in eastern and southern Iowa, the season offers some excellent hunting opportunities.

Last year, 55 percent of the 8,950 deer reported during the late muzzleloader season were does. To avoid over-harvesting deer where they hunt, hunters are encouraged to work with landowners to determine if deer are at desirable levels, and base decisions on how they use the remaining antlerless tags on local herd conditions.

Success during this season depends on finding where deer are feeding and upon the weather. Look for corn or soybean fields that have been combined but not tilled under. Deer will search for waste grain in these areas. With the warm weather there are still some areas with some green grass, clover or cover crops such as winter wheat or winter rye that also would be very attractive. Cold weather will spur the deer to feed more heavily.

Party hunting is not allowed in the late muzzleloader season and hunters are required to wear blaze orange. Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Hunters are also reminded that the statewide archery deer season resumes so they be sharing the woods with bow hunters. About 10 percent of the bow harvest occurs during this late portion of the season.

Deer must be reported using the harvest reporting system by midnight the day after the deer is tagged. Hunters’ accurately reporting their harvest is an important component of Iowa’s deer management program and future hunting opportunities.

Hunters may report their harvest at www.iowadnr.gov, by calling 1-800-771-4692 or at any license vendor. For hunters with internet access, reporting the harvest online is the easiest way to register the deer. Hunters preferring to donate their deer may do so through the Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, which provides needed meat to Iowans through the Food Bank of Iowa. Iowa has one of the largest programs in the nation.

 

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North Dakota Hunter Education Classes in 2013

Individuals interested in taking a hunter education class in 2013 should know that most courses are offered early in the calendar year.

To register for a hunter education course, students need to sign up online at the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Many classes will be added over the next several weeks, and the rest will be added throughout the year as they are finalized.

To register, click on the online services tab, and “online course enrollment” under the hunter education heading. Classes are listed by city, and can also be sorted by start date. To register for a class, click on “enroll” next to the specific class, and follow the simple instructions. Personal information is required.

Those who do not have access to the Internet and want to sign up for a class can call the hunter education program in Bismarck at (701) 328-6615.

State law requires anyone born after Dec. 31, 1961 to pass a certified hunter education course to hunt in the state. Hunter education is mandatory for youth who are turning 12 years old, and children can take the class at age 11.

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Michigan’s muzzleloader deer season begins

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the 2012 muzzleloader season for deer opens today in Zone 1 (Upper Peninsula) and Zone 3 (southern Michigan). The season runs for 10 days in the U.P. and 17 days in southern Michigan.

The 2012 muzzleloader season in Zone 2 (northern Lower Peninsula) runs from Dec. 14-23.

Hunters must possess appropriate licenses. Either a firearm deer license or combination deer license is required to take an antlered buck. An antlerless deer license is required to take antlerless deer. Antler point restrictions and baiting restrictions that applied in earlier seasons remain in effect.

A reminder for crossbow hunters: only hunters with a certified disability may use a crossbow or a modified bow during the muzzleloader season in the Upper Peninsula. This restriction applies to the Upper Peninsula only.

All deer hunters are required to wear hunter orange during muzzleloader season.

For information about hunting in Michigan, including regulations, season dates and bag limits, go to www.michigan.gov/hunting.

Michigan DNR finds 2012 firearm deer season successful, encourages hunters to share harvest information

The 2012 firearm deer season wrapped up late last week, and the Department of Natural Resources announced today that hunter reports from around the state have been mostly positive.
Into the first few days of the firearm season, the number of individuals that purchased a deer license was up 2 percent compared to the same point in 2011. Firearm season check station activity also increased this year in the Upper Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula, but was about the same in the northern Lower Peninsula. Check station data indicated deer were in good condition, with improvements to key measurements compared to 2011.
“Hunters coming to deer check stations have a great opportunity to contribute data that we use to manage the resources they care so much about,” said Dr. Russ Mason, DNR Wildlife Division chief.
Each year the DNR generates preliminary estimates of the firearm deer harvest shortly after the season closes on Nov. 30. Those estimates are replaced by a rigorous assessment of harvest and participation over all deer seasons using an annual hunter mail survey.
The 2012 firearm deer season harvest appears similar or up slightly compared to the 2011 season. Experiences can differ widely within regions. DNR biologists estimate the harvest, compared to 2011, was up perhaps as much as 10 percent across the Upper Peninsula and very similar to last year in the northern Lower Peninsula. Experiences in the southern Lower Peninsula varied widely, and harvest in that region is expected to be anywhere from 5 percent lower to 5 percent higher compared to 2011.
Impacts related to epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), a viral disease that affects Michigan deer but does not have human health concerns, appear to have been highly localized, but pronounced where they did occur. Data on hunter observations about the impacts of EHD collected at the check stations suggested these impacts were not widespread, but the DNR also has been getting input from unsuccessful hunters that did not have deer to bring to a check station.
“Some hunters in southern Michigan saw substantially fewer deer compared to last year,” said Brent Rudolph, DNR Wildlife Division Deer and Elk Program leader, “yet we had pretty good conditions for hunters to enjoy their time afield, and the overall attitudes of deer hunters around the state have been upbeat.”
Rudolph also stressed the importance of cooperation with the hunter harvest survey, which he called “another vital tool for Michigan’s deer program, and another way in which data provided by hunters contributes to our information base.”
Hunters that do not receive a survey in the mail but wish to provide their hunting and harvest information may visit www.michigan.gov/deer and select the Deer Harvest Reporting Form link. Hunters should only provide this information once they have completed all of their 2012 hunting activities, including seasons open through as late as Jan. 1, 2013.

This Pure Michigan Hunt winner could be you - apply today for the hunt of a lifetime

Brad Belcher, one of the 2012 Pure Michigan Hunt winners, had a “bang up time” hunting opening morning at the St. Clair Flats Managed Waterfowl Hunt Area. Belcher took his son along on the coveted southern zone opener. John Darling and Harold Huber, local DNR staffers, gave a tour of the area, put the Belchers up for the night and played guide for them the next morning. The hunters were able to come home with a few less shells and, most importantly, some ducks to show for it.

Belcher was one of three hunters who won the Pure Michigan Hunt last year, which awarded him a prize package every hunter only dreams about. Each winner received licenses to hunt elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer, and first pick on opening morning at any managed waterfowl area. In addition to the licenses, the three winners received an amazing hunter’s prize package of guns and gear.

Belcher was able to bag a 12-point buck during archery season with one of his Pure Michigan Hunt prizes, a complete Darton crossbow package. On opening morning of firearm deer season, he took an eight-point buck, and for the first time in a long time, he took two bucks.

With the December elk season coming up soon, Belcher is getting ready for his elk hunt and planning to take his entire family along. As a Pure Michigan Hunt winner, he was able to hunt elk in September, but could be choosy enough to opt out of harvesting an elk during that period. Unlike a normal elk license, a Pure Michigan Hunt elk license allows winners to hunt during all hunt periods until the elk is harvested.

Do you want to be the next Pure Michigan Hunt winner? Apply now!

Grab unlimited $4 applications online www.mdnr-elicense.com or anywhere hunting licenses are sold. Applications must be purchased by Dec. 31, 2012. The three winners will be drawn, and drawing results will be posted online on Jan. 28, 2013.

This year’s prize package includes all limited-quota licenses and the following gear:
2012 Darton crossbow package
30.06 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 MUCC
Sitka camouflage clothing 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 the Quality Deer Management Association
National and local memberships from Safari Club International
Sweatshirt and hat from the Southwest Lake Erie chapter of Waterfowl USA