Entries Tagged Big Game Hunting

What are your hunting ethics regarding game cameras that transmit live video or photos to your phone? Would you use this technology while out hunting?

When it comes to stopping a charging bear, having the right firearm, ammunition and knowledge about what to do is critical. Here's what you need to know.

Another piece of Pennsylvania elk country is permanently protected and open to public access thanks to a collaborative effort by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Pennsylvania Game Commission

Officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission have approved the state's first grizzly bear hunt in 44 years following years of restoration to a population that can sustain limited hunting.

In your opinion, is hunting black bears, hogs and deer over bait ethical, even if it’s legal? Or does your answer depend on the species?

Federal protection won't be restored for Yellowstone-area grizzly bears despite questions about decisions on management strategy that have activists howling.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has delayed until a May 24 public meeting any final rulemaking on the use of air guns and air bows for hunting.

Never hunted black bears over bait? Here’s what you need to know about stands, baiting and field-judging to help you be successful.

A number of bills in some states to lift or amend hunting bans have been introduced in the last few years. So far, though, none have passed.

Estimating numbers of wild game animals to help set hunting seasons requires some in-field work and the method used for black bears is quite interesting.

Here’s what you need to know about fawn survival rates in order to help you navigate the ethical debate of shooting a doe that still has a fawn.

Grizzly bear numbers have recovered enough after years of federal protection to consider future hunting seasons, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. That was part of the proposal and request WGFD officials made recently to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. If a hunting season is set, it would be the first one in more than four decades. Grizzlies were listed for protection in 1975 by the USFWS. From the Jackson Hole News & Guide: Meeting in Douglas, Wyoming Game and Fish Department staffers asked their governing board for permission to draft hunting regulations. The request was granted, which means that in the coming weeks biologists and wardens will pore over maps to devise grizzly hunting boundaries and come up with proposals for how many bears could be killed. Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park, such as this one, have recovered enough after decades of protection that their range has expanded well outside park boundaries. Wyoming officials are making plans for a future hunting season. (Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service) It’s a development Game and Fish Chief Warden Brian Nesvik sees as “part of the success story” of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s grizzly population. “There certainly is the opportunity biologically for there to be a grizzly bear season,” Nesvik said. “Grizzly bears have recovered to a point that they can be managed similar to other large carnivores in the ecosystem.” The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2017 said the bears had recovered enough after years of endangered or threatened protections to allow Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to manage them. Wyoming immediately began making plans then for a possible hunting season for boars by setting license fees: $600 for residents and $6,000 for nonresidents. WGFD officials began trapping and monitoring grizzly bears in 2017. The department has a wealth of information including a map showing the recovery range of the bears. Featured photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host the annual gathering of the top deer researchers and managers in the Southeast and beyond, Feb. 19-21 in Nashville. The 41st Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel will bring to Music City biologists, managers, and researchers who oversee the management of the country’s most popular game animal. “We are excited and looking forward to hosting this gathering of our friends and professional peers,” said Ed Carter, executive director of the TWRA. “Deer are important to our entire country for many reasons and this group is vital in helping share knowledge and expertise that helps properly manage them.” The SEDSG  meets annually to share the latest information on white-tailed deer research and management.  Meetings provide a forum to share research results, management strategies, and foster discussions. The theme of this year’s meeting will focus on the management of white-tailed deer at the statewide scale and what a responsible, defendable state agency deer management program entails. Hosting the meeting is a responsibility that rotates annually among each of the SEDSG’s 17 member states which include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, the meeting regularly has presenters and/or attendees from states outside the Southeast including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Also featured at the meeting will be an exhibit of many of the largest bucks ever harvested in Tennessee. More than 60 deer mounts have been loaned to TWRA. “To the best of our knowledge this is the largest and most geographically comprehensive exhibit of top-ranking bucks ever assembled in the state of Tennessee,” said Dale Grandstaff, TWRA District 21 Law Enforcement captain. Although there is a registration fee to attend the SEDSG meeting, the event is open to all deer enthusiasts. More information about this year’s meeting may be found by visiting the event website at regonline.com/sedeerstudygroup2018.