New Cy Curtis State Record Mule Deer Harvested

Mule deer(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While bow hunting elk in Cimarron County, Chandler Henderson took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and bagged a record-breaking buck. With a final score of 191 7/8 inches, he now holds the all-time Cy Curtis record for a typical mule deer taken in Oklahoma.

     Henderson's wife, Brooke, spotted the big buck first. Henderson drew back his bow and let an arrow fly. Henderson knew he had just harvested a large mule deer, but a state-record mule deer was "out of the question," he said.

     After a week, Henderson's curiosity got the best of  him. He decided to green-score the antlers on the Boone and Crockett website to estimate what the deer would score. Realizing he might have a state-record mule deer, Henderson contacted official scorer, Weston Storer who is a biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation at Beaver River, Optima and Rita Blanca wildlife management areas.  After a 60-day drying period required for all trophies, the mule deer was officially scored. It is required that all potential state-record trophies be scored by three certified Boone and Crockett scorers. The final score of 191 7/8 surpassed the previous Cy Curtis record by more than 11 inches. Henderson along with another hunter are the only two sportsmen who have taken a record Cy Curtis mule deer with archery equipment, in the typical and nontypical categories.

     The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation established the Cy Curtis Awards Program in 1972 to recognize trophy game and hunters in Oklahoma. The program originally recognized only trophy white-tailed deer and mule deer. But in 2014, the Cy Curtis Awards Program was expanded to include trophy elk, pronghorns and black bears.

Michigan records safest hunting season with no fatal incidents in 2014

For the first time, Michigan recorded no fatalities during all hunting seasons in 2014,

according to reports compiled by the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. Ten incidents involving injuries were recorded in the state – nine in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula.

“We had 10 incidents reported for 2014, which ties with last year for the fewest number of reportable hunting incidents since Michigan started tracking them in the 1940s," said Sgt. Tom Wanless of the DNR's Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section.

"What makes 2014 the safest on record is that for the first time we had no fatalities," Wanless added. "Michigan’s hunter education program, and the dedicated volunteer instructors who are the backbone of it, is a big reason we have been experiencing a low number of hunting incidents.”

With more than 729,000 base licenses sold in 2014, Michigan’s hunting injury/fatality rate per license is .001 percent. The base license is required to purchase any hunting license.
Of the 10 incidents reported in 2014, four involved small game hunters, two involved waterfowl hunters and four involved deer hunters. One of the deer hunting incidents occurred during the early antlerless season in September and one was in December’s late antlerless season. Two incidents were reported during the firearm deer hunting season from Nov. 15-30. One incident took place Nov. 20 in Osceola County, while the other happened Nov. 25 in Oakland County at Bald Mountain Recreation Area.

Information on the hunting incidents recorded in 2014 and so far in 2015 can be found online at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers under Law Enforcement Reports.  

Related articles

• Michigan DNR seeking public help in Lower Peninsula gray wolf survey (mlive.com)
• Wolf survey starts Feb. 16 in Michigan's Lower Peninsula (themorningsun.com)
• DNR asks for help tracking wolves in Lower Peninsula (hollandsentinel.com)

Share the Harvest deer meat helps feed hungry Missourians

3,961 Missouri deer hunters donated 212,343 pounds of venison from the 2014 deer hunting season to feed Missourians in need.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), nearly 4,000 deer hunters donated more than 212,300 pounds of venison from the 2014 Missouri deer harvest to the state’s Share the Harvest program.

Share the Harvest is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and MDC to help feed hungry Missourians. The program orchestrates the efforts of thousands of hunters, numerous local supporting organizations, and more than 100 participating meat processors to get ground venison to people in need through food banks and food pantries around the state.

Hunters donate their extra venison to participating meat processors who then prepare the donated venison by grinding it into one-pound packages that are given to food banks and food pantries for distribution to those in need.

Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local program sponsors, along with statewide sponsors that include MDC, CFM, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Missouri Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, Midway USA Inc., Missouri Food Banks Association, United Bowhunters of Missouri, Missouri Trappers Association, and the Missouri Hunter Education Instructors Association.

Since the program started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 3.3 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed Missourians in need.

For more information on Share the Harvest, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/node/2544.

Related articles

• MDC seeks public input for Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• MDC reports two new cases of CWD found in Adair and Macon counties (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Wisconsin Hunter Ambushed by Injured Doe (outdoorhub.com)
• Tyson to pay $539,000 for Missouri chemical spill (arkansasonline.com)

IOWA DEER HARVEST TOPS 101,000

Iowa deer hunters reported harvesting about 101,500 deer in 2014, which is an increase from 99,414 harvested in 2013. Although this is a slight increase it is still 33 percent lower than the peak harvest of 150,552 reported in 2006.

Hunters reported harvesting 6 percent fewer does (47,079), 15 percent more bucks (44,495), and fewer button bucks and shed antlered deer, than last year.  The reduction in doe harvest is part of the management plan to allow the herd to stabilize.

The harvest data will be added to population surveys and hunter and landowner input when officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources discuss seasons and regulations this spring.

The harvest increase is likely due to good weather during the first shotgun deer season and increased hunter success during the late muzzleloader season.  Iowa’s deer seasons closed January 10.

Related articles

• West Virginia Hunters Harvest 104,223 Deer in 2014 (ammoland.com)
• Cedar Rapids bowhunt participation down, fewest deers taken in 10 years (thegazette.com)
• Ohio hunters bag fewer deer this muzzleloader season (vindy.com)
• Iowa officials investigate hunting fatality (washingtontimes.com)

Passionate about deer and other wildlife? The Deer Management Assistance Program is now accepting applications for 2015

Are you a landowner who wants to increase your knowledge and awareness about what it

takes to manage your property for wildlife?  Through the Deer Management Assistance Program, you will receive educational resources, interact with professional resource managers, and network with other landowners to help you improve your property for deer and other wildlife.

DMAP is a partnership between hunters, landowners and the DNR, and places a focus on achieving healthy deer and healthy habitat on public and private lands.

The application deadline for properties larger than 160 acres is March 1, 2015, while applications for properties less than 160 acres will be accepted on a continuous basis. For more information, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword “DMAP.”

Related articles

• Deer hunting rules hearings offered this month (jsonline.com)
• Deer association being formed in Northwest Indiana (posttrib.chicagotribune.com)
• Changes likely for bird hunting (triblive.com)

U.P. Habitat Workgroup reconvenes with renewed focus on improving deer winter range

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced that the Upper Peninsula

Habitat Workgroup has reconvened with new members and a renewed mission focused on improving and conserving critical U.P. winter deer habitat.
The workgroup, comprised of natural resource professionals, private landowners and sportsmen’s groups, is led by Natural Resources Commission member J.R. Richardson of Ontonagon and Jim Hammill of Crystal Falls, a wildlife management consultant who is also a retired DNR biologist.
“The group was reassembled and new members recruited to address the negative impacts of recent back-to-back severe winters on the U.P.’s deer population,” said Richardson. “With an eye on rigorous deer habitat management, our goal will be to develop deer winter range improvement strategies across all land ownerships in the U.P.”
The workgroup’s new mission is to develop comprehensive habitat strategies for identified U.P. deer yards, focusing primarily on lands not managed by the DNR. Private landowners will be offered technical assistance and other incentives to encourage support for maintenance and enhancement of winter deer habitat on their property, such as wildlife habitat and forest stewardship grants.
“The majority of winter deer habitat in the U.P., an estimated 80 percent, is managed by entities other than the DNR,” said Hammill. “The workgroup’s purpose will be to identify these landowners – whether they are paper companies, commercial forest landowners, the federal government or others – and work cooperatively with them to improve critical deer winter range through the use of professional forestry and habitat management practices.”
Members of the U.P. Habitat Workgroup are:

• J. R. Richardson, Michigan Natural Resources Commission
• Warren Suchovsky, DNR Forest Management Advisory Committee
• Bernie Hubbard, Society of American Foresters
• Jeff Joseph, Plum Creek Timber Company
• George Lindquist, Regional Vice President, Michigan United Conservation Clubs
• Randy Charles, U.S. Forest Service, Ottawa National Forest
• Terry DeBruyn, U.S. Forest Service, Hiawatha National Forest
• Terry Minzey, DNR U.P. Wildlife Supervisor
• Dennis Nezich, DNR Forest Resources Division Field Coordinator
• Tony Demboski, Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance
• Eric Steir, American Forest Management, Inc.
• Jim Hammill, Iron Range Consulting & Services, Inc.
• Matt Watkeys, Marquette County Conservation District

The workgroup’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 3; meeting time and location will be announced at a later date and posted to the DNR’s online calendar atwww.michigan.gov/dnrcalendar.
For more information about the workgroup, contact DNR U.P. Wildlife Supervisor Terry Minzey at906-485-1031, ext. 311.

MDC reports two new cases of CWD found in Adair and Macon counties

New cases bring statewide total of deer testing positive for Chronic Wasting Disease to 26.Testing by Conservation Department continues.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that two new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have recently been found in north-central Missouri. One was found in an adult buck harvested by a hunter in Macon County and the other in an adult doe harvested by a hunter in Adair County. These two new cases bring the total of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to five for this hunting season and 15 overall. The total cases of CWD in Missouri captive and free-ranging deer now stands at 26.

CWD was first discovered in Missouri in 2010 at a private hunting preserve in Linn County. All cases of CWD in Missouri have been limited to Macon, Linn, and Adair counties, which are part of MDC’s six-county CWD Containment Zone. Additional counties included in the zone are Chariton, Randolph, and Sullivan.

As done in the past three years, MDC worked with hunters, landowners, taxidermists, and meat processors to collect tissue samples from adult deer harvested in north-central Missouri during the fall archery and firearms deer seasons. The Department also collected tissue samples from deer harvested in other areas of the state. MDC has collected more than 1,800 tissue samples this season so far and more than 43,000 tissue samples since the Department began testing for the disease in 2001.

MDC staff will work with select landowners in the CWD Containment Zone over the next several months to harvest additional deer for disease testing and will report a summary of all testing efforts and results once completed.

Chronic Wasting Disease infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of the brain. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal. There is no evidence that the disease can affect humans.

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians’ lives and family traditions. Infectious diseases such as CWD could reduce hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities for Missouri’s nearly 520,000 deer hunters and almost two million wildlife watchers. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to state and local economies. Lower deer numbers from infectious diseases such as CWD could hurt 12,000 Missouri jobs and many businesses that rely on deer hunting as a significant source of revenue, such as meat processors, taxidermists, hotels, restaurants, sporting goods stores, and others. CWD also threatens the investments of thousands of private landowners who manage their land for deer and deer hunting, and who rely on deer and deer hunting to maintain property values.

Related articles

• Bill would legalize fenced-in hunting preserves (wcpo.com)
• Missouri deer season ends with harvest of 260,552 (kspr.com)
• Low Deer Count Causes Complaint Among Ohio Hunters (natureworldnews.com)