The battle to defend hunting rights on National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System lands continues. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is filing a response to anti-hunters in an ongoing lawsuit that seeks to block hunting in over fifty areas of federal land within the NWR.This long running case began in 2003 when the Fund for Animals, which later merged with the Humane Society of the United States, filed a lawsuit to stop hunting on certain refuges. The suit called for an end to hunting on 39 National Wildlife Refuges that had been opened since the 1997 passage of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) backed National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.

The anti’s claimed that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) action to allow hunting on NWR land violated the National Environmental Policy Act and should require an Environmental Impact Statement.

Over the years, the case has taken multiple turns and the anti’s have amended the lawsuit to include additional refuges where hunting would be prohibited. The new legal briefs are just the latest in a long line that has been filed as the anti’s have prolonged the case.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF), the legal arm of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, has worked since the beginning of this case to defend the rights of hunters and has collaborated with other groups including Safari Club International (SCI). Together, the SLDF and SCI are co-counsels and also represent Ducks Unlimited, Izzak Walton League, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, and California Waterfowl Association.

Throughout the NWR System, excellent opportunities exist for sportsmen to pursue waterfowl, big game and much more.  Hunting is a popular public activity on refuge land and a practical means of maintaining optimal wildlife populations.  This has led the FWS to manage land to produce and maintain wildlife populations that will support the sport.The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 empowered the FWS to open refuges to hunting when compatible with the purposes for which the refuges were established.  In 1997, National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act went a step further.  It ensures that the NWR System is managed for wildlife conservation and that hunting and fishing are priority public uses on refuge units.

-Companion bills, introduced yesterday in Congress, protect the rights of sportsmen to hunt on federal land while also recognizing hunting’s importance to all conservation.

The Hunting Heritage Protection Act, is made up of Senate bill 1348, sponsored by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R- GA) and H.R. 3046, sponsored by Representative Denny Rehberg (R-MT).

Both pieces of legislation require that federal land be managed in a way that supports, promotes, and enhances access for hunting and mandates that an annual report be submitted to Congress detailing any limitations that are imposed on hunting federal lands.  It also will require a written notification be given to Congress prior to any agency action that limits hunting on large parcels of federal land consisting of 5,000 or more acres.

“Sportsmen across America owe Senator Chambliss, Representative Rehberg, and other member of Congress many thanks for the steps they are taking to preserve our hunting rights,” stated USSA President and CEO Bud Pidgeon.  “In a time where access to suitable hunting land is becoming increasingly difficult, this legislation goes a long way towards curtailing that trend and guaranteeing current or increased hunting opportunities are available today and tomorrow.”

Sportsmen should contact their Congressional elected officials and ask them to support the Hunting Heritage Protection Act.   Inform them that hunters and other sportsmen and sportswomen are great stewards of federal lands and should have full access to those lands whenever and wherever possible.  To find your Congressional officials, go to the Legislative Action Center.                       

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY — Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrested two adults who were in possession of undersize red drum, according to the FWC’s weekly report.

The adults were fishing with a child near the Archie Glover Boat Ramp. After officers found that four of the five red drum that had  were undersize, he tried to get information about them.

Both adults gave false names, but the child provided the correct names to the officer. Both had outstanding warrants, one for failure to pay child support and the other for failing to appear in court.

They were arrested and taken to jail. In addition to the outstanding warrants, they were also charged with interference, over-the-bag limit and undersize red drum.

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota hunters can look back on 2008 as another record-setting year for deer harvest.

According to harvest surveys compiled by the Game, Fish and Parks Department, last year brought the highest-ever recorded deer harvest in the state. It was the ninth straight year that the deer harvest increased.

GFP Game Harvest Survey Coordinator Corey Huxoll said an estimated 74,000 white-tailed deer and 18,000 mule deer were harvested during the 2008 hunting seasons, or a total of more than 91,000 deer.  That is an increase of more than 4,000 deer from 2007 and nearly double the 46,000 deer harvested in 1999.

Increases in harvest for Youth, West River Firearm and Muzzleloader seasons accounted for most of the increase, with a decline in Black Hills and East River Firearm deer seasons offsetting the effects of the first three.  The buck harvest estimate remained similar to 2007, while the doe harvest increased by nearly 4,000 whitetails and mule deer.  Mulies comprised about 20 percent of the total harvest.

Overall harvest success of 48 percent remained unchanged from 2007.  The number of deer tags issued more than doubled from 88,000 in 1999 to 189,000 tags in 2008.

“We would like to thank hunters for the important role they play in helping the department gather harvestinformation for all game species in the state,” Huxoll said. “It is only through the cooperation of hunters completing harvest report cards that we are able to assess the success of the harvest for each of the deer seasons.”

“Some states have mandatory check stations and hunters may have to drive 20 to 30 miles or more only to wait in line to have someone visually document their harvest. Hunter surveys are an efficient, scientifically sound and cost-effective method to assess harvest mortality on wildlife populations that we, as an agency, are responsible for managing,” Huxoll said

The 2008 Big Game Harvest Projections Report is complete and can be accessed through the GFP Web site athttp://www.sdgfp.info in the “What’s New” section, or it can be requested by mail or in person in printed form from 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, S.D. 57501.

North Dakota’s spring pheasant crowing count survey revealed a 25 percent decrease statewide compared to last year, according to Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the state Game and Fish Department. Crowing counts are down in all four regions of the state, primarily because of pheasant mortality during the harsh winter of 2008-09.

“The good news is that any reduction in rooster or hen numbers as a result of last winter comes from a pheasant population that was one of the highest on record in North Dakota,” Kohn said. “Even though our crow count data is down from 2008, it is still higher than in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The only difference is last winter and its possible effect on hen survival.”

Since last year, pheasant crowing counts are substantially lower in the northwest (down 25 percent), northeast (down 51 percent) and southeast (down 33 percent). The decline in the southwest (down 10 percent) wasn’t as dramatic. Kohn said most of the decreases come from areas considered secondary pheasant range, and where good winter cover is not as abundant and of lesser quality. “However, most of our field staff were surprised their routes were not down further,” he added. “In many areas of the state, our pheasant population, especially the roosters, probably had lower winter mortality than expected.”

Even though the crowing count survey provides good trend data on the status of roosters, Kohn said it does not provide information on the status of the adult hen population. “Hens are the segment of the population that determines the fall population,” he said. “Under normal winter conditions, this is nothing to worry about. But under severe winter situations, an abnormal (lower) sex ratio can occur with pheasants in the spring.”

Studies have shown that long, harsh winters can be more detrimental to adult hens than roosters. Game and Fish Department field staff noted a low number of hens with roosters this spring (1-2 hens per rooster, generally it is 3-5 hens per rooster), an indication that the hen population might be smaller. “This could result in a smaller than normal hatch and fewer birds in the population this fall,” Kohn said.

This past winter’s pheasant mortality was probably the highest since 1996-97. Kohn said birds were lost throughout the winter and in every county of the state, with snowfall in March and early April the most detrimental. “We knew this type of winter would eventually come, and that pheasants would die,” Kohn said. “This type of winter is an educational tool as it separates areas with good winter cover and food from other marginal areas.”

Spring crowing count data has little to do with predicting the fall population. It does not measure population density, but is an indicator of the spring rooster population trend based on crows. Brood surveys, which begin in mid-July and are completed by mid-August, provide a feel for the summer’s pheasant production and provide insight into what to expect in the fall.

“I am still optimistic for a good fall, but right now we are in the midst of the next critical phase – the peak of the pheasant hatch,” Kohn said. “We need warm, dry weather for the next couple of weeks to improve chick survival. Those first 14 days after hatch are critical for young chicks and any wet, cool nights pose problems and increase chick mortality, which in turn will lower the fall population.”

Regardless of the hatch success, Kohn said crowing count numbers indicate the 2009 pheasant hunting season structure will be similar to last year. Game and Fish Department director Terry Steinwand said this fall’s season will be finalized in mid-July when the small game proclamation is due at the governor’s office.

Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring throughout North Dakota. Observers drive specified 20-mile routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, and counting the number of pheasant roosters heard crowing over a two-minute period during the stop. The number of pheasant crows heard is compared to previous years’ data.

And the deer wins.Aggressive mule deer does have been responsible for killing at least two small dogs and injuring another in Helena, Montana in recent weeks, according to Police Chief Troy McGee. “Be careful. The does are really protective of their fawns right now,” McGee said. In The Missoulian. 

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual spring breeding duck survey showed an index of more than 4 million birds, an increase of 18 percent from last year and 87 percent above the long-term average (1948-2008). The 2009 index is the eighth highest on record.

Pintail (up 157 percent and the highest since 1972) and northern shovelers (up 102 percent and the highest on record) showed significant increases. All other dabbling ducks except for gadwall (-42 percent) showed increases from last year (blue-winged teal, +53 percent; mallards, +43 percent; wigeon, +44 percent; and green-winged teal, +14 percent).

All diving ducks except canvasback (+96 percent) decreased from last year (scaup, -60 percent; redhead, -16 percent; and ruddy ducks, -10 percent). However, all species were well-above the long-term average.

The spring water index showed the largest single-year turnaround in the 62-year history of the survey, according to Mike Johnson, game management section leader. The index was up 293 percent from 2008 and 69 percent above the long-term average. It was the eighth highest in survey history and the highest since 1999.

Johnson cautions that the water index is based on basins with water, and does not necessarily represent the amount of water contained in wetlands. “Water conditions were generally lower than we had expected, given the exceptional snow conditions this past winter,” Johnson added. “However, the spring was fairly dry, and considerable drying had occurred in wetland basins between the snow melt and the time of the survey.”

Additional reports indicate that much of the Prairie Pothole Region from South Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is experiencing significantly improved water conditions due to late winter/early spring precipitation. “Thus ducks have a much larger landscape providing good water conditions than in recent years,” Johnson said.

However, nesting cover in North Dakota continues to decline. Since the beginning of 2007 North Dakota has lost more than 500,000 Conservation Reserve Program acres, and projections for the next two years indicate up to another 500,000 acres could be converted to cropland.

“This loss of one-third of our critical nesting cover will be disastrous for breeding ducks and hunting opportunities in North Dakota,” Johnson said.

The July brood survey will provide a better idea of duck production and insight into what to expect this fall. Observations to date indicate that production will be improved across the state due to improved water conditions and increased wetland availability for brood production.

File this in, “I never believed it in the first place” There were just to many health benefits–low fat, high protein, that great fish oil–for me to ever take seriously the warnings of mercury levels in fish. And now I feel vindicated.

Mercury levels in freshwater and ocean fish may not be as harmful as previously thought, UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center has found.The EERC said fish advisories should be revised to take into account the benefits of selenium. Reports in the Journal on Environmental Science & Technology and in EcoHealth Journal omitting selenium findings will result in critical mistakes in interpretation and advice against eating a nutritious product.“Selenium is an essential nutrient in healthy brain development and protects the brain from oxidative damage,” said Dr. Nick Ralston, an EERC research scientist involved with the studies. “More importantly, selenium protects the body from mercury’s negative effects.”A study conducted in a dozen states, including North Dakota, revealed 97 percent of the freshwater fish from lakes and rivers in the western United States are safe to eat. Ralston said the fish taken from North Dakota were from rivers and streams, not from Lake Sakakawea or Devils Lake, where mercury advisories were issued in July 1991.“The study examined 468 freshwater fish representing 40 species and found that fish from most regions of the country contained more selenium than mercury and so consumers are protected against mercury toxicity,” Ralston said.The study also discovered that a very small fraction of fish contained more mercury than selenium. Human and wildlife populations with poor dietary selenium intake would be especially vulnerable to mercury exposure from eating fish from bodies of water with inadequate selenium resources.Similarly, fear about the potential health risks associated with consuming mercury from ocean fish and shellfish has prompted advisories intended to limit the amount of fish that women eat during pregnancy.The second major study examined a new seafood safety criteria known as the selenium-health benefit value, or Se-HBV, which is specifically designed to be the first step in accurately predicting both the risks and benefits of eating various forms of seafood. Foods rich in selenium have positive Se-HBVs and those with larger amounts of mercury have negative Se-HBV’s and should be avoided during pregnancy.Very few seafoods have negative Se-HBVs, but current policies and regulations are based on studies that involved rare types of seafoods, tracking mothers who either ate pilot whales or large sharks, both of which have negative Se-HBVs.

“Most varieties of ocean fish have highly positive Se-HBVs between 20 and 200, and recent studies show that mothers who eat these types of ocean fish improve their children’s IQ by up to 10 points,” Ralston said.

Categorically I’m not a fan of minimum caliber restrictions. Probably because I use a .22-250 for deer hunting and I’ve heard many critics suggest it’s to small. But my rationale for use is the .22-250 is perfect for how I hunt. Sitting on a bucket, waiting for a small doe to wander in range of around 150 yards and a standing shot is my goal. I’m not takings shots in the 300 plus range at running full adult buck or doe. I’ve used this gun for 20 years and plan to for even more. Which is why I see hunters giving more responsibility is better.

 Jun. 21–Don Talbot thinks it should be a crime to shoot an animal with a bullet too small to kill it quickly.Talbot tried to get state legislators to pass a law to ensure that hunters use appropriately sized bullets when hunting big game. On Thursday, the Senate shot it down, 30-15.“I don’t understand,” Talbot said after the vote. He speculated that “a lot of legislators just don’t understand, and don’t study the issues.” Talbot said he got involved with the issue about five years ago when he belonged to a Bladen County hunting club. Some people in the club used .22-caliber bullets to shoot deer, he said.

I disagree with him and given the knowledge and skill a .22 is a lethal choice.full story here

I’ve discussed numerous situations, often in Montana with stream access issues being a hot button, but the ultimate obstacle in fishing access is CLOSED. And that’s exactly what is pushing forward in Laguana, California.

Laguna Beach’s City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to request that the California Department of Fish and Game give Laguna the highest possible level of marine protection, barring fishing of any kind in Laguna’s coastal waters by declaring the city’s entire seven-mile coastline a State Marine Reserve.Council member Toni Iseman, who initiated the measure, said, “Let the ocean lay fallow. I’m asking for a time out.” Mayor Kelly Boyd cast the dissenting vote.Nearly 50 people gave impassioned speeches, ranging from water quality advocates to recreational and commercial fishermen, over the course of two and a half hours of public testimony.

 What’s lost in the discussion is the history of anglers supporting conservation measures to protect fisheries and water quality. The funding generated through license sales and excise taxes for decades has lead the efforts to protect and conserve fishing and healthy aquatic habitat. Closed to fishing will be supported by anglers if the action is biologically based and not simply a political response.

 Council member Elizabeth Pearson expressed her frustration with the situation. “I haven’t seen any of the science. All we know is what opinions are. I don’t know that we’re over fished. I don’t know that we need replenishment.

full story is right here at the Laguna Beach Independent.