Illinois Hunting News

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Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:00:46 +0000

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We also publish information on season dates, changes in rules and regulations, and pictures from your fellow successful hunters.

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Hunters kill 14,133 turkeys in wet, rainy spring season

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:46:48 +0000

Hunters concluded a wet, rainy spring wild turkey season with a preliminary total of 14,133 birds killed in all seasons.

Youth hunters killed 923 birds in 2013.

That’s down from the 2012 record of 1,300 turkeys harvested but still good enough for the second best youth season in Illinois.

Four new counties allowed spring turkey hunting in Illinois in 2013, including Douglas, Ford, Kane and Lake.

One hundred of Illinois’ 102 counties were open to turkey hunting.

South zone harvest was 6,494, down from 7,006 last year.

North zone hunters killed 7,639 compared with 8,935 in 2012.

Paul Brewer, Illinois Department of Natural Resources wild turkey project manager said weather was a factor for hunters and breeding activity was delayed.

Hunters in Jo Daviess County experienced rain or snow every day of the first five-day season segment.

For all five seasons combined (32 days) in Jo Daviess County, there was rain or snowfall on 20 days of the season.

The month of April was the fourth-wettest April on record in Illinois.

Brewer said cold and wet springs are not good for turkey production and added Illinois has experienced similar conditions six of the last seven years.

Despite uncooperative weather, Brewer said habitat restoration is the best bet for preserving and improving Illinois’ wild turkey.

“The long term key in improving wild turkey populations continues to be habitat management, particularly restoration of open oak woodlands for nesting and brood rearing,” he said.

Spring wild turkey hunting closed May 9 in the south zone and May 16 in the north zone.
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The top five counties in the south zone in 2013 were Jefferson (411), Pope (360), Marion (344), and a tie for fourth with Randolph and Wayne (333).

The top five north zone counties were Jo Daviess (552), Pike (396), Fulton (328), Macoupin (293), and Adams (290).

A county-by-county table can be found below:

Turkey hunter on an “epic” quest

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:14:45 +0000

By the time you read this, Jeff Budz should be sound asleep.

That’s because on Wednesday he finished a month-long, turkey-hunting odyssey that brought him within four states of bagging a tom turkey in 49 states..

“I’ve seen the sunrise every day for 34 days and had an average of four hours, 20 minutes of sleep for the past 31 days,” Budz said. “It has been an amazing journey.”

Budz, a professional hunting guide formerly of Springfield and now living in Florida, is known for turkey-hunting grand slams, defined as harvesting all four wild turkey sub-species (Eastern, Merriam, Osceola and Rio Grande). Illinois is home to the Eastern wild turkey.

Most hunters would be elated to be able to say they have bagged all four over the course of a lifetime, but Budz has done it numerous times — more than any other turkey hunter.

He hopes to reach 100 grand slams next spring.

His current goal is to harvest a tom in 49 states. The NWTF calls it the U.S. Super Slam. Alaska doesn’t have wild turkeys, but Hawaii does.

“Everyone always asks this, so yes, I went to Hawaii in 1999,” Budz said. “And there are more turkeys there than in any place I have ever hunted. There are no predators so they fly down in the pitch black. It is just phenomenal hunting.”

Budz was back in Springfield recently to visit relatives and hunt with his friend Dick McCormick in Cass County.

During one stretch, Budz had killed 10 toms in 10 states in 13 days. In all, he killed 22 birds in 16 states

Only circumstances and hunting season dates could slow him down.

“I had to wait two days for the season to open in West Virginia,” he said.

No matter. Brief delays provided opportunities for trout fishing and morel hunting along the way.

“When people ask me about doing all of the states, I think about so much more than the actual kill,” Budz said. “From this year alone I remember crayfish in Louisiana, crabs in Delaware, trout in West Virginia, morels in Illinois, muddy roads in Kansas, snow in South Dakota and walleye in Minnesota. This country has so much beauty to experience, and this quest has been a great excuse to enjoy it all.”

‘It’s epic’

P.J. Perea of the National Wild Turkey Federation said Budz will be in a small, select group when he finishes his super slam.

Before joining NWTF, Perea worked for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He has hunted with Budz in the years since both left central Illinois.

Budz also has racked up more turkey-hunting grand slams than any other hunter out there.

“He passed Dick Kirby who had been number one forever,” Perea said. “He passed him awhile back and now he’s the number one grand slam holder probably of all time.”

Kirby died in 2010 with 61 grand slams.

“Unless someone starts this in high school or college, they’ll probably never catch up with Jeff,” Perea said. “He’s definitely one for the record books.”

Budz started the year at 34 states, hoping to have 45 under his belt by the end of this week.

He said he’s up to 91 grand slams and hopes to reach 100 by the end of next year. Third place on the list has 41 slams. A few hunters have 21.

“It’s thin atmosphere in the double digits,” Budz said.

It’s hard to imagine anyone approaching Budz’s totals.

“To see the pace that Jeff keeps up, it is pretty unreal,” Perea said. “It’s epic.”

Visit Jeff Budz's Website: http://www.tagitworldwide.com.

Chris Young can be reached at (217) 788-1528. Follow him at twitter.com/ChrisYoungPSO.

Wait for late-morning toms

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:04:00 +0000

This late in the turkey season, most of the dumb toms have been deep-fried.

Getting one close enough to shoot at can be challenging, if not completely frustrating. Because I am unburdened with high expectations, this is my favorite time to hunt turkeys. A successful turkey hunt for me has little to do with plucking a turkey and a lot to do with just being out there soaking up some springtime.

I have no theory on how to hunt late-season birds. That makes me one of the very few hunters without one.

Many experienced hunters say turkeys get call shy late in the season, especially in areas where the birds have been pressured. It might be a good idea to hunt the call-shy bird with your call in your pocket.

Scout the area and pattern the birds just like a deer hunter. Make note of the strutting zones and travel routes, and what time Mr. Tom Turkey spreads his fan in these areas. Then, get out there the early the next day, use whatever natural cover is available and wait for him to show up. If you’re particularly proud of your calling ability, this approach probably isn’t for you.

Another radical late season tactic involves trying to separate Mr. Turkey from his favorite hens when they are all on the roost. Go to the roost area well before daylight, get under the roost and send up such a racket that the birds will scatter before they would normally fly down.

When it gets light and Tom gets lonely and starts to gobble, move toward him in hopes of getting there before a real hen finds him.

This is not a tactic to be used anywhere there are likely to be other hunters on public or private land. Frankly, I’d keep this one in the hunting bag. If anyone saw or heard you doing this, the best-case scenario would be looking really stupid in front of your fellow hunters.

I’m partial to experts who say late in the season is a good time to skip the dawn patrol and go out around 10 a.m. By mid-morning, the toms have had their eye-opener and are on the prowl again. They may come a’ runnin’ when they hear a call.

Besides that, I see big advantages to this approach. I’m not getting my feet tangled up in the dark, and dumping hot coffee on myself. I don’t have to dress as warm. It’s full daylight. I can look over likely spots from a high vantage point, spot the birds that are out and use the terrain to move toward them, without falling in the crik.

And maybe the best of all, I can see the morels I might have stepped on in the dark.

Contact George Little at CCMGlobal@aol.com.

Hunting, fishing license sales in Kentucky total $7 million; set April record

Tue, 07 May 2013 03:05:10 +0000

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — This is no fish tale: Kentucky has set a record with April's sales of hunting and fishing licenses.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says sales totaled more than $7 million, a record for the month.

Fish and Wildlife Budget Director Scott King says the mark broke the previous record by $140,000 and is $800,000 more than April's average.

The agency says it has been offering convenience and opportunity for customers. Among the projects are a mobile app that allows searching for nearby fishing holes with GPS-enabled smart phones and using smart phones to buy hunting permits, check deer or find season dates.

Fish and Wildlife's Internet site also offers information for outdoors enthusiasts, and the agency says it received 17 million hits last year.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Iowa officials seek comment on hunting, trapping

Mon, 06 May 2013 02:38:21 +0000

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are encouraging the public to comment on proposed changes to several hunting and trapping seasons.

The state Department of Natural Resources says the changes would affect furbearer season, resident deer hunting, waterfowl and pigeon seasons, as well as the wildlife refuge list.

The changes range from adding more counties to the list of open areas for bobcats and reducing the quota of paid antlerless deer licenses. There are adjustments to waterfowl season dates, and proposed additions to the list of counties that are waterfowl refuges.

Officials also want to make pigeon season year round to give dove hunters more options.

Public comments will be accepted until a public hearing on May 23 in Des Moines.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Ind. Senate blocks high-fence deer hunting bill

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:11:20 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A proposal aimed at legalizing five fenced deer-hunting preserves around Indiana has failed in this year's legislative session.

Rep. Matt Ubelhor of Bloomfield said Thursday that his bid to protect the hunting preserves was blocked by the Senate.

Ubelhor says he believes the step was needed to resolve an eight-year-old lawsuit over attempts by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to shut down the existing preserves where hunters pay for a chance to shoot deer confined inside high fences.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long says he doesn't believe that the preserves offer true hunting and that the courts should decide whether the preserves are legal before the Legislature gets involved.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

2 hunters rescued from rising water in SW Missouri

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:02:37 +0000

LICKING, Mo. (AP) — Two St. Louis men will have quite a hunting story to tell, after being plucked from rising waters by a Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter.

Col. Ron Replogle, superintendent of the patrol, says 54-year-old Keith Duckworth and 53-year-old Wayne Arling were rescued Thursday after becoming stranded while turkey hunting. One of the men uses a wheelchair, and the men were trapped as water rose in a field near Boiling Springs in Texas County.

Because of the remote location, first responders determined the best way to rescue the men was with the patrol's helicopter.

The patrol says in a news release that Duckworth was taken to a St. Louis area hospital for evaluation and treatment for exposure.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Youth turkey hunters bag fewer birds, still have second best season

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:15:16 +0000

Young turkey hunters took 376 fewer birds this spring than in 2012, but still turned in the second-best youth season on record.

This spring, 4,468 youth turkey hunting permits were issues, compared with 4,100 last year.

County-by-county harvest figures for 2012 and 2013 are below:

3 hunters plead guilty to poaching in Illinois

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:12:28 +0000

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois' Department of Natural Resources is heralding the conviction of three hunters in what it describes as one of the state's biggest deer-poaching cases.

The department's conservation police chief, Rafael Gutierrez, said Wednesday that the convictions demonstrate authorities "will bring violators to justice."

The three were arrested in 2011 on suspicion of poaching two dozen deer. All have now pleaded guilty.

Most recently, 46-year-old Christopher Kiernan of Minooka (mi-NUUK'-uh) pleaded guilty on April 5 in a Grundy County court to multiple charges.

On April 5, Kiernan pleaded guilty in Grundy County to unlawfully taking four deer — including the 36-point buck — and three counts of hunting without permission. Kiernan was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the IDNR and fined $840. He also was banned from hunting for two years.

Larry S. Smith, 50, Chesterfield, Ontario, pleaded guilty in Sangamon County to falsifying hunter harvest records and was fined $800. In Grundy County, he was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and fined $300 after pleading guilty to hunting without permission and illegal possession of a 16-point buck. The court also ordered he could not hunt in Illinois for two years. IDNR further suspended his hunting privileges for 25 months.

Finally, 32-year-old Garrett L. Armstrong, of Avon, NY, pleaded guilty in Sangamon and Grundy counties to illegally taking two deer, three counts of hunting without permission and falsifying hunter harvest records. He was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and fined $625. He also cannot hunt for 24 months and had a 58-month suspension imposed on his hunting privileges.

No one answered Wednesday at a residential phone number for Kiernan.

In a related case, Abingdon taxidermist Chad M. Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty in January to three counts of failure to maintain complete taxidermy records and failure to report harvest of a 10-point buck.

Johnson was fined $1,000 and forfeited the buck to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. A suspension of his taxidermy license is pending with the IDNR.

After review of the case, the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement determined that Johnson’s violations did not qualify for a suspension of his taxidermy license.

Meeting former Gov. Edgar good luck for young hunter

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:11:58 +0000

Meeting former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar turned out to be good luck for 8-year-old Sienna Hadley of Pleasant Plains.

Sienna was planning to hunt turkeys at the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area near Chandlerville on April 6, the first day of youth turkey-hunting season in the northern two-thirds of the state.

The night before, her grandfather Gray Pierson took her to Steak ‘n Shake, where they saw Edgar, the park’s namesake.

Edgar played a big role in the state’s purchase of the more than 16,000-acre site — formerly known as Site M — from Commonwealth Edison in 1993.

“I told Sienna who he was, and I thought it was a good omen since she was hunting JEPC early the next morning,” Pierson said. “We chatted with him as he wished her good luck and I took a picture of him with Sienna.”

Not everyone got their picture taken with someone famous, but that didn’t seem to matter. Proud parents have been submitting pictures of successful young turkey hunters all week.

Send youth turkey hunting photos to editor@prairiestateoutdoors.com.

We want to see your pictures from youth turkey season

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:47:42 +0000

With such a great selection of youth turkey hunting season photos submitted, it seems only fair to put them together in an album for posterity.

The photos all will take a turn in the Picture of the Day slot, but if you miss a day, you can still see all the pictures.

I've also been posting them on Facebook as they come in. You can join us there at: http://www.facebook.com/PrairieStateOutdoors.

If you have pictures to share, e-mail them to editor@prairiestateoutdoors.com.

Good luck this season. May the grownups do half as well as the kids!

Mike Wilson submitted this photo of his 12-year-old daughter, Emily. The turkey weighed 25.5 pounds, and had a 9.75-inch beard. The 1.5-inch spur was broken and measured an inch. Emily dropped the turkey at 15 yards. 8:30 a.m. in Fulton County.

Faith Lindsay, 12, of Taylorville went on her first turkey hunt of the year with her uncles Leroy and Clint Barlow. Photo courtesy of Mike Daley.

"Eight-year-old Sienna Hadley from Pleasant Plains shot this jake on opening morning of the Youth Season. This makes two in a row for her as she harvested a gobbler on opening day last year as well."

Tony Fontana: "My 8-year-old son, Lucas Fontana shot his first turkey this morning. He shot this 22. 5-pound turkey in Fulton County. It had a 9.5-inch beard and 1-inch long spurs. He made a perfect 35 yard shot!"

Haylee Smith, 12 years old, from New Canton with her first turkey

Eight-year-old Logan Roepke harvested his very first bird on Easter Sunday during the Clay County youth season with his Grandpa and sister by his side.

Bryan Anderson: “I wanted to share a pic of my 13-year-old son, Nick, with the gobbler he shot this morning at 6:33 in Fulton County. The bird’s stats; 23 lbs, 10” beard and 1 1/8” spurs. He came strutting in to only nine yards when Nick dropped him. I couldn’t be more proud of him!”

From Vern LaGesse: "This is my nephew Joe LaGesse, Jr. on his last youth hunt this weekend here in Menard County. This was his forth turkey."

Jason Norton submitted this photo of Curtis Norton with a turkey he killed April 7 in Fulton County.

Jason Smithers, 13, with his first turkey shot on IRAP (Illinois Recreational Access Program) ground in Scott County as he was being mentored by Jason Hadley. Photo courtesy of Gray Pierson.

Kim Wyatt Knapp submitted this photo of Katelyn Knapp, 9, of Goodfield who shot this jake in Peoria County April 6. This is Katelyn's second bird.

Before we close, just a reminder that fishing is fun, too. Here's Eli Fenner, 7, with a nice stringer of crappie from a private pond near Clinton.

Ind. Senate leader opposes high-fence deer hunting

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:47:19 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The leader of the Indiana Senate has said he opposes a proposal aimed at legalizing five fenced deer-hunting preserves around the state.

The Indiana House is expected to vote next week on the bill, which supporters is needed to resolve an eight-year-old lawsuit over attempts by the state Department of Natural Resources to shut down the existing preserves where hunters pay for a chance to shoot deer confined inside high fences.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said Thursday he agreed with those who want to end what critics call "canned hunting."

"It's not hunting. It's not sporting," Long said. "... I don't think it's a good idea for Indiana."

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources ruled in 2005 that fenced hunting was illegal, but the existing preserves have remained open under a court injunction.

Supporters of legalizing the existing preserves say it is a matter of fairness to the property owners who made big investments to open the sites before they were barred.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Matt Ubelhor, R-Bloomfield, requires the preserve have at least 100 acres and fences at least 8 feet tall. The bill also would limit the preserves to a hunting season from Aug. 15 to Feb. 15, and would only allow permit sites that have operated continuously since 2005.

Indiana had its largest white-tail deer harvest ever last year, showing abundant deer hunting opportunities exist without captive facilities, said Darren Reed, a board member of the Indiana Conservation Officers' Organization, a group of active and retired officers opposing the bill.

"We believe it provides an unethical standard in the hunting community to try to shoot a deer inside a fence," he told The Journal Gazette.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence said he would support allowing the five existing preserves to continue operating with hunting rules in place.

"My focus is on jobs in the Hoosier state," Pence said. "And I'm open to allowing these small number of rural businesses to continue to remain open."

Long blocked in the Senate last year a broader House-approved bill that would have legalized the existing fenced-hunting preserves and allowed new ones, saying he believed legislators reached a tacit agreement several years ago not to intercede in the lawsuit.

Ken McIntosh, the owner of Midwest Woodlots, a fenced preserve in northern Indiana's Kosciusko County, said he continued hoping that lawmakers would legalize the sites.

"I'm just going to keep praying," he told The Indianapolis Star.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Young hunter bags turkey with multiple beards

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:23:30 +0000

Anthony Sasade, 15, of Christopher, bagged a wild turkey with at least five beards during the Illinois youth turkey season in southern Illinois last weekend.

Male wild turkeys grow “beards” — thin clusters of feathers (not hairs) on their chests, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.

The beards average nine inches long on adult males.

About 10 to 20 percent of females also have beards and are known as “bearded hens.”

A photograph of the bird shows the separate beards.

Anthony Sasade's gobbler had at least five beards - thin clusters of feathers growing from the bird's chest. Photo courtesy of Paul Lampley.

Paul Lampley, who manages the farm in Hamilton County where Anthony shot his turkey, said the bird’s five beards measured 30 inches total.

“Indeed this is a pretty rare bird,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources wild turkey project manger Paul Brewer. “Multiple beards do occur — but it is not common, and certainly not that many.

“I cannot be sure by just looking at the photo, but to me it looks like there may actually be seven or more beards — each arising from a separate papilla (raised oval or circle of skin at base of bristles).”

Lampley, who was along on the hunt with Anthony and his father Philip Sasade, said it “was one of the most memorable hunts I’ve ever been on.”

The gobbler, which weighed a whopping 30 pounds, “was incredibly bigger than anything else in the field,” Lampley said.

“He looked like a small Volkswagen bus coming across the field all strutted out,” he said. “His head was as big as a softball.”

Anthony killed the bird at 6:45 a.m. March 30 just as the sun was starting to burn off the morning mist.
Lampley said the turkey came within “20 steps” of the blind in a “textbook hunt.

“It couldn’t have worked any better,” he said.

Anthony helped prepare for the hunt, Lampley said.

“He helped me with picking a blind location and scouting the turkeys,” he said. “He’s pretty beside himself right now.”

The NWTF website has a “calculator” that allows hunters to enter weight, beard length and spur length to receive a score. Anthony’s turkey scored very close to the top 10 Illinois “atypical” turkeys, according to the calculator.

“I’ve had two or three people tell me in Illinois it would be in the top 10,” Lampley said. “That’s not official, but that’s what I’ve been told.”
The turkey has not been scored yet.

Illinois DNR does not keep records on turkey beards, but Brewer said James Dickson’s 1992 book, “The Wild Turkey — Biology & Management” revealed the unofficial record at the time was a gobbler taken in 1989 in Wisconsin that had 8 beards with a total length of about 71 inches.

DNR forest wildlife program manager Paul Shelton found a listing in turkey federation records for a Missouri bird taken in 2010 that had eight beards with a total length of 74.875 inches.

Chris Young can be reached at (217) 788-1528. Follow him at twitter.com/ChrisYoungPSO.

Cape Girardeau voters reject deer hunt in city

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:02:04 +0000

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — Cape Girardeau residents decided they did not want bow hunting for deer inside city limits.

By a vote of 1,485 to 1,279, voters on Tuesday ended a long controversy by repealing an ordinance that allowed deer hunting.

The Southeast Missourian reports (http://bit.ly/XXie1Z ) it is the first time in the city's history an ordinance was repealed by referendum.

After months of debate, the city council approved the deer hunt last July. Opponents then collected enough signatures to put the issue on Tuesday's ballot.

Mayor Harry Rediger said he had no interest in pursuing the issue further.

The Missouri Department of Conservation said the city has an average density of 37 deer per square mile, similar to densities in other state communities where action was been taken to reduce the herd.

___

Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Iowa House OKs crossbow deer hunting for residents

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:23:35 +0000

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House approved a measure Wednesday to expand crossbow hunting of deer by allowing residents to use crossbows during the late hunting season, from Dec. 17 to Jan. 10.

They would not be required to purchase a separate crossbow hunting license.

Under current law, only muzzleloader and archery hunters can hunt deer during that season. But a physically disabled person incapable of shooting a bow and arrow can get a special crossbow license to hunt deer and turkey.

Rep. Scott Ourth, D-Ackworth, said the bill was a good one that expanded opportunities for people who want to hunt and wish to use crossbows.

"We've had no pushback from hunters groups," he said.

Bill Harrison, vice president of Southwest Iowa Bow Hunters, said that although his group's 100 members mostly do archery, some would do crossbow hunting if the law passed.

"Everybody thinks crossbows 'ought to be allowed during gun season," he said, adding that a crossbow is like a "glorified gun." ''I think (the law) would be something people would bite onto."

The House passed the bill unanimously and sent it to the Senate.

Kevin Baskins, spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, said he wouldn't expect an increase in crossbow hunters to significantly reduce the state's deer population.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Ind. panel votes to allow fenced deer preserves

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:18:07 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Five game preserves around the state where hunters pay for a chance to shoot deer confined inside high fences would be allowed to stay open under a bill endorsed Monday by an Indiana House committee.

The measure approved 6-2 by the House Natural Resources Committee is the latest move in an eight-year-old court and legislative fight over the hunting preserves. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources ruled in 2005 that fenced hunting was illegal, but the existing preserves have remained open under a court injunction.

Several outdoorsmen and environmental organizations are against the proposal, maintaining that the fenced preserves don't offer real hunting and could increase the disease risk for Indiana's wild deer. Supporters of legalizing the existing preserves say it is a matter of fairness to the property owners who made big investments to open the sites before they were barred.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Matt Ubelhor, R-Bloomfield, requires the preserve have at least 100 acres and fences at least 8 feet tall. The bill also would limit the preserves to a hunting season from Aug. 15 to Feb. 15, and would only allow permit sites that have operated continuously since 2005.

"These play an integral part to our hunting economy in the state," Ubelhor said of the current preserves.

Indiana Farm Bureau lobbyist Bob Kraft told the committee Monday that the bill would "remove a shadow" over the preserves and help provide a market for animals raised at about 400 deer farms around the state. Kraft said not passing the bill wouldn't be fair to the preserve owners who believed they were acting legally when they started opening the sites in the late 1990s.

"They relied on this in good faith to open a business in Indiana," Kraft said.

The bill now advances to the full House for consideration. That chamber approved a broader bill last year that would have legalized the existing fenced-hunting preserves and allowed new ones, but it was blocked in the Senate, where leaders cited a tacit agreement several years ago not to intercede in the lawsuit.

Opponents on Monday argued against the state allowing what they called "canned hunting" of farm-raised deer that have less fear of humans than wild deer and are restricted by high fences.

"The deer are being shot for the antlers — not for the sport," said Doug Allman, a vice president of the Indiana Wildlife Federation and a past president of the Indiana Deer Hunters Association.

The committee members who voted against the legalizing the preserves — Rep. Tom Saunders, R-Lewisville, and Rep. Lloyd Arnold, R-Huntingburg — both said they disagreed with the type of hunting done at the sites.

"I don't consider this a sport," Saunders said.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

DNR turkey biologist: Good reason to be optimistic this spring

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:37:18 +0000

Paul Brewer, wild turkey program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is optimistic hunters will have a successful spring wild turkey season.

Youth season opens this weekend in southern Illinois, and young hunters take to the field April 6-7 in the northern two-thirds of the state.
“There are pretty good numbers of turkeys out there,” he said. “I am optimistic for a good season.”

Last spring, Illinois turkey hunters bagged 15,941 birds, less than 700 off the record setting year of 2006 when hunters killed 16,605.
It can be difficult to say for sure how the Illinois population of wild turkeys is doing, and Brewer said there were some initial concerns because the number of poults (young turkeys) compared with the number of hens counted was down.

“Our brood surveys showed another decrease in our poult-to-hen index,” he said.

Part of the decrease could be tied to the timing of the surveys. Surveys are conducted at the same time each year so results are comparable.

But last year, spring got off to such an early start, observers were having difficulty spotting the young turkeys because crops were planted early and grew high enough to hide them by the time the surveys started in early summer.

“We had a good, and early, hatch in the spring, and we already were seeing some pretty good-sized (young) in early summer,” he said.

Also, Brewer said dry conditions probably caused many of those young turkeys to flock to permanent sources of water, and away from roadsides where they are more easily counted.

Observers who help DNR monitor turkey populations range from landowners to mail carriers.

“When we were reintroducing turkeys we would ask landowners in the area if they would keep track of hens and poults they saw together and the hens they saw by themselves,” he said. “Some of these folks have been watching for years.”

Brewer said wildlife biologists, conservation police officers, state parks staff, soil and water conservation district employees and others send in 500-600 cards with their observations each year.
“Recently we’ve asked the National Wild Turkey Federation chapters if their volunteers would look, too.”

Besides the number of turkeys, weather plays a big role in hunter success.

“We tend to look at harvest a lot,” he said. “If the opener is a cold and wet day, especially on weekends, or if we get a cold and wet weekend where it is miserable for guys to be out, it can really set harvest back.”

Brewer said concerns about March being cold should not cause too much of a problem.

“On cold days the general feeling is gobblers are less vocal and tougher to hunt,” he said. “That seems to be able to change on a day-to- day and week-to-week basis.”

Nicer days can change the activity level to some degree, he said, but length of days and the amount of sunlight is a much greater factor.
“I don’t expect anything abnormal in turkey behavior due to some cold weather in March.”

Chris Young can be reached at (217) 788-1528. Follow him at twitter.com/ChrisYoungPSO.

Panel considers Indiana fenced deer hunting sites

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:41:46 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Several private game preserves where hunters pay for a chance to shoot deer kept inside high fences would be legalized under a proposal being considered by state legislators.

Owners of the preserves and some outdoorsmen organizations disagree on whether hunting the farm-raised deer should be allowed. Preserve supporters told an Indiana House committee Monday that legislation is needed to resolve an eight-year-old lawsuit over whether five existing preserves can stay in business.

Rep. Matt Ubelhor, R-Bloomfield, said the proposal would protect hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments by the preserve owners who started opening the sites in 1999. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources ruled in 2005 that fenced hunting was illegal.

Those existing preserves have remained open under a court injunction, and Ubelhor's proposal would only allow permit sites that have operated continuously since 2005.

"This is in no way an expansion of the program," Ubelhor said. "It's simply protecting the operators that are there today."

Leaders of the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, Indiana Bowhunter Association and Indiana Wildlife Federation told the House Natural Resources Committee they were concerned about deer at the preserves spreading other illnesses to the state's wild deer population.

Some preserve owners and farmers who raise deer sold to those sites said Monday they closely monitored their animals for signs of diseases.

Sen. Michael Crider, who was the DNR's law enforcement director when the fenced-hunting ban policy was adopted, said the agency wanted to ensure a healthy wildlife population and that the policy was reasonable. He said he also shared the concerns about the hunting of captive deer.

"The people that run pens are interested in somebody coming there and killing an animal," said Crider, R-Greenfield. "They don't get paid unless someone harvests that deer."

The hunting groups also criticized the preserves, saying it isn't real hunting because the farm-raised deer have less fear of humans than wild deer.

"They are domestically raised just like cattle and pigs are today," said Herb Higgins, an officer of the bowhunter association.

Rodney Bruce, owner of Whitetail Bluff near the southern Indiana town of Corydon, said the preserves didn't offer canned hunting.

"If you have a deer in a room that can't escape or in a pen that can't escape, that's totally unacceptable," Bruce said. "Our places are not like that."

Bruce said his 120-acre business typically has 70-80 deer within its fences and that hunters are still challenged. The preserve's website lists 3-day hunting and lodging packages based on buck size, ranging from $1,900 to $7,900.

The House committee could vote next week on whether to advance the proposal to the full House.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, blocked a broader House-approved bill last year that would have legalized the existing fenced-hunting preserves and allowed new ones.

Long said Monday he continued to believe that legislators reached a tacit agreement several years ago not to intercede in the lawsuit and that he hoped the Senate wouldn't have to deal with the issue again this year.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence, who took office in January, is hesitant about expanding high-fenced preserves, but "is keeping an open mind" about proposals to allow the existing preserves to continue operating, spokeswoman Kara Brooks said.

Ubelhor said he wanted to allow good businesses to stay open.

"This is an opportunity for people to take part in hunting and have a good time doing it," he said. "They're guaranteed a safe place to hunt."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Wis. lawmaker wants open season on woodchucks

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:40:47 +0000

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Deer, bears, wolves, mourning doves, even wild pigs — if it walks, crawls or flies in Wisconsin, hunters can probably shoot it. Now a state lawmaker wants to declare open season on one more animal: the wily woodchuck.

Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, is putting the finishing touches on a bill that would remove woodchucks from Wisconsin's protected species list and allow people to kill an unlimited number of woodchucks during a season that would run nearly year-round. Jacque said woodchucks don't serve protected status because they're abundant and a nuisance.

"There really isn't a good justification for why woodchucks are on the protected list," Jacque said. "(The season) is more to control a nuisance. I can imagine they can certainly do some damage."

The bill represents another expansion of hunting rights in Wisconsin and promises to re-ignite a years-old debate over whether hunters really need another target species. Attempts over the last decade to create hunts for feral cats and mourning doves, the state's symbol of peace, drew fierce opposition. The state's new wolf season sent animal lovers into a rage last year and an attempt to create a sandhill crane hunt last spring went nowhere after opponents mounted an intense campaign to stop it.

Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, aren't as near and dear to Wisconsinites' hearts as wolves, mourning doves and cranes. But they do have a place in the state's lexicon. Wausau has an amateur baseball team known as the Woodchucks and Sun Prairie boasts Jimmy the Groundhog, Wisconsin's answer to Punxsutawney Phil (Jimmy predicted an early spring this year, disappointing fans who are still dragging themselves through winter's dregs).

Shahla Werner, director of the Sierra Club's Wisconsin chapter, said her group doesn't oppose hunting in general, but going after woodchucks doesn't seem responsible. Property owners already can kill nuisance groundhogs and she's never heard of anyone eating woodchuck.

"Why can't these trigger-happy folks shoot targets or cans like I did when I was little?" Warner wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "How are you going to explain to a second-grader in Sun Prairie why we shot Jimmy the Groundhog??"

Woodchucks are beaver-like rodents known for burrowing and devouring plants. "They're just like a lawnmower in the garden. They're ferocious herbivores," said Scott Craven, professor emeritus in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Forest and Wildlife Ecology Department.

Wisconsin wildlife officials designated woodchucks as protected decades ago, meaning landowners can kill them when they're on their property but anyone else would need the state Department of Natural Resources' permission to kill one. DNR officials said it's unclear exactly why woodchucks were protected; Craven said woodchucks were once scarce in Wisconsin and state officials wanted to ensure they continued to burrow because the holes can provide important shelter for a number of other animals.

Over the years, though, the woodchuck population has grown. The DNR doesn't count woodchucks, but agency ecologists believe they're now common statewide. And with their resurgence has come plenty of holes in the ground, bill supporters say.

The bill's genesis lies with a Manitowoc man named Dan Cichantek. Also known as "Trapper Dan," Cichantek works in his spare time as a nuisance trapper. He said woodchucks have become one of the most pressing problems in his area, burrowing holes along the interstate as well as in roadside ditches, county parks and school grounds.

"When I was a kid in Manitowoc County, we really didn't have any woodchucks," he said. "Now they're like everywhere. People call me up and say 'Can you remove this for me?' I say 'no, I can't.' When they're on public property there's nothing anybody can do."

Cichantek offered a resolution for a woodchuck season at a Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearing in Manitowoc County in 2008. The congress is an influential group of sportsmen who advise the DNR on outdoor issues.

The resolution passed. The following year the congress presented the question statewide. The idea passed in every Wisconsin county but languished until the Manitowoc County Fish and Game Protective Association mentioned it to Jacque last year.

The bill would strip woodchucks of their protected status and establish a season that would run from March 1 through Dec. 31. People with a small game or trapping license would be allowed to take an unlimited number. Iowa, Michigan and Illinois all have woodchuck seasons and Craven, the UW-Madison ecologist, said a Wisconsin season probably wouldn't hurt the state's overall woodchuck population. He said property owners' kills haven't affected the population and he doubts there'll be much interest in a season.

"I hate to see the public perception be hunting means less of something, because it does not," Craven said. "Some of our most abundant species, like whitetail deer, are game species."

Jacque hasn't formally introduced the bill, but he already has bipartisan support. Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, a Democrat who lives on a farm in Alma, has signed on as a co-sponsor.

"We have a lot of problems with woodchucks that are very fat and eat a lot of our grain," Vinehout said. "I look out my bedroom window every morning and see those guys running around. They're very fat and very happy. This (bill) would allow the neighbor boy to come over and shoot them and solve a small problem on the farm."

Republican leaders have been noncommittal on the measure. Asked about the bill's chances, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, said the bill was still being reviewed. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, didn't return a message. A spokesman for Republican Gov. Scott Walker said the governor would review the bill if it reaches his desk.

Jimmy the Groundhog's owner, Gerald Hahn, blasted the bill. He said he hunts deer and pheasants but believes outdoorsmen already have enough targets.

"I think we've gone just kind of goofy," Hahn said. "I don't see any more groundhogs today than I did before. They do some damage, but then a lot of animals do. I know how lovable they can be. The little ones are just the cutest things in the world."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Wis. DNR seeks input on new deer surveys

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:15:45 +0000

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources is asking deer hunters to fill out two new surveys.

One survey focuses on hunters' perceptions of local herds, asking whether hunters believe the herd in local management units has grown or shrunk and whether the DNR issues the proper number of permits for each unit.

The other survey asks broader questions, including how the DNR should implement recommendations Texas researcher James Kroll offered last summer to improve the hunt and how to fight chronic wasting disease.

The surveys will be available online as well as at a number of public meetings to discuss the 2013 deer hunt and Kroll's recommendations over the coming months.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Sequester could hold back funds for fish, wildlife

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:06:38 +0000

The federal government’s efforts to control deficit spending through sequestration eventually could affect how much money is returned to states for wildlife and fish restoration programs.

States receive matching funds from the federal government through the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts that divide an 11 percent excise taxes on sporting goods between state fish and wildlife agencies.

Illinois’ share typically is about $16 million dollars.

The sequestration — known as the Budget Control Act — requires a 7.6 percent cut to “other non-exempt, non-defense mandatory programs,” including wildlife funds even though they are not raised through the federal income tax.

The goal of the Budget Control Act is to reduce the federal budget deficit by $1.2 trillion in 10 years.

According to the Association of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the total amount withheld from the states would be $74 million in fiscal year 2013.

If the entire 7.6 percent is held back, Illinois could find about $1.2 million off limits.

“Since this is a trust fund, the excise tax monies will not be diverted to other uses, but will not be allocated to the states at the (same rate as in past years),” said Dan Stephenson, assistant chief of fisheries for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The money won’t be used to pay down the federal deficit, but will reside in a trust fund in Washington — making it unavailable to the states, at least not until the sequester ends.

“They can’t take it out of the trust funds, but they aren’t going to appropriate it,” said Mike Conlin, retired DNR fisheries chief. “It looks like they are holding back spending but they really aren’t. I think it’s partly for show or maybe all for show.”

Conlin said federal funds normally are reimbursed to the states, such as when a research project is completed.

He said DNR might not feel the effects until the next fiscal year.
“But as time passes, it will impact us more and more,” Stephenson said. “The sooner they fix this in Washington, the less the impact.”
Using DNR fisheries as an example, $9.7 million was received from fishing license sales in 2011 and $7.1 million came in as federal matching funds, Stephenson said.

If the entire 7.6 percent sequestration is held back, about $550,000 of that $7.1 million will be unavailable to DNR fisheries.

Stephenson said fisheries was expecting an additional $1.5 million from the new “Sustainability Bill” that adds a $2 surcharge on license plate renewals to help replace aging equipment and hire additional personnel.

“But we’re afraid that money will be in place of (funds held back), not in addition to.”

DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said the agency is planning for any number of budget scenarios “so we are protected as possible.

“If any money is withheld, that would affect the agency,” he said. “All we can do is try to keep an eye on it.”

Chris Young can be reached at (217) 788-1528. Follow him at twitter.com/ChrisYoungPSO.

Missouri conducting feral hog control

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:46:35 +0000

PUXICO, Mo. (AP) — The Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Missouri will be closed for a day while conservation crews conduct a one-day aerial operation to kill feral hogs.

The Dexter Daily Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/15gStg5 ) that the Missouri Department of Conservation is conducting the hunt sometime between Monday and March 28. The closure includes all access to the refuge by foot, bicycle or horseback for public safety.

The department says the exact date hasn't been determined because of weather.

The department says the wild hogs are an aggressive species that reproduce quickly and hurt native plants and animals at the refuge. The hogs, which are non-native, also compete with native species such as deer and turkey for food.

___

Information from: Dexter Daily Statesman, http://www.dailystatesman.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

George Little: Time saved now pays off later

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:28:40 +0000

A recent study of the way Americans spend time revealed that we spend 14 days over the course of our lifetimes looking for the TV remote. Of course, this number is an average, and will increase dramatically with small children or a golden retriever in the house.

Granted, these lost days aren’t a spit in the river compared to the time we spend working, eating and sleeping, and we wouldn’t gain appreciably more time each day if we wore our remote controls on belts. Still, when you start adding it up, little things eventually become big ones. Just ask anyone involved in the government budgeting process.

When I gave up searching for the remote, found the instruction book, and manually switched off the television, I started thinking about other things that I have, but haven’t a clue where they are.

In my equipment room, there are scope rings, my hunter safety course card, turkey tags, warranties, a pretty good whetstone, a slate turkey call and a great pair of shooting gloves. All those things are missing in action, and will be needed eventually. When they are, it will set off a frenzied search that will seem like 14 days, even if only takes 15 minutes.

I’ve always thought the Felix Unger types with all their stuff in neat little alphabetical rows were a little creepy. After all, you have to go on a treasure hunt once in a while.

So, I came up with a practical approach to reduce my time spent looking. I put up signs in the garage and equipment room that say, “Put Stuff Away As Soon As You Get Home.” Seems simple enough. That visual stimulus could short stop a scavenger hunt next time a hunting or fishing trip breaks out on short notice.

It may take an extra 10 minutes when I come home cold or wet, but that 10 minutes will save 20 or more down the road. Besides, it might mean:

no moldy coveralls behind the truck seat.

no more searching for overshoes, a life jacket or orange hat.

no more leaving that gallon of milk I know bought on the way home.

Over of the remainder of my life, it might give me an extra three or four weeks to go quail hunting. Granted, this idea is not akin to the discovery of fire. But when one is trying to get organized, no ideas are too small.

Regardless of your degree of organization, or lack of it, there are times when the gremlins attack and stuff just disappears. My scope rings are still AWOL. My shooting gloves turned up in the freezer, sitting between the crappie filets and the back strap. This begs the questions: What was taken from the freezer when the gloves were placed there? Was it eaten? If not. Where is it now and how long has it been there? It might make its olfactory presence known eventually.

Until then, it seems best just not to know.

Contact George Little at CCMGlobal@aol.com.

Indiana DNR: No sign of chronic wasting disease

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:12:26 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tests have not detected any sign of chronic wasting disease in more than 1,000 tissue samples taken from white-tailed deer bagged last year by hunters in Indiana.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced the results of the tests this week.

The Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab at Purdue University analyzed the samples that state biologists collected at check stations last fall.

The state has been checking deer for the disease since 2002, and none have tested positive. Indiana's deer population is estimated at between 500,000 and 1 million.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease that causes deer o become emaciated, behave abnormally and eventually die.

Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in captive and free-roaming deer.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.