Hunting

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Bill that bans drone hunting likely to pass in November

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This story is part of Great Lakes Echo's 'Skywatch' series (UAV Photo: APV Hovershots)

LANSING – Bills that would prohibit people from using drones to shoot wildlife and harass legal hunters likely won’t be taken up until November. But little opposition has arisen and proponents expect them to pass. Two Michigan senators on the Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee sponsored the bills – SBs 926 & 927 – which the Senate approved 38-0 on Sept. 24. The bills, sponsored by Sens. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Recreation, Catch of the Day, drones, Hunting, Skywatch

Michigan offers hunting information on cell phone app

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Mi-HUNT is now available on smartphones and tablets, as well as in its original desktop computer format. Image: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Have any spring hunting plans in Michigan? Well, there’s an app for that. In 2010, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, launched the Mi-HUNT website,www.michigan.gov/mihunt, that allows hunters and outdoor lovers to view about 10 million acres of land available for hunting and other outdoor recreation. Now, just in time for the spring turkey hunting season, you can get the same information on your cell phone or tablet. It works directly with a device’s global positioning system, allowing users to view maps of 10 million acres of public and private land open for public hunting. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Wildlife, Catch of the Day, Echo, Hiking, Hunting, recreation

National Wildlife Refuges expand hunting

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SM FWS

Three national wildlife refuges in the Great Lakes region will expand hunting opportunities and two more will open to hunting for the first time, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge and Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge in Illinois and thePatoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area in Indiana will expand migratory bird, upland game and big game hunting. The ones opening hunting for the first time are Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge in New York for big game hunting, and Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Pennsylvania for migratory bird, upland game and big game hunting. Hunting and wildlife observation is a big economic boost to the local area, said Bill McCory, the manager of Indiana’s 7,398-acre Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. A lot of money is spent locally on hunting licenses, guns, clothes, tackle, bait and more. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Recreation, Catch of the Day, Hunting

Illinois, Wisconsin differ in culling deer to control disease

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Image: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

By Elizabeth DagresGreat Lakes EchoHunting combined with the controversial practice of culling can help control chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer better than hunting alone, according to a recent study done in Illinois and Wisconsin. Culling removes breeding animals to minimize reproduction. It’s been used in both Illinois and Wisconsin to control the spread of the contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. CWD causes a spongy degeneration of the brain and results in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and death, according to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance. Illinois and Wisconsin are among the Great Lakes states experiencing an increase of white-tailed deer amid continued concern about the fatal disease. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Wildlife, Catch of the Day, chronic wasting disease, deer, Hunting, Mammals