Minnesota: Take aim at Take-A-Kid Hunting Weekend Sept. 24-25

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Ever thought about sharing lunch with a youngster from the comfort of a warm log on a sunny fall day in the woods?

With the leaves turning gold, red and yellow, Take-A-Kid Hunting weekend provides the perfect opportunity for adults and kids across Minnesota to connect in the outdoors.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25, Minnesota residents 18 and older can hunt without a license by bringing along a youth younger than 16.

“It’s a great time for experienced hunters to focus on their kids and help them hone outdoor skills,” said Mike Kurre, mentoring program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “But it’s an even better opportunity for those who want to kindle an outdoors interest in their children to get outside together and talk, listen and learn.”

Adults hunt for free but youth must possess a free small game license, which is available at any DNR license agent or online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense. Standard shooting and possession limits apply.

“Spending quality time in the woods with kids is rewarding,” Kurre said. “As adults, it’s easy for us to forget that someone somewhere helped us first discover the outdoors.”

Information about additional youth opportunities is available online.

South Dakota Hunters: Big Game Licenses Still Available

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PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is in the process of completing big game license lottery drawings for the 2011 hunting seasons, and licenses are still available for purchase.

The first drawing for the East River Deer season is now complete and applications are being accepted, both online and through the mail, for the second drawing.

South Dakota residents who have not already drawn an East River Deer license may apply for one license in this drawing. The deadline for submitting applications through the mail is Oct. 7, and the online application deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time.

The second drawing for East River deer will be completed on Oct. 14 and the third application period for unsold licenses will be opened to both residents and nonresidents.

Unsold licenses are available on a first-come, first-served basis for the West River Deer, Antelope (beginning Sept. 16), and Fall Turkey seasons. West River Deer and Antelope licenses are available to both residents and nonresidents, and individuals may purchase an unlimited number of licenses. Fall Turkey licenses are available to residents and nonresidents to a maximum of five per person.

Information on areas with unsold licenses is available online at http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/licenses/limited/leftover/default.aspx.

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Wisconsin Deer hunters asked to report deer, wildlife observations

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MADISON – State wildlife officials are again asking Wisconsin deer hunters to report what they are seeing or not seeing while they are out pursuing deer.

Coinciding with the start of the archery deer season, the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey goes live online beginning September 17, the opening day of the 2011 deer season. This will be the third year of the survey which asks deer hunters to report their field observations of a variety of wildlife species, hunting conditions and hours spent pursuing game.

“Deer hunters’ efforts have produced valuable information for estimating abundance and distribution of many of Wisconsin’s wildlife species” said Jes Rees, Department of Natural Resources wildlife survey technician. Results of previous years are available online.

“We ask that all deer hunters consider participating in this survey effort. All they need to do is record the date, number of hours, county, deer management unit, weather conditions and the type and number of animals observed during each day of deer hunting,” says Rees. “Hunters can also enter their email address along with their observations and I will send them an email summary of their hunting activity at the end of the survey period.”

Hunters can find survey instructions, record sightings, and view survey results online at the Wisconsin Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey webpage. A tally sheet is also available for times when hunters do not have access to the internet or a computer. Hunters should record all of their hunting activity throughout the deer season, even if no wildlife sightings were made. The survey period begins September 17 and runs through January 2012.

The Hunter Wildlife Survey overlaps another citizen-participation survey currently underway. Operation Deer Watch started Aug 1 and runs through Sept. 30. The primary objective of Operation Deer Watch is to determine trends in deer reproductive success by reporting does and fawns seen together during the late summer and early fall.

Trail Camera Photos Wanted

The Wildlife Surveys group is also interested in photographs of rare or endangered species hunters may have captured on their trail cameras. Photos can be emailed to Wildlife Management. shawn.rossler@wisconsin.gov This information will help document their existence and location within the state. Trail camera photos can be viewed in our online trail camera gallery (exit DNR).

Questions about the Wisconsin Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey, accessing the tally sheet, reporting your observation, or the results of the survey, can be referred to Jes Rees at (608) 221-6360.

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Minnesota: Hunters reminded not to shoot radio-collared bears

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Hunters participating in Minnesota’s bear season are reminded to avoid shooting radio-collared research bears, which are marked with large colorful ear tags or colorful streamers.

Hunters are likely to find collared bears in and near Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area; the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge; the Chippewa National Forest; Camp Ripley; the Cloquet Forestry Station; Voyageurs National Park; and northern St. Louis County between Ely and Tower near the Eagles Nest chain of lakes.

Photos of some collared research bears are available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website.

Any hunters who do shoot collared bears should call the DNR Wildlife Research office in Grand Rapids at 218-327-4146 or 218-327-4133.

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources White-Tailed Deer Update

New Rules for the 2011 Hunting Season



Earlier this year, the Natural Resources Board approved several new rules pertaining to the current license year hunting seasons. These rules were not immediately in place because they needed to undergo a legislative review process. This process is now complete for these rules, and they will be in effect starting this fall. These changes are not reflected in the printed version of the hunting regulations, but will be updated in the online versions of the regulation booklets in the near future.
These new rules are:

1. Rifles will be allowed in Waupaca County for the 9-day firearm deer season.
2. The fall turkey hunting season will be extended for turkey zones 1-5. Turkey hunting will be allowed from November 28 – December 31. This late season has occurred for the past two years during a trial period, but is now a permanent season that will occur annually.
3. The archery deer season will now be open concurrently with the 9-day firearm deer season. In 2011, the early archery season will run from September 17 – November 17 and the late archery season will run from November 19 – January 8, 2012. Bow hunters will be required to comply with the blaze orange clothing requirement any time a firearm deer season is occurring in the area of the state where they are hunting.
4. Each period of the spring turkey season will be extended by two days. The dates for each period during the 2012 season are as follows:
1. Period A April 11-17
2. Period B April 18-24
3. Period C April 25- May 1
4. Period D May 2-8
5. Period E May 9-15
6. Period F May 16-22

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Michigan Hunters: DNR Workgroup Seeks Public Input on Mentored Youth Hunting Program

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A workgroup assembled by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to develop recommendations for the state's new Mentored Youth Hunting Program is seeking public input on some of the issues under consideration.

An online survey has been posted to allow the public to answer some questions and provide feedback on the issues presented. The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VMY6KGT and will be available through Sept. 15.

"I strongly encourage sportsmen and women, parents and other interested members of the public to fill out the survey, which only takes about 10 minutes," said NRC Commissioner John Matonich of Davison, who chairs the workgroup. "The workgroup is on a tight timeframe to make recommendations to the NRC so we can be ready to roll out this program for the 2012 hunting season. Public input is invaluable to our recommendation process."

The Mentored Youth Hunting Program opens opportunities for hunters under the age of 10 to participate in Michigan's hunting seasons in conjunction with the mentored youth hunting program under development by the NRC. The new law also created the Mentored Youth Hunting license, which will allow mentored youths to participate in a wide variety of hunting opportunities on a single license starting in 2012. Mentored youth hunting license holders will be able to hunt deer, turkey, small game, trap fur-bearers and fish for all species on this license.

More information about the Mentored Youth Hunting Program and a direct link to the survey can be found atwww.michigan.gov/mentoredhunting.

Currently the workgroup has established a goal of reporting its recommendations to the NRC at its November meeting in Lansing.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go towww.michigan.gov/dnr.

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Michigan-New State Law Allows 10-Year-Olds to Hunt Deer, Elk or Bear With a Firearm

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A change in state law that took effect Sept. 1 makes it legal for 10- and 11-year olds to hunt deer, bear or elk with firearms in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources announced.

The change is not reflected in the 2011 Hunting and Trapping Digest as the publication went to press before the law was changed.

The regulations change was part of the Hunter Heritage Act, which creates a new mentored hunting program and eliminates the minimum age requirements for hunting in 2012.

This year, hunters less than 14 years of age may hunt on private land with either a firearm deer license or junior combination deer license ? if they have successfully completed hunter education training ? or an apprentice hunting license. In either case, the youngster must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or other adult designated by the parent or guardian.

Hunters less than 14 years of age may hunt with firearms on private land only. A youngster hunting deer must be in possession of either a firearms deer license or an antlerless deer license. A youth hunter ages 10 and 11 may use a combination deer license. If the youth has been hunter-safety certified, the accompanying adult must be at least 18 years of age. If the youngster is hunting with an apprentice license, the accompanying adult must be at least 21 years of age.

Beginning in 2012, the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, currently under development by a workgroup convened by the Natural Resources Commission will provide additional hunting opportunities for youngsters less than 10 years of age.

For more information on hunting opportunities in Michigan, go to www.michigan.gov/hunting.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go towww.michigan.gov/dnr.

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