Global - International Hunting and Fishing News and Press Releases

  • Spring turkey hunt -- why mess with good thing?--Since Wisconsin began restoring its wild turkey population in the 1970s and reopened its first spring hunt in 1983, it has carefully structured the seasons to disperse hunting pressure. When applying for a tag, hunters list their preferences for one of six 5-day hunting periods and one of seven hunting zones. Read More »
  • Report shows increase in hunting license sales--New York and New Jersey are the Northeast representatives in the index; Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee in the Southeast; Minnesota, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas in the Midwest; and Oregon and Utah in the West. Read More »
  • Wildlife advocacy group against proposed changes to California bear hunting regulations --The Department of Fish and Game is seeking written comments from the public on the proposed changes through March 13. They should be submitted to: Dr. Eric Loft, Chief, Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Branch, 1812 Ninth St., Sacramento, CA 95818. Read More »
  • Knives-America.com Offers 5% Off Promotion in February -- Knives-America.com announces a month long sale on all the high quality knives and other items available on the site. Customers shopping throughout February will receive a 5% discount off the total purchase, further slashing the already discounted prices offered by the online retailer. Customers looking for any type of knife will find what they need at Knives-America.com. From pocket knife selections, such as the SOG Flash II or the Spyderco Endura 4, to the hunting and fishing specialty knives and multi-tools, buyers can expect a wide selection of discount knives. Read More »
  • Whitetail hunting may be limited to bucks in northwest Montana --KALISPELL - The state Fish, Wildlife and Parks department is recommending buck-only hunting seasons for whitetail deer in northwest Montana's Region One. For the last two years, the agency says it has documented a downward trend in whitetail reproduction, and results from hunting season check stations also show fewer deer on the landscape. Those observations were echoed by hunters who spoke at a recent hearing in Kalispell on proposed season regulations for this year and next. Most of the hunters said the harvest should be limited only to bucks because of the downturn in deer numbers. The FWP Commission will consider the recommendation when it meets in Helena on Feb. 11 for final adoption of the 2010 and 2011 season regulations. If the proposal passes, it will be the first time since 2001 that the region has had buck-only whitetail hunting.
  • Pennsylvania Claws, Wings & Things: The case of the tame ruffed grouse --Prior to sport hunting pressures being applied to the birds, they often associated closely with humans and an old nickname for the species was "fool hen." In wilderness areas of Quebec, where it is not so commonly hunted by humans, even today the species often allows close enough encounters that it can be dispatched with hand-thrown stones. Read More »
  • Possible Expansion Of State's Black Bear Hunt--Sacramento - California's Fish and Game Commission will hear a proposal Thursday that could expand the hunting of black bears in the state. The Department of Fish and Game says there has been a big jump in the state's black bear population. That means more run-ins between humans and bears, which can lead to the destruction of property. That's why the department is looking at increasing the annual kill limit of 1700 black bears. It might even do away with the limit altogether.
  • Quail hunting preserve offers old-time experience --One of the places trying to hark back to those days is right in our state. Historic Oakland Plantation lies along the Cape Fear River in Bladen County near the community of Carver. It is not open to the public to hunt. It is there as an active, successful farm, with hunting and fishing available only to family members and invited guests. More »
  • Got deerhound?--"One deerhound is just about the perfect dog. Sir Walter Scott said they're the most perfect creature of heaven. They're not demanding dogs. It's very easy to live with two or three," Kiaer said. More »
  • New tools for coyote hunters --Hornady is introducing new Varmint Express NTX ammunition and components. Responding to restrictions that exist in some areas regarding lead core ammunition, the new NTX loads and component bullets contain no lead. All bullets feature a premium polymer tip and a streamlined design for the flatter trajectories that coyote hunters demand. These bullets tend to be lighter than lead, so with the same size velocities tend to be faster. More »
  • Gun ammunition getting harder to find --".380 and .32 are the most popular, and then it's going to be a 40 Smith and Wesson, a 40 caliber, and then 9mm, .45 on up from there, "says Tim Seaton, general manager at Don's Weaponry in North Little Rock. More »
  • Spring turkey season set in N.D.--The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has set the spring wild turkey season for this year and there will be fewer licenses available. A total of 6,640 turkey licenses are up for grabs in the lottery. That’s down 495 from last year. More »
  • State argues for wolf control --CHEYENNE -- Lawyers for the state told a federal judge Friday morning that Wyoming should be given control over wolves in the state, calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's rejection of Wyoming's wolf management plan "arbitrary and capricious." More »
  • Wild boar shot, killed in Half Moon Bay --HALF MOON BAY — Police shot and killed a huge wild boar that was found wandering Wednesday morning in the Grandview Terrace neighborhood near Highway 1, an official said. Shortly before 11 a.m., police got calls from neighborhood residents concerned about the animal — estimated to weigh about 350 pounds — wandering streets and yards in the area, Half Moon Bay Police Chief Don O'Keefe said. More »
  • Pennsylvania Game Commissioners Propose 2010-11 Seasons and Bag Limits --PR-CANADA.net (press release) - Also, the Board will take action on setting antlerless deer license allocations for the 22 WMUs at its April meeting. More »
  • White-Tailed Deer Could Be Ohio Record--Brian Stephens shot the huge 18-point whitetail on November 30 in Highland County. More »
  • Explore Iowa's caves--Maquoketa Caves State Park is in Northeast Iowa in the Raccoon Creek Valley. The 323-acre park has caves in the upper and lower valley. All the caves are wild except Dancehall Cave, which has a walkway and interior lighting. Raccoon Creek runs through the valley and a loop trail, wooden stairways and boardwalks bring explorers by the cave entrances at the base of the bluffs. More »
  • Science Briefing: Gray wolf population holds steady--Biologists said the region's total wolf population will be similar to 2008's minimum of 1,650 wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. If the preliminary figures hold, it could bolster the federal government's assertion that wolves are doing fine since losing protections under the Endangered Species Act last year. (The exception is Wyoming, where federal protections remain.) More »
  • Sen. Smith introduces gun rights bill--State Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, filed legislation Friday aimed at protecting citizens’ rights to legally carry guns during a state of emergency. More »
  • China suspends military exchanges with US over $6.4 billion American arms sales to Taiwan--BEIJING - Chinese state media says the defence ministry is suspending military exchanges with the United States over its planned $6.4 billion arms sale to neighbouring Taiwan. More »
  • Gun, permit sales on the rise--Nationally, and in Iowa, the election results inspired thousands of gun enthusiasts, fearful of the new administration's perceived position on Second Amendment rights, flocking to stores for firearms and ammunition - and into sheriffs' offices for permits to purchase and carry concealed guns. More »
  • N.D. spring turkey license numbers decline--BISMARCK — The number of spring turkey licenses is down 7 percent in North Dakota this year, to 6,640. More »
  • US arms sale to Taiwan in violation of commitment to Beijing --In disregard of strong opposition from Beijing, the Obama administration on Friday announced plans to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan. Washington recognizes Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China. The arms sale would include 114 Patriot (PAC-3) anti-missile systems, 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, 12 Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, 2 Osprey Class mine hunting ships and a command and control enhancement system, according to a Pentagon website. More »
  • Little-Known Bird Found Breeding In Afghanistan--First spotted in India in 1867, the large-billed reed warbler (Acrocephalus orinus) didn’t appear again until 2006, this time in Thailand. In fact, so little was known about this tiny, greenish-brown bird that the conservation organization Birdlife International had long dubbed it “the world’s least-known bird species.” More »
  • Bob Barker gives $1M to stop pigeon shoots--The longtime animal rights activist told the newspaper Friday he was "horrified" by reports of pigeon shoots at the historic gun club on State Road in the township. Barker made his donation to the Illinois-based non-profit Showing Animals Respect & Kindness [SHARK]. SHARK president Steve Hindi said the money would be used for a media campaign against the gun club. “What you’re going to see is a lot of public outreach by way of billboards,” Hindi said. “We’re also talking about television and radio advertisements.” Barker said he believes “the good citizens in Pennsylvania would be embarrassed if they knew in detail just how horrific these pigeon shoots are,” Barker said. These are not hunters. They’re assassins.” More »
  • 10-year-olds can hunt turkeys--MADISON — State wildlife officials say hunters as young as 10 will be allowed to participate in a youth turkey hunt this spring. More »
  • Several sightings of escaped hawk reported--The trained hunting hawk, owned by Bedford falconer John Conohan, got out of her outdoor chamber on his property earlier this week when a bar became loose, perhaps due to a windstorm. More »
  • Wild pigs causing thousands of dollars in damage along the Treasure Coast--The animals’ on-going uprooting of native plants and ground on his 4-square-mile former ranch in western St. Lucie County is costing him about $50,000 a year to manage. Olson’s Bluefield Ranch is a private commercial land preserve, an environmental mitigation bank that developers pay into in return for building on protected lands on their own property. The money pays for creating natural areas on the former ranch to compensate for the protected lands they destroy. In the last decade, Olson has had thousands of the feral pigs shot on his property — leaving them as carrion for wildlife, such as eagles. And local University of Florida Cooperative Extension agent Ken Gioeli said Olson’s approach may be aimed in the right direction, under certain circumstances More »
  • Utah big game hunting applications available soon--SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will begin accepting big game hunting applications on Feb. 1. Utah wildlife licensing coordinator Judi Tutorow says nearly 300,000 people are expected to apply for available permits this year. But not everyone will get a permit. Division spokesman Mark Hadley says when all permits are finally approved in the spring, there will be about 125,000 available. The deadline to apply is March 1 and results of the permit drawing will be available by April 29. More »
  • WV Hunters Harvest 154,524 Deer in 2009 --Preliminary counts of game checking tags indicate West Virginia hunters harvested a total of 154,524 white-tailed deer during the recently completed bucks-only, antlerless, muzzleloader, archery and youth/Class Q deer seasons, according to West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro. This year’s total harvest was 5.5 percent below the 2008 deer harvest of 163,603. Hunters killed a total of 63,590 bucks during the firearms deer season, 54,617 antlerless-season deer, 27,558 archery-season deer and 8,759 muzzleloader-season deer during the 2009 deer hunting seasons. More »
  • Fish and Game Q&A: Is it legal to refuse a search by DFG officers?--Answer: According to Northern California District Chief Mike Carion, nonnegotiable search of the clothing a person is wearing is limited to situations when an officer believes the person may have a weapon. Outside of that, a clothing search can only be conducted with permission or in conjunction with an arrest. That being said, hunting equipment and all “containers” are subject to inspection by wardens (Fish and Game Code, sections 1006 and 2012). Failure to allow a search is grounds for arrest. Many types of hunting gear are designed to hold shotgun shells, game, etc. These items are not technically “clothing” as defined by the law, but are more like hunting equipment, and thus would not be exempt from a search inspection. If the purpose of the search is merely to locate hunting equipment, the officer may ask the person to remove this type of hunting gear so it may be searched. For example, a hunter could be asked to remove a hunting jacket, game bag or maybe even waders if they were designed to hold equipment. A person may deny consent to an officer who wants to search their clothing. But consenting is a smart choice. If an officer believes that a person may have a firearm or other dangerous weapon and there could be a potential officer safety issue, the individual can still be searched. So, to answer your questions: 1) Can you refuse a pat-down? Yes 2) What are the repercussions for refusal? Although this could raise a “red flag,” which may cause the officer to think you are hiding something and may lead to a poor contact, it is legal to refuse to a consent search. 3) What are the repercussions to having more than 25 shells in the field? You could be cited or possibly ejected from the area. Q: Can I give fish away to friends and family? If so, do they need to have a fishing license for me to give it to them? (James M.) A: Yes, you can give fish away. Though you can only take one daily bag limit per day, you can give that limit away so that you can go fishing another day and not be in violation of the overall possession limit. The recipient of your fish does not need to have a fishing license, but also may not possess more than the legal limit at any time. Remember one important fact: Though your friends are allowed to possess fish without a license, if they are out in a boat or in the field and have access to fishing equipment, this is prima facie evidence they took the fish themselves, so make sure the fish are taken home and you are not out in the field or coming in from fishing when you give your fish to an unlicensed person. Possession of fish and equipment used to take fish when out in the field or coming back from a fishing trip is evidence that person was fishing and they may be cited for not having a license (FGC, section 2000). If you have a question you would like to see answered in this column, e-mail it to CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov More »