Western States Move Forward with Potential Yellowstone-area Grizzly Hunts

Via Field & Stream

After 40 years of federal protection, grizzly bears may become fair game for hunters, as a handful of Western states push for the responsibility of managing the animals.
The Associated Press reports that a plan drafted by wildlife officials from the greater Yellowstone states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana estimates how many grizzly bears could be harvested while still maintaining viable populations if the species were no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act. 
Though the proposal doesn’t specify the number of bears each state would permit to be harvested, it does specify a 19,300-square-mile management zone that includes the wilderness and national forests near the Yellowstone National Park. Further, the proposal allocates a 58-percent share of the permitted harvests to Wyoming—likely because it’s home to most of the region’s grizzlies—while Montana would get 34 percent and Idaho 8 percent.
Officials estimate that there are more than 700 grizzlies in the defined management zone, though biologists say that there are likely more living outside the borders, as the bears have expanded their range as their populations have grown.
In a December 4, 2015, joint letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe, the states’ wildlife directors urged the federal government to retract the bear’s threatened status. “It is critically important that we capitalize on our tremendous progress and momentum. . . by proceeding with a long overdue delisting,” the letter stated.

The last legal grizzly hunt in the Lower 48 was in the early 1970s, and a total of 58 bears were harvested in the five years leading to the species’ being listed as threatened, in 1975, as the AP notes. Since that time, the bear's numbers have rebounded. Opponents to the proposal, however, argue that it’s too soon to consider hunting as a management tool because grizzly populations are still too low.
Quentin Kujala, chief of wildlife management for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, says that the harvest quotas will likely be modest and on a sliding scale to help maintain viable bear populations and to avoid any chance of the species reverting back to federal protection. Hunting will be allowed if there were more than 675 bears, and it will be barred if the number drops to fewer than 600, Kujala said. Likewise, Wyoming Game and Fish spokesman Renny MacKay told the AP: “We’re definitely not talking about a large number. We’re not talking hundreds or anywhere near that.” 
The Christian Science Monitor points out that tourism is a $1-billion industry in the greater Yellowstone area, and that, according to research, the park could lose $10 million without the potential of spotting bear near the roadside.
If the FWS removes grizzlies from federal protection and the states proceed with the plan, the proposition will need to undergo a public-comment period. The FWS is expected to make a decision on whether to release grizzlies from federal protection early this year, but barring any court
challenges, it could take up to a year for any rule changes to go into effect.

Bowhunting is Only a Month Away-Time to Up Your Practice and Get Blinds and Stands Set Up

Here in Ohio,bow season starts Sept.29th,other states have similar starting dates,most by mid Oct. at the latest.
Ohio deer  seasons-

White-tailed Deer Hunting

Species	Opening Date		Closing Date		Daily Bag Limit
Archery	September 26, 2015		February 7, 2016	Refer to the Deer Hunting Section for details on zone and bag limits.
Gun	November 30, 2015	December 6, 2015
	December 28, 2015	December 29, 2015
Muzzleloader	January 9, 2016		January12,2016

More info @  http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/hunting-trapping-and-shooting-sports/hunting-trapping-regulations/deer-hunting-regulations
W. Va deer seasons-
Archery-Sept 26th-Dec 31st
More info-
http://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/Regs1516/Deer_Season.pdf
Pa deer seasons-
DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 19- Nov. 28 and Dec. 26-Jan. 23, 2016. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. One antlered deer per hunting license year.
DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 3-Nov. 14 and Dec. 26-Jan. 9. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.
More info @ http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=576240&mode=2

• don’t forget-Pa has elk hunting!

Michigan deer seasons-
*Archery: Oct. 1 – Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 – Jan. 1
More info @ http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363-312005–,00.html
Kentucky deer seasons-

More info @ http://fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Pages/Deer-Hunting-Zones-and-Seasons.aspx
Indiana deer seasons-

Archery Season – Oct. 1, 2015 – Jan. 3, 2016

2 antlerless deer OR 1 antlered and 1 antlerless deer (AND bonus antlerless county quota)

More info @ http://www.eregulations.com/indiana/hunting/deer-seasons-licenses-equipment/
That covers Ohio and surrounding states. The rest of the country has similar hunting seasons-some start earlier,some start later-but they all start in the fall. You should have your blind/stand locations scouted out,shooting lanes cut,and your trail in and out raked clear of leaves,sticks,branches,etc. with any overhanging branches trimmed,along with any low branches from small trees,and briars and berry bushes that protrude onto the trail cut off at ground level.
Save all that stuff you trim to brush in your blind or stand. If it’s legal in your state-put out fresh mineral blocks and salt blocks now.
Increase the number of arrows you shoot each day,because as the season starts,you’ll be in the woods,and not practicing as much. I shoot a minimum of 6 groups of 6 arrows a day now,and at least 3 days a week,I shoot 12 groups of 6 arrows-6 in the morning,6 in the evening. At least 2 days a week,I shoot my 6 groups of arrows at last legal shooting light-(half hour after sunset here) Everyone needs to do this-because if there’s any issues with your sights – it’s better to find out now,and have time to fix the problem than it is to find out when you draw your bow on that big buck-and you can’t see shit.
If you hunt private land,and can get your stand/blind set up now-set it up-that way the deer get used to it,and don’t see it as a threat.
If you use trail cameras-you should have had them up in July. If you don’t have them up-get ’em up now.
I know I bring this up a lot-but until more deer hunters get it-the deer herds will continue to shrink many areas-
Shoot every coyote you see-more ‘yotes= fewer deer,in some areas,fawn predation is as high as 90%. That means the ‘yotes are killing 9 out of every 120 fawns born. Shoot the damn things-they’re not native to the eastern U.S.-they are an invasive species-plus eastern ‘yotes have a considerable amount of wolf DNA that they picked upon their way east in Minnesota,Wisconsin,the U.P.of Michigan,and parts of Ontario.
The second problem animal affecting whitetail deer are feral hogs-they eat the same foods as the deer,and while deer can have twins,even triplets,hogs can have 3 litters of 6-8 piglets-(sometimes up to 10 per litter)- per year,sometimes 4. The only way to remove a feral hog family-called a sounder-is to kill or trap every single one of them.If you leave just two,a boar and a sow-within a year,there will be 60-100 hogs in the same area,as the piglets from the first litter will be able to breed and have piglets within 6 months.
The sounders are territorial,so if you take one out-it will be at least a year before another moves in.
Feral hogs have been around from the Carolinas  to Florida,and Florida to Texas along the gulf coast since the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s released pigs in every new place they came to,because the pigs could fend for themselves,and be hunted for food when needed.
It’s impossible to eliminate feral hogs from the southeast,but it is possible to remove them from the surrounding states where they are a problem. The best the southeast can hope for is to limit the billions in crop damage by removing individual sounders.
Unless you want to see the deer herd in your are crash-start killin ‘yotes and feral hogs-remember-you gotta get the whole sounder-all of ’em- to get rid of the hogs.
Get out in the woods.
Read.
Learn.
Train.
Do more PT !

20-year Battle Ends in Victory for CT Bowhunters

It’s time for Connecticut bowhunters to celebrate! The 20-year battle to allow bowhunting of deer on private property on Sundays is over thanks to the passage of a bill by the Connecticut Senate last Wednesday. Senators approved the bill by a vote of 28 to 8. 
According to CTNow, Robert Crook, a longtime lobbyist for sportsmen, says that the spread of Lyme disease and increase in motor-vehicle collisions with deer made suburban legislators more sympathetic to the need for deer management. At 77 years old, Crook hoped the measure would pass, saying, "I told someone the other day I’d like to see it passed before I passed. I’m happy, and I think many sportsmen are going to be happy, too."
According to wildlife biologists, healthy deer populations should have 20 deer per square mile, yet some parts of Connecticut have up to 80 per mile. This illustrates the importance of deer management, especially within the suburban/urban environment.
Passage of the bill was assisted by the departure of Donald E. Williams, Jr., who was the longest-serving leader of the Senate. In 2013, after epic political back-and-forth, the bowhunting bill nearly passed, linked to a series of deals promoting early childhood education and the prevention of animal cruelty. When Williams, who did not seek re-election last fall, killed the Sunday bowhunting bill, House GOP leader Lawrence F. Cafero, Jr., retaliated by blocking the early childhood bill supported by Williams.
"That’s plagued us for years, tradeoffs," says Crook.
Supporters of the bill like Sen. Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) spoke about the importance of its passage, noting that environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy support the bill because it “encourages wise land management.”
The House approved the bill by a vote of 132 to 32. Final approval now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

It may be a bit too early to claim victory -as  anti-gun,anti-hunting Gov Malloy is likely to veto anything even remotely related to firearms.

Ohio tinkers with deer hunting dates to soothe unhappy hunters -- Outdoor Notes

By D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer 


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio wildlife managers tinkered with the deer hunting season dates to try to soothe unhappy Buckeye hunters, but not much changed when the 2015-16 seasons were approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council on Wednesday night.
It's likely Ohio hunters will bag fewer bucks and does this year, in most part due to changes in the county bag limits and the extremely limited use of discount antlerless permits. The Ohio deer harvest declined 6.5 percent last year, when hunters killed 191,459 deer, and was far below the record 261,260 deer killed in 2009-10.
Hunters testifying at the Ohio Deer Summit and Ohio Division of Wildlife open houses were generally unhappy, complaining of a continually shrinking deer herd and fewer hunting opportunities. The Ohio Division of Wildlife management strategy, however, is to continue the decline in deer numbers in favor of a smaller, quality deer herd.
"Hunters always want to see a lot of deer in the woods, but there's a cost associated with that," said Dave Kohler, executive administrator for wildlife management and research with the ODOW. "With the Ohio deer population as high as it was five years ago, we had a combination of more deer on the landscape with less nutrition available."
Liberal hunting regulations had allowed the deer harvest to jump to record levels, resulting in a decline in the number of deer killed the last few years and today's smaller deer herd.
This year's deer gun season is Nov. 30-Dec. 6, with an extra couple of weekdays of gun hunting added Dec. 28-29. The archery deer season is Sept. 26-Feb. 7, the longest bow hunting season in the country.
The ODOW had proposed an October youth gun season, but backed off to Nov. 21-22 after complaints it was too early in the hunting year. The statewide muzzleloader rifle season was pushed back to Jan. 9-12 to allow more time between gun and muzzleloader hunts.
The majority of Ohio counties will have a season bag limit of just two deer. Most counties in northeast Ohio will have a three-deer limit. The only counties with bag limits of four deer will be in urban areas, including Cuyahoga and Summit counties. Hunters are allowed to bag only one buck each year.
Antlerless permits are valid in only 10 of Ohio's 88 counties this fall. That includes Cuyahoga, Lake, Summit, Portage, Stark and Lorain counties.
"The county bag limits and the use of antlerless permits are the tools we use to manage the deer herd," said Kohler. "The season dates, like the extra two-day gun hunt and the muzzleloader hunt, are social issues. We changed those dates in response to what works best for the people who hunt."

Ohio Also Mulling Deer Season Changes

 By Tony Hansen   Brow Tines and Backstrap


Now the Ohio Division of Wildlife has announced that it's also looking at altering some of the state's deer hunting regulations as a result of a reduced deer population.
There are several semi-major changes proposed. They include:

• The elimination of antlerless-only permits in all 10 urban counties.
• A reduction in the statewide bag limit from nine to six.
• County-specific bag limits would also be reduced. Many areas of the state would become two-deer counties (though some counties will allow three deer to be taken and the statewide one-buck rule would remain in place).
• The elimination of the October antlerless-only muzzleloader season.
• Moving the youth-only gun season from November into mid-October.

Graphic courtesy of Ohio Division of Wildlife.
All of these regulations are in response to a growing concern amongst deer hunters that the state's efforts to reduce whitetail numbers have been too effective. Like many other Midwestern states, Ohio's kill totals peaked a few years ago and have been on a steady decline since.
In 2014, hunters tagged nearly 176,000 whitetails, a decline of roughly 15,000 deer from the previous season.
There are also two proposals that don't necessarily equate to fewer deer being killed.
The ODNR is also proposing a new two-day gun season that would occur Dec. 26-27 (the traditional gun season would run from Nov. 30-Dec. 6).
In the state's recent budget bill -- which is not part of the ODNR's proposed season structure -- non-resident hunting license fees would increase slightly from $125 to $129 but a non-resident deer permit would increase from $24 to $38 for a total license cost of $167.
What do you think about the proposed changes?
You can make your voice heard by providing official comments at public meetings in each district of the state. Those meetings will be held from noon - 3 p.m. on March 7 with a statewide public hearing set for 9 a.m. on March 19 in Columbus.
The Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on the structure during its April 8 meeting.