North Dakota - Deer Season for Young Hunters Opens Sept. 19

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friday, Sept. 19 at noon signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for youth ages 12-15.

Licensed residents ages 12 and 13, and 11-year-olds who turn age 12 in 2014, are allowed to hunt statewide, but only for antlerless white-tailed deer. Resident deer gun hunters age 14 or 15, and 13-year-olds who turn age 14 in 2014, with a “youth season” license, can hunt statewide for any deer, except antlerless mule deer in units 3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F. In addition, a special license is required to hunt antlered mule deer in those same units.

After opening day, hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Solid daylight fluorescent orange vests or coats, and hats are required for all young hunters and their adult mentors.

Each youth deer hunter must be under direct supervision of an adult while in the field.

In addition to the deer license, hunters must possess a general game and habitat license and hunting certificate.

The youth deer season closes Sunday, Sept. 28.

DNR conservation officers emphasize tree-stand safety as hunters gear up for fall

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hunting from a tree stand is a popular way for hunters to enjoy their season, but nearly every year a Michigan hunter is seriously injured or killed falling out of a tree stand. Conservation officers at the Department of Natural Resources remind hunters of the top safety tips when it comes to tree stands.

Before a hunt, know your equipment:

• Read and understand the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings before using a tree stand and harness.
• Check the stand, straps and chains before you go out for signs of wear and tear or missing parts.
• Practice at ground level with your tree stand and harness with a friend or family member.
• Learn how to properly use your harness. The DNR recommends a full-body harness.
• Waist belts or upper body-only harnesses can cause serious injuries or death in a fall. 

When scouting for a tree:

• Choose a healthy, straight tree that is the right size to hold you and your stand.
• Check the tree beforehand for insect nests or animal dens.
• Avoid using climbing stands on smooth-barked trees, especially during icy or wet weather.
• Clear debris from the base of the tree to minimize injury from a fall and to ensure a sturdy base if using a ladder stand. 

During your hunt:

• Tell a reliable person where you are hunting and when you can be expected to return.
• Wear a full-body harness and make sure it is connected to the tree at all times. If using a ladder stand or climbing sticks, attach the harness before securing the platform to the tree or stepping onto it.
• Climb higher than your stand and always step down onto your platform.
• Wear boots with non-slip soles.
• Never carry equipment when climbing – use a haul line to raise and lower equipment, unloaded firearm or bow. Do not attach the line near the trigger or trigger guard of your firearm.
• Have emergency equipment – a knife, cellphone, flashlight and/or whistle. 

"DNR conservation officers responding to tree-stand falls see the same mistakes over and over – not using a harness or a haul line,” said Sgt. Tom Wanless, supervisor of the DNR hunter education program. “Nationally, 82 percent of hunters who fall from a tree stand are wearing a harness, but it’s not connected. And 86 percent of tree-stand falls take place during the climb up or down. Harnesses and haul lines save lives.”

For more information about tree stand safety, go to the Treestand Manufacturers Association website at www.tmastands.com. For more information about hunting in Michigan, visit the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/hunting.  

DEER SEASON IS HERE

Kansas deer season is upon us and with a variety of seasons to choose from, it’s important hunters stay informed and organized. The 2014 deer season kicks off with the youth and Sept. 14, 2014, followed by the muzzleloader season, Sept. 15 - 28, 2014, and the archery season, Sept. 15 - Dec. 31, 2014. Resident hunters can obtain deer permits over the counter from any license vendor, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism office, and online at ksoutdoors.com. A resident hunter who purchases an Any-season White-tailed Deer permit can hunt during any season with equipment legal for that season. Other permits may be equipment and season specific, as listed on the permit.

disabled season going on now through

New this year, hunters can reference color-coded calendars found in the2014 Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summaryand online at ksoutdoors.com to keep track of season dates.

All hunters hunting deer during a firearm deer season and persons assisting, are required to wear blaze orange while in the field. A minimum of 100 square inches on the front and 100 square inches on the back must be visible. A blaze orange hat must also be worn.

Last year, more than 120,000 hunters pursued deer in Kansas, harvesting nearly 90,000 deer and spending 1.4 million hunting days afield. Overall success rate for active hunters was 51 percent.

For more information on the 2014 Kansas deer season, consult the2014 Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summaryor visit ksoutdoors.com

2014 Wisconsin Fall Hunting and Trapping Forecast is now available!

With a number of 2014 fall hunting and trapping seasons just around the corner, the

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will once again offer a Fall Hunting and Trapping Forecast. The fall forecast provides a great deal of information and helpful tips for all types of hunting and trapping.

To view this year’s hunting and trapping forecast, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword “forecast.”

Highlights for the 2014 fall season include the FFLIGHT Program and new early teal season. Deer hunters will find everything they need to know for the 2014 season in this year’s forecast, from updated deer management units to helpful hunting forecasts.

DNR Customer Service staff is available to assist the public online and via phone from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Spanish and Hmong bilingual customer service representatives are also available. Customers may reach customer service at 1-888-WDNR INFo (1-888-936-7463) or by e-mail at csweb@wisconsin.gov.

Michigan DNR seeks partners in new hunting and habitat program

The Department of Natural Resources is looking for partners in a new hunting and wildlife management program called the Grouse Enhanced Management System (GEMS), in

which timber is intensively managed to improve ruffed grouse habitat and hunting opportunities. Seven GEMS are being formed in both the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula for a fall 2014 hunting season debut.

GEMS will be managed primarily for aspen and harvested on a shortened rotation. Normally aspen is cut every 60 years, but within the GEMS, aspen is intended to be young and thick – the best habitat for grouse and woodcock – and will be cut about every 40 years. Each GEMS area will contain gated roads, which will allow hunters to meander among different-aged aspen stands without concern for vehicle traffic.

Each GEMS area will have a parking lot, an information station and signs, as well as local community partners, and each will:

• Provide unique, walk-in hunting opportunities.
• Promote hunter recruitment and retention.
• Expand local economies.
• Accelerate timber harvest opportunities.

Groups or organizations interested in partnering with GEMS can contact Katie Keen at 231-775-9727.

NO ADDITIONAL DEER TEST POSITIVE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE

Identifying Animals at Risk from CWD. A raccoon family feeds on a deer carcass staked out by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, in a study aimed at determining which species could be at risk of contracting CWD. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A deer shot during the regular gun season in Allamakee County was the lone positive out of more than 4,000 samples collected from 2013/14 looking for the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Iowa.

That positive sample from a wild deer was the focus of three public meetings in April, where the DNR engaged Allamakee and Clayton County residents to work together to increase surveillance and the number of deer samples collected in a five mile radius from where the positive deer was harvested.

“This additional surveillance, along with more than 1,100 deer sampled in the past 12 years in this immediate area, will help us to determine if CWD has spread to other deer. If no further cases are found in the next three years, we will go back to routine testing,” said Dr. Dale Garner, chief of Wildlife for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “If additional cases are found, we will work with the public to decide how to proceed.”

Since 2002, the Iowa DNR has sampled nearly 51,000 wild deer and 3,500 captive deer and elk for CWD. A majority of samples came from 11 counties in northeast Iowa, which is the area closest to the CWD endemic areas in Wisconsin and Illinois, and Minnesota’s southeast containment area.

Sampling effort also concentrated on three areas surrounding captive facilities that had animals test positive in Iowa in 2012 and the area north of where Missouri’s positive CWD deer have been found.

No additional positive CWD results have been found in wild deer. The DNR is encouraging the public to report all road kill deer, and sick or severely emaciated deer found in the targeted area by calling563-546-7962 or 563-380-3422.

Putting an End to Deer Poaching on Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Thanks to an anonymous tip and solid investigative work, a 17-year serial poacher from

Minnesota was sentenced in federal court today after pleading guilty to a Lacey Act violation for transporting wildlife that was unlawfully taken in violation of federal law. In October 2013, William Robert Welsh, age 41 of St. Cloud, Minnesota pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

A plea agreement outlines an admission from Welsh that, in October of 2011, Welsh shot and killed a deer in the closed area of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. The following day, Welsh sawed off the deer’s antlers and transported them to his residence, leaving the remainder of the carcass in the field. Welsh later transported the antlers and other evidence to another person’s residence and instructed them to hide the items.

As part of the sentence, Judge Franklin L. Noel of the Minnesota District announced that Welsh is barred from hunting “big game” anywhere in the United States for five years, banned from entering Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge for five years and forfeits his seized firearm and hunting equipment, along with trophy deer mounts and antlers from seven illegally taken deer. Judge Noel placed Welsh on two years of probation and 100 hours of community service, additionally banned Welsh from hunting small game during that time.   

This court case stems from a joint U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources investigation that documented what may be the most extensive poaching activity in the history of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. Welsh’s illegal deer hunting operation was located north of Zimmerman, Minnesota in an area of the refuge that is closed to all public access.

“This investigation revealed at least a decade of egregious poaching on the refuge and other areas throughout the state,” explained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Zone Law Enforcement Officer Brent Taylor.

“While the loss to the resource cannot be undone, it is good to know that this poacher will not be able to continue his unethical behavior anywhere in the country,” continued Taylor.

The investigation started when Federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer Scott Pariseau received a call in November 2011 through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Turn-in-

Part of the illegal poaching by William Robert Welsh
 of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Photo by USFWS

Poachers hotline. Based on that information, investigators located Welsh unlawfully hunting in the closed area of the refuge with his young son. Officer Pariseau, along with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and Office of Law Enforcement special agents, identified five permanent tree stands in the closed area of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge that Welsh used for hunting deer.

“We are pleased to see this poacher brought to justice,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Resident Agent in Charge Pat Lund, supervisor for Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri.

“Gluttonous wanton waste like this has no place on refuge lands and has a negative impact on legal, ethical hunting opportunities,” continued Lund.

Prior to this investigation, Welsh had been cited by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1996 for trespassing and illegally hunting deer in a Minnesota state game refuge, for which Welsh’s hunting privileges were revoked for three years. During an interview in December 2011, Welsh told investigators that, in 1998, while his hunting license was revoked, he hunted using his wife’s deer license and killed a deer and tagged it using his wife’s deer tag. Investigators found and seized this illegally taken deer during the execution of federal and state search warrants at Welsh’s residence in December 2011.

The investigative team discovered that Welsh illegally killed eight white-tailed deer in the closed area of the refuge from 2006 to 2011. Welsh had five of these deer mounted, and simply cut the antlers off the other three. Welsh referred to one of these deer mounts as his “big 8-pointer.” Welsh showed investigators a large tattoo on his back that depicted the skull and antlers of the deer. Welsh also admitted to killing three other deer off the refuge in violation of state law near St. Cloud, Minnesota. A witness told investigators about a fourth deer that Welsh shot at night from a vehicle while using a spotlight.

Investigators re-interviewed Welsh in July 2012, during which time he told investigators he had discarded the five remaining deer that investigators had determined were illegally taken in violation of federal and state laws. In the plea agreement, Welsh agreed to forfeit these five unlawful deer to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but failed to make them available to investigators. In all, Welsh forfeited four deer mounts and the antlers from three other illegally taken deer.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would like to recognize the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and their conservation officers, whose assistance in this investigation was instrumental in the successful outcome of this case.