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More than a dozen killed in divisive New Mexico coyote hunt
Farmington, NM, United States (AHN Sports) - Though such events are not too common in New Mexico, the recent coyote-calling contest held two weeks ago drew a considerable number of participants, but also a protest from a state wildlife protection group. The 2012 Coyote Calling Contest was hosted by the Farmington chapter of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. This year's edition attracted 22 hunters who killed 16 coyotes in two days amid windy conditions. Proponents, some of whom have hunted coyotes for sport, have indicated that the canine has caused damage to deer herds. They added that coyotes kill livestock and sometimes people's pets. Critics, on the other hand, lambasted the practice saying it translates to animal cruelty. These events are not illegal and they are not common throughout New Mexico, The Farmington Daily-Times reported. "While these events aren't illegal, they are astonishingly egregious for their bloodthirstiness," Phil Carter, the wildlife campaign manager for Animal Protection of New Mexico, which is against the contests, said via the Daily-Times. Meanwhile, Robert Espinoza, a game commissioner from Farmington and a former executive director of the Sportsmen of Fish and Wildlife, said that hunting predators is a fast-growing hobby across the country. Espinoza, who was appointed to the game commission last year, added that coyote hunting is unregulated. He said that it will not be an issue the state game commission will vote on. The recent contest had eleven teams of two hunters each. The participants used their coyote-calling techniques and talents, which take years to hone and master. The annual coyote-calling contest has been hosted by the Farmington Sportsmen group for more than seven years. It is the longest advertised coyote-calling competition in the state. <div>

Farmington, NM, United States (AHN Sports) - Though such events are not too common in New Mexico, the recent coyote-calling contest held two weeks ago drew a considerable number of participants, but also a protest from a state wildlife protection group. The 2012 Coyote Calling Contest was hosted by....

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:26:56 +0000

New Hampshire: Deer harvest up, bears killings in decline
Concord, NH, United States (AHN Sports) - There was an increase in the total number of deer killed during the 2011 New Hampshire hunting season compared to the previous year, while the black bear harvest declined as contained in the newly published "2011 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary." Data gathered by wildlife biologists from the state's various hunting seasons in 2011 are summarized in the annual publication. Last year's hunting season statistics are categorized. It includes the various totals of town and Wildlife Management Unit (WMU). According to the report, the 2011 New Hampshire hunting season yielded a total of 11,109 deer killed, an increase of 14 percent from the 9,759 deer taken in 2010. Archery hunters accounted for 2,787 of the total deer harvest, while muzzleloader and "regular" firearms hunters took 2,251 and 5,596 deer, respectively. The annual report indicated that the heaviest deer taken in 2011 weighed 245 pounds. That huge kill was made by Jon B. Dunkling of Williamstown, VT, using a muzzleloader. The black bear harvest, on the other hand, resulted to a total of 418 kills, a 41 percent decrease from the previous year. It marked a 27 percent decline from the preceding 5-year average of 574 bears. The decrease in harvest is said to be the direct result of abundant and diverse mast crops across much of New Hampshire. The abundance of food reduced the need of bears to travel in their search for food. The state agency's 2011 harvest report also included statistics for moose, turkey and furbearers. Due to the cool and rainy weather, the 2011 moose hunting season turned out to be a success and also a thrilling challenge for participants, which included hunters who travelled from 16 states to take part in the nine-day season. Of the total 290 moose taken, 81 percent were courtesy of New Hampshire residents. Robert Houel, 78, was the oldest moose hunter. He took a 900-pound bull in Wildlife Management Unit C2. The youngest participant was nine-year old Dylan Douglas, who knocked down a 500-pound cow in WMU J2. The 2011 spring gobbler season and youth hunt yielded a total of 3,672 wild turkeys, the numbers were almost the same as in the previous year. Turkey hunters took a total of 643 birds in fall season, 432 were harvested during fall shotgun season and the archers took down 211. As for the New Hampshire furbearers, they remain abundant and widespread, with a total of 497 trappers holding licenses in the state in 2011 or a 7 percent increase from the previous year, according to the publication. Based on the average pelt values and the total amount of fur harvested in New Hampshire, the fur harvest value for 2010-11 reached almost $90,000. It was attributed to the increase of average value of pelt from the previous year for most species. The 2011 Wildlife Harvest Summary was made possible by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. <div>

Concord, NH, United States (AHN Sports) - There was an increase in the total number of deer killed during the 2011 New Hampshire hunting season compared to the previous year, while the black bear harvest declined as contained in the newly published "2011 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary." Dat....

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:49:57 +0000

Exotic big-game hunt banned in Texas; three antelope species protected
Austin, TX, United States (AHN Sports) - After a federal judge rejected a last-minute appeal by ranchers for an injunction early this week, hunters in Texas will no longer be able to shoot down three endangered species of antelopes without a federal permit. Effective Wednesday, April 4, 2012, the scimitar-horned oryx and two-related African antelope -- the dama gazelle and the addax -- will be fully covered by the federal Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government will stop allowing anyone to hunt these exotic antelopes native to Africa without a federal permit. The new measure puts an end to years of sport hunting on Texas's exotic game ranches. The hunting ban, which is expected to radically change exotic game hunting in the state, was greeted by animal-rights groups and people who abhor such "canned hunts", but it also upset the affected ranchers whose efforts have led to rise in the numbers of these animals, which are either extinct or nearing it in their natural habitat, in the world. The scimitar oryx, a species of the oryx, was named so referring its magnificent horns which resembles a scimitar. It is said to have given birth to the myth of the unicorn. Its existence was indicated on an inscription on the Egyptian tomb of Sabu of Sakkarah nearly 23 centuries ago. The scimitar oryx once inhabited the whole of North Africa and roamed its plains in vast herds, but was declared extinct in the wild in 2000. These creatures have thrived in Texas, which is the only place in the world that has the largest population of these three endangered antelopes. According to the Texas-based Exotic Wildlife Association, the scimitar-horned oryx's numbers in a captive breeding program in Texas grew from 32 to more than 11,000 today. The dama gazelle, the rarest of these three, numbered only nine in 1979 but there are more than 800 today. Meanwhile, there were only two addax known to exist in Texas in 1971, but there are more than 5,000 of them today. In 2005, the three creatures were listed on the Endangered Species Act, but they were exempt from the no-hunting rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That exemption, however, essentially maintained the status quo, pertaining to the "taking" - or hunting - and transportation of the said animals. The federal exemption was lifted Wednesday after it was successfully challenged by Friends of Animals, a Connecticut-based animal-rights organization adamantly opposed to hunting. The group also helped have the three species listed on the Endangered Species Act in 2005. According to the impacted ranchers, the measure which requires them to follow a federal permitting process for hunting the said animals, is counterproductive and could even result in the extinction of the three species. It would translate to a loss of the economic incentive to maintain the herds and whatever gains have been made in returning them from the brink. To some, it is perceived as government intrusion into private property. The wariness also extends to possibility of not meeting the requirements for the permits. The disappearance of the exemption will also harm the creatures' genetic diversity, said the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which according to J. David Bamberger, one of many affected Hill County ranchers, started the initial orxy breeding program. Bamberger, a celebrated Texas conservationist who pioneered the growth of the Texas scimitar-horned oryx herd in the late 1970s on his Hill Country ranch, opened his preserve in 1979 with about 30 scimitar-horned oryxes. <div>

Austin, TX, United States (AHN Sports) - After a federal judge rejected a last-minute appeal by ranchers for an injunction early this week, hunters in Texas will no longer be able to shoot down three endangered species of antelopes without a federal permit. Effective Wednesday, April 4, 2012, the s....

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:19:57 +0000

Ohio hunters gear up for spring wild turkey season
Columbus, OH, United States (AHN Sports) - Outdoorsmen, in particular experienced turkey hunters, are prepping for the opening of this year's spring wild turkey season. The Ohio turkey hunting opens in all 88 counties on April 23 and continues through Sunday, May 20, according to the Ohio Department of National Resources' (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Apart from their passion, America's million of turkey hunters are widely viewed as a different outdoor breed. These hunters are regarded for their intense focus in their pursuit of the deceptive birds. Though they appear too heavy for flying, wild turkeys are surprisingly agile fliers unlike their domestic counterparts. They are also cunning and very cautious. Turkeys are known to scamper -- fly or run -- at the first sign of danger. Hence, pursuers, most especially experienced hunters, need to have extra patience and they have to be more cunning than their target. Turkey hunters, at times, are known to hunt bleary-eyed from the crack of dawn to after dark. They sometimes have to endure miles of trekking, while they yelp at a few distant toms in the hopes of locating a gobbling bird. In early spring, the male species, also referred to as gobblers or toms, announce their presence to females and also to competing males via their gobbles. Hens, in turn, yelp to let their male counterparts know their location. The ODNR expects around 70,000 licensed hunters to take part in Ohio's popular spring wild turkey season. The estimated figure does not include private landowners hunting on their own property. The wild turkey population is estimated at more than 180,000 birds in Ohio. Last year, hunters harvested a total of 18,162 wild turkeys in state during the youth and spring turkey seasons. Wildlife officials, however, are not optimistic in this year's forecast because of the hot temperatures in March coupled by a low wild turkey hatch last year. "Ohio has again experienced a record low wild turkey hatch, with last year's nesting season negatively impacted by rainfall and flooding," said ODNR Wildlife Biologist Mike Reynolds. "The early onset of spring-like weather and green vegetation could make it harder for hunters to see and hear turkeys, creating challenging hunting conditions this season." Young hunters in the Buckeye State can participate in the special youth-only turkey hunt from April 21-22. They must possess a valid youth hunting license and must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 18 years of age or older. Meanwhile, spring wild turkey season also opens in Michigan next week, but only in certain areas since the state is divided in a number of units with different dates and a limit on the quantity of licenses sold in each unit. The general dates for Michigan's spring season begins on April 23 and runs through May 31. <div>

Columbus, OH, United States (AHN Sports) - Outdoorsmen, in particular experienced turkey hunters, are prepping for the opening of this year's spring wild turkey season. The Ohio turkey hunting opens in all 88 counties on April 23 and continues through Sunday, May 20, according to the Ohio Departmen....

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:48:32 +0000

Hunters strain for gobbling in quiet spring turkey hunt season
Syracuse, NY, United States (AHN Sports) - Though they are required to have more patience and be more cunning than their prey, turkey hunters are getting frustrated with the quiet conditions at this spring's turkey hunting season in Central New York. Hunters across the state and beyond have been complaining about this spring hunt where there are not many birds being spotted unlike in the past. Also, the cautious birds are responding less to calls. According to turkey experts, the mild winter could have contributed to the slight change in the behaviour of the birds. In the past, turkeys come out in open fields in large flocks across Central New York during the cold months in order to feed. "This winter, they didn't have to come out in the fields to feed," Lance Clark, a senior wildlife biologist at the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Cortland office, said via Syracuse.com. "They stayed in the woods where they found food and there was more (protection) from predators." According to Clarke, the birds, this year, have broken up into smaller flocks earlier than usual. They also have remained in the woods most of the time even with arrival of spring and the longer days, which also signals the breeding season. Meanwhile, the success of each spring's breeding determines the turkey population, according to experts. The wet and cold weather factor heavily in the rise of mortality rate among poults, or baby turkeys, as seen in the past several years. The number of local bird are reportedly slightly down. Wild turkeys, unlike their domestic counterparts, are agile fliers despite their weight. They are also very cunning and will take off at the slightest sign of danger. These birds get more cautious when leaves come out on trees at one point of the season, which occurred earlier this year. Instinctively, turkeys stop gobbling due to their perceive exposure to danger. Spring hunting, which target gobblers, or male turkey, coincides with the wild turkey mating season. It is when male turkeys can be called into gun range with "yelp" calls, or the imitation of the sounds of a hen. The spring turkey season in this state opened May 1 and will close May 31. This year, only one male bird may be taken per day. The limit has been pegged at two per season. <div>

Syracuse, NY, United States (AHN Sports) - Though they are required to have more patience and be more cunning than their prey, turkey hunters are getting frustrated with the quiet conditions at this spring's turkey hunting season in Central New York. Hunters across the state and beyond have been co....

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:18:13 +0000

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