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Archives for December 2009

FWP Tentatives Public Meetings in Region 4 and Region 6

December 30, 2009 By

This is an email that I received from Larry Copenhaver who is the Conservation Director of Local Issues for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

In keeping with Montana Wildlife Federation’s (MWF) mission to keep you informed, the following meetings are scheduled for Region 4 and Region 6 locations, please forgive any multiple postings. Please attend and share your concerns for the Tentative Regulations for 2010.

MWF will also be sending along other conservation news shortly. If your sporting club would like to know more about MWF please contact us at this email address. If you want to be removed, please respond as well.

[Read more…]

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Season’s Greetings from the Winded Bowhunter

December 24, 2009 By

We would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!

May all of your hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures dreams come true.

Let’s not forget the men and women who defend our great nation, that allow us to celebrate.

Thanks for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Rudy

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Montana’s 2010-2011 Hunting Regulation Proposals Available For Review

December 24, 2009 By

Montanans will have an extensive opportunity to review and comment on 2010-2011 hunting regulations proposals by going on online now or by attending one of 46 public meetings beginning in January. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission accepted the proposals on Dec. 10.

FWP expects the meetings will be well attended. The meeting schedule is available as a PDF file on the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov . Click “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments.”

“Hunters, landowners, outfitters and others are more involved than ever,” said FWP Director Joe Maurier. “We received a lot of participation and interest this summer when we invited the public to propose ideas for the upcoming seasons.”

Last summer, FWP held seven meetings across the state and   received more than 370 comments that led to several hunting season proposals.   In years past, FWP would propose “tentative” seasons and season structures, from general regulations to types of special permits offered in specific areas, and then ask for comment on the proposals without a formal scoping session.

Details on the proposed hunting regulations are available on FWP’s Web site at fwp.mt.gov.

Comments, due 5 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2010, may be submitted at the local area meetings , or electronically on the FWP Web page at fwp.mt.gov; click “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments.”   Written comments may be sent to: FWP—Wildlife Bureau, Attn: Public Comment, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701. For questions not covered on the Web site, call: 406-444-2612.

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Pennsylvanians Launch New Chapter in Elk Conservation

December 23, 2009 By

MISSOULA, Mont.—Pennsylvania has broken into a Top 10 list of places to find monster elk, an historic indicator of successful habitat and management efforts. Keeping that conservation momentum going, both at home and across the U.S., is the goal of a newly launched Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chapter in Bloomsburg/Danville, Pa.

“Elk have roamed the Keystone State since 1913 after a successful restoration effort led by a young Pennsylvania Game Commission, but this is Pennsylvania’s first-ever Top 10 appearance in Boone and Crockett Club records, and that’s a big deal,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

The Boone and Crockett Club has kept trophy records of North American game since 1830. In the 169 years preceding 2000, Pennsylvania produced zero record-class elk.

In 2001, Pennsylvania held its first elk hunt in over seven decades. Between then and now, the club’s prestigious records book has gained four bulls from the commonwealth, which ties it with California as America’s 10th most productive trophy elk state in the new millennium. See full lists of Top 10 Boone and Crockett elk states below.

RMEF has played a key role in the growing success of Pennsylvania’s elk herd, says Carl Roe, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

[Read more…]

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FWP Schedules Public Meetings on Tentative Hunting Regulations

December 22, 2009 By

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has scheduled three public meetings in southeastern Montana for people to comment on tentative 2010-2011 hunting regulations. The proposed regulations cover all hunting in Montana except for furbearers and migratory waterfowl.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission approved the tentative regulations Dec. 10. Text of the regulations is available online at http://fwp.mt.gov and follow the “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments” link under “For Hunters.” Printed copies will be available at the public meetings.

In southeastern Montana, all meetings will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
·    Glendive, Dawson Community College, Tuesday, Jan. 12

·    M iles City, Miles Community College Rm 106, Wednesday, Jan. 13

·    Ashland, St. Labre School, Thursday, Jan. 14

Comments gathered at the meetings will be submitted to the commission before regulations are finalized. People also may submit comments online by following the link to “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments” on http://fwp.mt.gov and filling out a form. All comments are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 22.

A list of other public meetings in the state, proposed quota ranges and the 2009 regulations also are available on the FWP Web site.

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Meetings Planned to Discuss 2010 Big Game Hunting Season Proposals

December 21, 2009 By

Tentative proposals for the 2010 big game hunting seasons will be the subject of public meetings across southwest Montana beginning on January 5, 2010.

Public comments collected at these meetings and those submitted by mail or the Web will be weighed as the FWP Commission finalizes Montana’s 2010 hunting regulations in February.

All of the Region 3 meetings will begin at 7 p.m. with the exception of Anaconda, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. The schedule is as follows:

Butte – Jan. 5 – War Bonnet Hotel
Whitehall – Jan. 6 – Whitehall High School
Bozeman – Jan. 6 – Holiday Inn
Ennis – Jan. 7 – Ennis Fire Hall
Helena – Jan. 12 – Red Lion Colonial Hotel
West Yellowstone – Jan. 13 – Holiday Inn Sun Spree
Dillon – Jan. 14 – Search and Rescue Building
Livingston – Jan. 19 – Best Western Yellowstone Inn
Lima – Jan. 19 – Lima Public School
Anaconda – Jan. 19 – Lee Metcalf Center
Gardiner – Jan. 21 – Comfort Inn

Comments are due by Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, at 5 p.m. and can be submitted at any local public meeting, on the Web at http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/oppForPubCommentDefault.html or by mail to:

FWP Wildlife Bureau
Attn: Public Comment
PO Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701

A complete list of the proposals and the schedule for all forty-six public meetings being held across the state in January can be found on FWP’s Web site at fwp.mt.gov under For Hunters and 2010-11 Hunter Season Comments.

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Bow Maintenance During the Hunting Season

December 18, 2009 By

If you would like to learn some bow setup techniques, stay tuned as I will post some good videos that I have found. As it is a little better to see and follow it visually, rather than read text.

This video is on “In Season Bow Maintenance.” Check out the short video below. Matt Hogue from the Bowcast Pro-Staffillustrates some great tips on three steps to keeping your bow in “form” during the hunting season.

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9-Year Project in Oregon Secures Habitat, Access

December 18, 2009 By

MISSOULA, Mont.—A nine-year land conservation project has been completed near La Grande, Ore., permanently protecting habitat and securing public access on nearly 850 acres. The parcel, now part of Ladd Marsh Wildlife Management Area, has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The area, known locally as the Glass Hill winter range, is prime elk habitat. An estimated 120 elk use the area throughout the year. In winter the herd can swell to more than 500. Upland birds, deer and several sensitive species also inhabit the area.

“Back in the late 1990s, RMEF and ODFW identified this tract as important habitat threatened by future recreational and residential development. That prediction held true. Today realtors are marketing subdivided properties on neighboring lands and no doubt the same thing would have happened here,” said Bill Richardson, RMEF lands program manager for Oregon and Washington.

RMEF purchased the 848.98-acre parcel in 2000. The goal was to hold the property while ODFW gathered funding for a conveyance.

[Read more…]

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MidwayUSA Steps Up Support for Elk Foundation

December 15, 2009 By

MISSOULA, Mont.–MidwayUSA, a catalog and Internet retailer with “Just About Everything for Shooting, Reloading, Gunsmithing and Hunting,” is stepping up its support for conservation as the newest major sponsor of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 2010 convention.

The RMEF Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo is slated for March 4-7, 2010, at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nev.

The annual event is a primary fundraiser for the RMEF mission to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. MidwayUSA will present the convention’s “Grand Banquet Saturday” on March 6, including the night’s featured performance by country music star Sara Evans.

“Larry Potterfield and the entire staff at MidwayUSA continue to demonstrate a deep commitment to conservation and America’s hunting heritage. We’re very grateful for their partnership,” said Steve Decker, director of field programs for the Elk Foundation.

MidwayUSA also is the presenting sponsor of the RMEF TV show, Elk Chronicles.

“Dad taught me to hunt and fish and I’ve had a lifelong passion for the outdoors since,” said Larry Potterfield, founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “Brenda and I have been fortunate enough to spend time in elk country and we are excited to do what we can to support the mission of RMEF.”

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Conservation Agreements Protect Wildlife Habitat

December 11, 2009 By

Colorado Division of Wildlife - 300

STONEWALL, Colo. – The Colorado Division of Wildlife has reached an agreement with the Torres family of Las Animas County to protect 2,387 acres of valuable wildlife habitat.  Five parcels southwest of Stonewall have been placed in conservation easements that will permanently protect the land from being sub-divided and fragmented.

The Torres Conservation Easements will protect critical habitat for deer, elk, bear, turkey, and a multitude of other wildlife species.  The land includes elk calving areas, deer winter range, denning sites for bears, strutting grounds for wild turkey, and habitat for dozens of species of birds and other wildlife.

The Torres parcels are located in a transition zone between alpine, aspen, and Ponderosa Pine habitat; and will ensure preservation of an important elk migration corridor.

“This land is a prime area for wildlife.  We are pleased to know it won’t be chopped up by buildings and roads,” said Marvin ‘Glen’ Torres of Trinidad.  “Conservation easements are a great way to keep the land the way it is,” he said.

“The Torres family should be commended for the legacy they will leave to future generations,” said Bob Holder of the Division of Wildlife.  “It is particularly satisfying to know that JL (Louie), Kelly, Glen, and Robert Torres had the strength, courage, and foresight to establish these conservation easements.  Their efforts are a shining example to
other small landowners that conservation easements are a viable option to protect their land and legacy.”

By combining funds collected from habitat stamp sales with grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and other sources, the DOW has permanently preserved approximately 75,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat since 2007 – including nearly 21,000 acres opened to public access for hunting and fishing.

DOW acquisitions and easements have protected critical habitats for sensitive species like sage-grouse, and preserved important winter range and migration corridors for deer and elk.

Conservation easements allow people to continue to use the land they own for existing practices like farming or ranching, but in the event the landowner sells, the new owners are bound by the stipulations of the conservation easement as well.

A nine-member citizen’s committee appointed by the Governor oversees the DOW habitat stamp program.  Proposals are reviewed and ranked according to wildlife benefits, public access, and cost.

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