Family-Outdoors

Benjamin N. Chason, 61, of Climax, Georgia pleaded guilty and was sentenced in U.S. District Court for three charges related to violating the Lacey Act. Chason was ordered to pay $1.6 million in fines and restitution, the largest sum of money ordered of an individual to pay for a wildlife crime in the United States. Of the $1.6 million, $600,000 is to be paid into the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Habitat Fund $200,000 to the Federal Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund, $400,000 to Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks and $100,000 to the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife Turn in a Poacher (TIP) program. Carter Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Gregory Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, Chief Scott Zody, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Ge...

Avid hunters encouraged to volunteer as instructors Ten veteran hunter education instructors, each volunteering 40 years of service teaching hunter safety classes to new hunters, were honored by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at the Sept. 10 meeting of the Natural Resource Commission in Lansing. “The service of these volunteer instructors is greatly appreciated by the DNR and the communities in which they serve,” said DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler. “Our hunter education program trains nearly 20,000 students a year, and we could not do this without the help and expertise of the more than 3,000 invaluable volunteer instructors who provide important training to Michigan’s citizens and future hunters.”  Michigan has conducted hunter education classes for nearly 70 years, teaching firearm safety and the regulations for being a safe and responsible hunter. Each year, instructors who’ve reached the four-decade teaching milestone are honored during s...

North Dakota’s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds and number of broods are up statewide from 2014. Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants are up 30 percent from last year. In addition, brood observations were up 23 percent, while the average brood size was up 9 percent. The final summary is based on 259 survey runs made along 105 brood routes across North Dakota. “Our late summer roadside counts indicate pheasant hunters are going to find more birds in the southern half of the state this fall, with the southwest having the strongest population of young roosters,” Kohn said. “Hunters will also find average habitat conditions on the landscape.” Statistics from southwestern North Dakota indicate total pheasants were up 34 percent and broods observed up 31 percent from 2014. Observers counted 25 broods and 207 birds per 100 survey miles. The ave...

For lake locations, maps and other information, go to  www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/ FishingReports.aspx The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report. NORTHWEST Nelson Park Lake Channel Catfish - Fair: Use traditional catfish baits (e.g., dip baits, cut bait, chicken liver). Yellow Smoke Park Lake A hoop netting survey designed to collect catfish was conducted on 7-24-15. Nice sized channel catfish ranging from 9 - 28 inches and 6-9 inch bluegill were collected. Target catfish using leeches, cut bait, or dip baits fished on or near bottom in areas 5-10 feet deep. Fish for bluegills using cr...