Outdoor News - Wildlife Management Pro

Hunter Shot While Duck Hunting

It’s being reported that a duck hunter near Port Arthur, Texas, has been killed in a duck hunting accident on the upper Texas coast. Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Bob Morgan says 30 year old Matthew Thomas Janson, of Houston, was hit by a shotgun blast as he and a friend were firing at ducks at J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area.

Morgan says the Sunday shooting is being investigated as an accident. He says the men launched a boat in Sabine Pass and that the shooting happened about an hour later in a marsh. The hunting partners were at compartment 17 of the South Bayou Unit of the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area when they began shooting simultaneously at ducks. Continue reading Hunter Shot While Duck Hunting

Texas Addressed Conservation Issues

Just last week, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced interim charges for Texas Senate committees that will explore issues and solutions during the interim period before the 82nd Texas Legislature convenes in January 2011. Among the agencies addressed was the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Below is a listing of some committee interim charges relevant to TPWD and its mission that could impact its constituents.

Natural Resources

Analyze and compare the differences in cost between immediate implementation of the State Water Plan compared to staged development over time.
Review the joint planning process for management of groundwater resources and monitor the progress of groundwater conservation districts’ efforts to establish, before the statutory deadline, desired future conditions for aquifers.
Study the need for the state to regulate the drilling of new wells within proscribed depths and distances of Texas rivers, in order to prevent the draining of surface water from alluvial plains of river basins.
Monitor the environmental impacts, including water usage, and role of the TCEQ and other agencies in oil and natural gas development in areas of the state such as the Barnett Shale Continue reading Texas Addressed Conservation Issues

Illegal Whitetail Deer Trade: Someone’s Watching

White-tailed deer are not only the number one game animal in North America, they are a big business, too. And unfortunately, not all of that “business” is legal. In Texas, properly licensed individuals can breed and sell whitetail to other breeders or ranches, but there is also an underground trade that is estimated to involve hundreds of thousands of dollars. This deer trade is not only illegal, but it risks the health of the state’s deer herd.

Source: It’s a humid summer evening in central Texas, and a man we’ll call Cal is about to make an illegal purchase. As a result, his anxiety level is high. His palms are damp, his heart is racing and his mouth is dry. The item in this particular transaction isn’t a bale of marijuana or a stolen laptop, or even a crate of bootleg CDs. It’s an 11-point white-tailed buck with highly desirable drop-tine antlers off each main beam. Eyeballing the deer, which has just been darted with a tranquilizer gun, Cal agrees that this buck will earn a Boone & Crockett score of at least 150, as promised. A trophy by most standards, and a bargain for $2,000. Continue reading Illegal Whitetail Deer Trade: Someone’s Watching

Southeast Deer Study Group Nominations Sought

Deer Management Career Achievement Award Nominations Sought

The SOUTHEAST DEER STUDY GROUP Deer Management Career Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding of white-tailed deer ecology and management in the southeastern United States. The award may recognize a single achievement or contributions over an extended period of time and is presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group. The award is to be given for activities conducted within the member states of the SE Section of The Wildlife Society and the states of Missouri, Texas, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia.

Nomination is to be made by a member of the SE Section, but the nominee need not be a member of the section. Both individuals and groups are eligible for nomination. Nominations including supporting documentation and letters of recommendation should be submitted by December 1, 2009 to Steve Demarais at P.O. Box 9690, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762 or (preferably) as pdf documents to sdemarais@cfr.msstate.edu.

Retirement Recognition

The Southeast Deer Study Group and Southeast Deer Committee will recognize retiring deer biologists and managers at the 2010 banquet. Awardees need not attend the meeting, and retirement can be pending or past. Self nomination is allowed. No specific time frame for work with deer is required. Nominees not attending the meeting or banquet will receive their certificate by mail. The nomination letter must list the nominee’s name, address, employer(s), dates of employment, and type of work (management and/or research) and must be emailed by January 1, 2010 to Steve Demarais at sdemarais@cfr.msstate.edu.

Kansas Wildlife Federation Needs You

The Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) is looking for a few good people, possibly even people that you know! KWF needs nominees for its Conservation Achievement Program (CAP) awards, given each year to persons or groups who are actively involved in wildlife management programs to conserve the environment and promote environmental education and outreach. Any conservation-minded citizen may nominate someone who has done such habitat or information based work.

Dedicated groups and individuals often go unnoticed to conservations, hunters, and other citizens of Kansas, so the CAP awards honor Kansans who have devoted themselves to conserving the state’s natural resources. Whether through education, communication, or on-ground habitat work, such dedicated people are eligible for CAP awards. Continue reading Kansas Wildlife Federation Needs You

Kansas Youth Hunting Opportunities

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are joining forces to provide young Kansas hunters and supervising adults with opportunities to hunt white-tailed deer during the regular firearm deer season, which opens on December 2nd and runs through the 13th. For the youth deer hunt, more than 4,500 acres of the Smoky Valley Ranch property owned by TNC are being opened to a limited number of deer hunters during the season through KDWP’s Special Hunts on Private Lands program.

All youth 16 years old and younger and an accompanying mentor will be permitted to harvest one whitetail antlerless deer each during their assigned access period. All appropriate hunting licenses and tags are required, and participating youth who are 16 must also possess a valid hunting license. Six hunts are available, each allowing access to one youth-mentor pair. Hunts will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested hunters should contact KDWP’s Fisheries and Wildlife Division at 620-672-0791 to register. This is a great opportunity for a high-quality youth hunt in Kansas!

Poisoned Deer in Texas

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) are investigating an incident involving the misuse of the pesticide Temik in the southwestern area of Eastland County, Texas, in early October. Corn seed was treated with Temik and placed in and around some peanut fields near the intersection of U.S. 183 and County Road 173 south of Cisco. TDA is investigating why the corn was treated with Temik and distributed in this location.

The contamination of the peanut fields has killed a number of feral hogs, at least one white-tailed deer and two birds. Authorities have since taken steps to remove the contaminated corn, and no dead animals have been found at the site since the investigation began. Authorities are advising deer hunters to refrain from harvesting deer or feral hogs or eating deer or hog meat taken from within a 5-mile radius around the intersection of U.S. 183 and County Road 173 south of Cisco. However, TPWD is encouraging hunters to continue to enjoy hunting elsewhere in Eastland County and surrounding counties. Continue reading Poisoned Deer in Texas