Two Meetings Planned in Upper Peninsula to Form Citizens Advisory Councils

Contact: Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014
Agency: Natural Resources

April 21, 2008

Two regional public meetings are planned in May to bring together conservation organizations and interested citizens with the Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Commission to work together on Upper Peninsula natural resources issues.

The first meeting will be for the Western UP Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Northern Michigan University’s Don H. Bottum University Center in the Charcoal Room. The facility is located at 1401 Presque Isle Ave. in Marquette. Read more

Calling The Wild Turkey……..When And How Often??

By: Scott Ellis

2005,2006,2007 Florida State Turkey Calling Champion

2004, 2007 Florida State Gobbling Champion

Quaker Boy Game Calls Pro Staff

One of the most asked questions about hunting the wild turkey is “when do I call and how often?” I feel that there is an art to calling turkeys. It’s all based on feeling him out and knowing what he wants to hear. How do you know this? Well I think it will come to you the more you work gobblers in different scenarios. Right off the roost, mid morning with hens, with out hens, public land bird, private land bird. In my opinion, whether calling a hot to trot two year old or a four year old hard hunted public bird, it’s a matter of getting his attention and keeping his interest just enough to get him to investigate. If you over call him, he will stand his ground and wait for this hot hen to meet him for their rendezvous. If you under call him, he will move off to the next hot item. Read more

Wisconsin Considering A Wolf Hunting Season

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress seems to be testing the waters a bit by seeking input from residents on the prospects of offering a wolf hunt, partly in efforts to slow down the growth of the animal and keep human encounters and livestock damages to a minimum. Nothing being proposed is binding.

Last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the wolf fully recovered in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan and removed the wolf there from the list of endangered animals. None of the states currently offer wolf hunts and they still protect them through state mandates. Read more

Michigan’s $350 Million Surplus A Bad Thing

Bah! Humbug! Paint me as a scrooge if you want to. I don’t really care. What’s troubling is that the media, which should be looking for the truth behind Michigan’s budget woes, are now casting the lawmakers as heroes because the year ended with a budget surplus of some $350 million dollars. So why isn’t that good?

Let’s backtrack for a moment. Michigan was in turmoil. The democrats and republicans couldn’t agree on how they were going to handle a projected budget deficit. It wasn’t until a couple of republicans jumped ship and joined the democrats that a deal was reached to raise taxes. We must remember that this tax increase of around $1.35 billion was for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Read more

Michigan DNR’s Miracle Christmas! They Found $20 Million

Art Summer at Simply Outdoors sent me an email yesterday asking me if I had been following the story in Michigan about budget shortfalls with the Department of Natural Resources. I admitted I had been remiss in not more closely following up on previous stories I had written about their woes. As a matter of fact, back in July I was contacted by the Cadillac News and asked if I would be interested in presenting what I would consider negative effects of sharply raising license fees. Read more

Recap of Mt Lions In Southwestern Maine

by
A. Sayward Lamb

For several years I have been hearing from several friends and acquaintances, telling me of sightings of the very elusive mountain lions which they have seen personally, or have been told of sightings by their friends. My earliest recollections of sightings were back in the mid-nineteen fifties, when I was living in South Woodstock. My friends, Leon Poland, and Joe Pete Appleby, repeatedly told me of sighting a Mt. Lion that crossed the highway in front of their vehicles on several occasions, just about dusk or shortly after dark, about a quarter of mile from where I resided. Read more

Tree Stand Tips

By Robert Lane

Bob Lane is a Licensed Master Maine Guide and photographer. He has also guided Caribou Hunters and Fishermen on float trips in Southwest Alaska.

July’s warm, sunny weather doesn’t provide much incentive to think about deer hunting to outdoorsmen who are trolling for deep swimming salmon and togue, whipping out the fly line during the drake hatch, or pursuing numerous other activities in the Maine woods this time of year.

This time of year I find myself occupied with trying to decide where I’m going to fish during the week and on the weekends, and trying to fit the kayaking and photography in to boot. Read more

Protecting Property Rights From National Heritage Areas And Earmarks

By Tom Remington

Let’s face it! Hunters, fishermen and all outdoor enthusiasts can’t enjoy their sports if they have no place to do it. Most states have at least some level of public lands but most of us still rely on private landowners’ unselfish willingness to allow you and I on their land. We have to respect the wishes of the landowner. It only makes sense. As a landowner myself, I want to be able to have a say in what I do with my land and who enters it and for what purpose. This is all part of being a free American and many of us enjoy it. As outdoor recreationists we need to do a better job in creating good, respectful landowner relationship programs. Read more

An Open Letter to Michigan Sportsmen

The DNR expects the sportsmen to pick up the full tab on their looming budget deficit. Yet, they refuse to license and regulate operations guiding hunters on public land for elk, deer, turkey, bear, and bobcat. Guides don’t even need a hunting license (except bear over hounds, a participation license is needed). In fact, one individual operating as a guide was convicted of hunter harassment, losing hunting privileges for 3 years…and continued guiding hunters because a license is not needed. Read more

Downright Poor Management

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources seems to have a list of laws and regulations it chooses to follow…and operates with blatant disregard for others. One example stems from a ruling by State Attorney General, Mike Cox made February 2, 2006. The ruling was a response to a question asking if it is legal to operate commercial bear baits on CFR land. Read more