Family-Outdoors

Courtesy USFWS At last week’s meeting of the Natural Resources Commission in Saginaw, commissioners requested that Department of Natural Resources staff prepare (for information only, at the April 11 meeting) a formal recommendation regarding a wolf hunting season in Michigan. Upon the December 2012 classification of wolves as a game species, the NRC directed the DNR’s Wildlife Division to undertake a multi-faceted approach to developing a recommendation on whether a wolf hunt should take place, as well as the parameters of such a season. “Interest in this decision is, understandably, very high throughout Michigan,” said John Madigan, of Munising, who serves as chairman of the NRC’s Policy Committee on Wildlife and Fisheries. “We are continuing to look at various data and information and work with the DNR, other wildlife experts and the public in order to come to the best science- and management-based decision about the possible harvest of wolves in our state.” Madigan said the N...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Present weather notwithstanding, the ice cover is beginning to lose its grip on Iowa lakes and streams marking the beginning of the annual feeding frenzy where channel catfish eat like teenagers on fish that died during the winter. Channel catfish make up for a winter of light feeding during the first few weeks after ice out making this prime opportunity for some fast and furious fishing. “They are just absolutely gorging themselves on the stinkiest, smelliest dead fish they can find,” said fisheries biologist Paul Sleeper, from the Lake Macbride management district. “They are just about round, they are so gorged.” Sleeper witnesses the frenzy at Coralville Reservoir each spring where anglers, standing shoulder to shoulder, work to get their limit of 15 catfish in a few hours. Ice out catfishing can be done in rivers below low head dams or at the mouths of tributaries, in lakes, but is most common in the large flood control reservoirs. He said warm water i...

PIERRE, S.D. – Anglers targeting walleye on one of South Dakota’s most popular walleye fisheries will be met with new walleye regulations in 2013. In response to a large number of smaller walleyes produced during the last few years and low food availability stemming from the 2011 flood, anglers are now allowed a daily limit of eight walleye. No more than four may be 15 inches in length or longer and the daily limit may include no more than one 20 inches or longer. The possession limit for Lake Oahe is 24 per angler. If you are fishing Oahe and another water during the same day, the first four walleye you keep count as your standard, statewide daily limit. You can’t keep walleye from another water if you have already kept four or more walleyes from Lake Oahe that day. Any walleye caught and kept that day, in addition to your standard statewide four-fish limit, must be from Lake Oahe. Anglers may have up to 24 walleyes from Lake Oahe, in possession, taken according to the daily li...

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – State Park officials have announced that a new state park lodge near Angostura Reservoir will be open for Memorial Day weekend. The Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) purchased the Hill Ranch on the west side of Angostura Reservoir in 2010. The Hills retained their ranch residence until last fall and GFP staff converted the house into a rental lodge over the winter. The lodge includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and is located two miles from Angostura Reservoir and the Sheps Canyon boat ramp and campground. A log bunkhouse is located on the property and is available for rental in conjunction with the lodge. Like other state park camping cabins, the bunkhouse has lighting and heating but no plumbing. Angostura Recreation Area Park Supervisor, Willy Collignon, says the lodge has a beautiful view of Angostura Reservoir and will be a nice addition to the area. “With the great fishing and boating on Angostura, thousands of acres of public hunting land and the...

Hunters have a new tool that may improve their in the field experience even before opening day. The Iowa hunting atlas is an interactive map that shows 600,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. The atlas is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting . A click on an area will show basic information like zone and open season, and links to maps, if available. The atlas view from above allows hunters to zoom in on an area, see how to get there, the lay of the land and where one parcel of public hunting land is in relation to others. Information will be updated as public hunting lands are acquired. Monica Thelen, who spearheaded the project for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the atlas is currently usable on computers and tablets and they are working toward a version of the map for mobile phones. “This is current information at their fingertips, available 24 hours a day that hunters can access to plan their hunts,” The...

Do trout lure you out of bed or walleye keep you out late at night? Are you passionate about panfish? Whatever species you want to fish for in Wisconsin, the  2013 Wisconsin Fishing Report  is now available and ready to help you catch your fancy. This year, the annual 16-page compilation of fishing forecasts is organized by species. The forecasts, submitted by Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists, share information about the number and sizes of fish they found during population surveys on a wide range of waters across the state. “Pick your fish species and find where you want to go,” says Karl Scheidegger, the DNR fisheries biologist who leads fisheries outreach efforts for DNR and edited the publication. “It’s a great way to try some new fishing spots or to look for the particular kind of fishing experience you want.” The 2013 Fishing Report is also available in print at DNR Service Centers and is inserted into the April issue of  Wisconsin Na...

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released its plan looking at the future of outdoor recreation in Iowa. The Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan was developed through a series of meetings across the state last fall asking Iowans what recreation activities they would like to participate in, what amenities or conveniences would help them participate more often and what should the state focus on when it comes to outdoor recreation. The plan, which is a partnership with the County Conservation Boards and Cities, will serve as a guide for future projects developed by the Iowa DNR. The plan will be available for public comment through April 15 at www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/GrantsOtherFunding/StateConservationRecPlan.aspx The DNR will review the public comments and submit a final plan to the National Park Service in 2013. Related articles Grant applications are available for outdoor recreation projects (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com) Iowa Dnr to Ho...

The drawing will be at the  Kingsbury FWA  office at 10 a.m. CST on April 6. To be eligible for the drawing hunters must present their 2013 turkey license and they'll be given a numbered badge. A computer generated random draw will identify the successful hunters for choice of the hunt periods. Hunters will be drawn as individuals only.  If successful you may give your hunt to a youth hunter 17 years old or younger. Once a bird is harvested the hunt is completed. There are no “stand by” drawings. If successful you will be given a special permit card with the hunt period you selected. Keep this card with you at all times. You don't have to check in at Kingsbury, you can go directly to Reynolds Creek. If successful at the Reynolds Creek drawing you will NOT be eliminated from any other DNR turkey draws. The hunt periods are: April 24,25,26 April 27,28 April 29,30, May 1 May 2,3,4 May 5,6,7 May 8,9,10 May 11,12 Kingsbury is located at 5344 S. Hupp R...

Department of Natural Resources Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Landowners from 14 additional counties now can enroll land in the Walk-In Access program, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said. Walk-in lands provide public access to private land. Landowners, in turn, are paid for the access. The program now includes 35 counties in the western half of the state. “We’ve had many requests to expand the area of our Walk-In pilot program,” said Marybeth Block, DNR walk-in access coordinator. “As we enter our third year for the program, the time seems right to add some additional counties.” New walk-in counties include Becker, Blue Earth, Clay, Douglas, Faribault, Grant, Le Sueur, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Otter Tail, Sibley, Traverse and Wilkin.  Walk-in targets privately owned parcels of 40 acres or more, which are enrolled in a conservation program such as Conservation Reserve Program or Reinvest In Minnesota. River bottoms, wetlands and other hi...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The Department of Natural Resources today announced that new muskellunge and northern pike regulations will go into effect for all anglers on April 1, 2013. In Michigan, only one muskellunge (including tiger muskellunge) may be harvested per season per angler. Anglers who would like to harvest muskellunge must have a new muskellunge harvest tag, available March 1, 2013. Anglers are not required to obtain this harvest tag to fish for muskellunge; it's only for those anglers that intend to harvest a muskellunge. Muskellunge harvest tags are free and available at all license vendors. Anglers who do not possess the tag are required to release all muskellunge they catch. The new tag will be used as a means to enforce the new possession limit statewide and will allow the DNR to monitor how many tags are provided to anglers and to provide insight on the level of harvest. Registration of muskellunge harvest is not a requirement, but it will help the D...

Pictured is Dale Miller of Panama, Okla., with the new state record largemouth bass he caught  Wednesday, March 13 at Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 13.7 oz. Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma has produced its second state record largemouth bass in less than one year. The new record was caught Wednesday, March 13 by Dale Miller of Panama, Okla., and weighed 14 lbs. 13.7 oz. Miller caught the bass at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on a Hawg Hunter Bait Co. rod set up with an Abu Garcia Revo reel and an Alabama rig. The fish measured 26 1/8 inches in length and 23 inches in girth. "Last month, I bought a fishing license, and this month I have the state record for the largemouth bass," Miller said. Miller said when the fish first hit his line and he set the hook, he called for help from his brother, Vonnie, who was fishing with him. He said Vonnie questioned whether there was really a fish on the line. Miller sa...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) New fishing regulations are now in place at American Electric Power (AEP) ponds and reservoirs, including AEP ReCreation Lands, Conesville Coal Lands and Avondale Wildlife Area for the 2013-2014 license year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Daily bag limits are enforced at all AEP ponds and reservoirs. The regulations apply to black bass and sunfishes in more than 350 ponds and lakes among more than 80,000 acres of AEP lands available for public fishing, hunting, hiking and camping in Ohio. New regulations are intended to help sustain the high-quality largemouth bass and bluegill fishing known in these waters. The new black bass regulation is a 14-20-inch slot length limit developed by the ODNR Division of Wildlife that increases anglers’ chances of catching trophy bass. Anglers may keep two fish under 14 inches and one fish 20 inches or larger, for three fish per day (largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass, singly or in comb...

More snow – and rain -- has fallen in the last week, and, overall state temperatures are below seasonal averages. Winter is lingering a bit longer and so are many birds, who are biding their time waiting for warmed, sunnier days before heading here. Conditions are mixed for skiing and snowmobile enthusiasts, but the rain that fell recently closed many snowmobile trails and left ski trails in poor condition in the south. Snowmobile and ski trails in the Northwoods remain fair to good in many areas in the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Snow Conditions Report. The pheasant and turkey population seems to have made it through the winter in good condition. The birds have been very visible in picked cornfields and along the road sides. Turkeys have been displaying and have been seen in good numbers in Kewaunee, Oconto, Sauk, Shawano and Vernon counties. Leftover spring turkey permits go on sale next Monday, March 18, with each zone having a designated sale date. Angling success from As...

With high water levels in many of the river systems, boat and shore anglers need to use caution. Anglers are reminded that walleye, pike and muskie seasons on the Upper Peninsula Great Lakes, inland waters and the St. Mary’s River as well as the Lower Peninsula inland waters will close on March 15 at midnight. SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA Lake Erie:  Rumor has it a few walleye were caught in Brest Bay. Perch were caught off the docks in the Metro Park Marina. Huron River:  Is producing steelhead between the dam and the mouth. Anglers are using small hair jigs or spawn. A couple walleye were also caught. Detroit River:  Anglers need to be careful and watch for ice flows. Boat anglers were catching perch up near Gibraltar and off South Gibraltar Road. Most are using perch rigs with minnows or a piece of crawler. Lake St. Clair:  Ice fishing here is done. Nearly all the ice is gone and ice along the shoreline is no longer safe. Boat fishing will be day-to-day unt...

CENTRAL Check out the new lake record striped bass  hybrid caught at Hudson Lake. It was caught on March 4  and weighed 20.5 lbs. and was 31.25 inches long. For more information go to  wildlifedepartment.com Arcadia: March 10. Elevation normal. Channel catfish fair to good on punch bait and chicken liver around points and flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs suspended early morning and midday. Carp good on hotdogs. Report by Chance Whiteley, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County. Arcadia: March 12. Elevation normal, water 46 and muddy. All fishing fair. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 8-12 ft. along shorelines and docks early morning. Bass fair. Catfish fair on cut bait. Report submitted by Sheila Hutton, gate attendant.   Overholser: March 11. Elevation below normal. Catfish fair on night crawlers and cut shad. Report submitted by David Rempe, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County. Thunderbird: March 9. Elevation 7 1/3 ft. below no...