Gray Wolves Delisted in Western Great Lakes Region Effective Jan. 27th
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the federal endangered species list.
The western Great Lakes region includes Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
The delisting takes effect Jan. 27. State departments will manage wolves after the delisting…
Read more via Great Lakes Echo
195″ Typical 10 Point Iowa Buck
Brows over 7″, G-2 over 14″, G-3 over 13″, G-4 over 10″; 26″ plus beams and over 20″ wide inside…195″ gross score. A clean typical ten!
-Dana Holmgren, Iowa
Read the story at Mike Hanback’s Big Deer
Indiana Hunters Donate Game to Hungry
Successful hunters in Indiana have a chance to share the bounty thanks to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ GiveIN Game program…
…GiveIN Game is one of several game donation programs in the Great Lakes region. Others, like Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger, Hunt for the Hungry andFarmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, raise money to process deer that hunters donate to local food banks and shelters…
Via: Great Lakes Echo
Minnesota DNR Cites 144 With Baiting During Deer Season
Conservation officer weekly activity reports confirm what officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) already suspected: Deer baiting was pervasive during the 2011 big game season.
DNR conservation officers issued 144 citations, issued 24 warnings and seized 134 firearms/bows in baiting relation investigations during the 2011 bow, firearms and muzzleloader seasons. It’s the highest number of baiting citations issued during the deer hunting seasons since the DNR began tracking these violations in 1991.
“It seems that every year our officers are spending more and more time responding to complaints about baiting or discovering it while on patrol,” said Lt. Col. Rodmen Smith, DNR Enforcement assistant director. “It’s become a very common violation.”
Deer baiting is strategically placing a pile of food near deer stands or clearings with the intent of luring a deer into close hunting range. It has been illegal to bait deer in Minnesota since 1991.
Conservation Officer Marty Stage of Ely said he spent a lot of the big game season “chasing violators illegally baiting deer. The practice has certainly not gone away or apparently even slowed,” Stage said.
The fine for illegal baiting is $300, plus $80 or so in court costs. Another $500 can be tagged on for restitution if a deer is seized. Guns may be confiscated as well.
“It is pretty sad when the rifle that has been handed down for generations is lost forever due to unethical hunting,” said Conservation Officer Darin Fagerman of Grand Marais. “Grandpa might not be too happy about that either.”
Smith said he is hopeful that by releasing the numbers on illegal baiting activities, it sends a message that Minnesota values it natural resources and there is a price for engaging in this activity.