Family-Outdoors

 (Photo credit: sarowen ) Partners of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation play a crucial role in benefiting wildlife, often donating funds that help accomplish a range of conservation initiatives. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission recently voted to accept nearly $40,000 in such donations from various partners.             Among the donations was $30,000 from the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International, an organization dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation and protecting the freedom to hunt. The donation included $20,000 for the Wildlife Department's scholastic shooting sports pilot program and $10,000 for the Department's Operation Game Thief Trailer.             Since 1995, the Wildlife Department has been offering free instruction in basic firearms handling and wing-shooting techniques through its Shotgun...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) North Dakota’s 2012 waterfowl season has been set, with season details similar to last year. The only significant changes are the daily limit on scaup has increased from two to six, and a waterfowl rest area in Rolette County has been eliminated. Opening day for North Dakota residents is Sept. 22 for ducks, geese, coots and mergansers. Nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl in North Dakota Sept. 29. The season for swans opens for both residents and nonresidents Sept. 29. Mike Johnson, game management section leader for the State Game and Fish Department, said duck numbers look good this year. “Overall waterfowl prospects are tough to predict,” Johnson said. “How the season progresses depends on weather conditions and migration patterns. We have high numbers of ducks in the state right now but it’s important to remember that one-third of these are blue-winged teal and many will leave before the season begins.” Hunters may take six ducks ...

English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) An estimated 30,000 hunters will be in the field when Iowa’s dove season opens on Saturday.  The dry summer likely created conditions that will benefit dove hunters. Doves eat seeds, like sunflowers, corn and weed seeds, and prefer eating on bare ground. If looking for a place to hunt, the Iowa DNR has a listing of public hunting areas with food plots for doves online at www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/ uploads/Hunting/mdove_plots. pdf. Even without a dedicated food plot, hunters should look for any area that offers them concealment and small grains or weed seed, water or grit. Since doves are considered a migratory game bird, hunters will need to have a plug in their gun limiting them to three shells and must register with the Harvest Information Program before they go hunting.  Hunters may register online at https://jc. activeoutdoorsolutions.com/ia_ customer/app/goHome.do...

' (Photo credit: Wikipedia) MILWAUKEE – More information about a proposal from Lake Michigan state and tribal fisheries management agencies to reduce trout and salmon stocking starting in 2013 to better match  prey and predator numbers is available online  and the public has until Sept. 3, 2012, to comment on the proposed options. “This has been a lengthy but very worthwhile process involving a lot of stakeholders, and we need to finalize stocking reduction decisions in September so we can put them into action this fall,” said Brad Eggold, southern Lake Michigan fisheries supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources. Agencies collect salmon eggs starting in late September for fish that will be stocked in spring 2013. “We should collect only the number of eggs we’ll actually need this fall to make the most efficient use of our staff and funding,” Eggold said. Despite an exceptional coho harvest and good size-at-age among chinook salmon in 2011, lake-wide assessm...

If you hunt or fish in Iowa, you have enjoyed the fruits of a program that has been providing money for conservation for 75 years. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program has funded acquisition, construction, restoration, research, surveys, stocking, and many other activities in Iowa from the federal excise tax paid on hunting and fishing equipment, bait and ammunition. “This federal program has been the lifeblood for the states supporting nearly everything we do for the benefit of hunters, anglers and trappers,” said Chuck Corell, administrator for the wildlife, fisheries, parks, forests, land acquisition and law enforcement bureaus in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Our hunting and fishing opportunities would look much different today if not for the vision by the early leaders of conservation,” Corell said. “All of the fish we stock, the research projects, population surveys, expanding public land, installing boat ramps and on and on have all been helpe...

Salazar: Preliminary Survey Delivers ‘Great News for America’s Economy and Conservation Heritage’ MILWAUKEE, WI – Highlighting the reversal of decades of declining numbers, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the preliminary results of a comprehensive national survey of outdoor recreation showing a significant increase in hunters and a double-digit increase in anglers over the past five years. “Seeing more people fishing, hunting, and getting outdoors is great news for America’s economy and conservation heritage,” said Salazar. “Outdoor recreation and tourism are huge economic engines for local communities and the country, so it is vital that we continue to support policies and investments that help Americans get outside, learn to fish, or go hunting. That is why, through President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, we have been focused on helping Americans rediscover the joys of casting a line, passing along family hunting traditions, and protecti...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Dove hunting season is fast approaching, and this year sportsmen have no excuse for not inviting someone along with them thanks to Oklahoma's annual Free Hunting Days Sept. 1-2. Resident hunters do not need to possess an annual hunting license or HIP permit while hunting on these days.             This year dove season will run Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, statewide, followed by another nine-day period open from Dec. 22-30, statewide.             According to Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, areas with water and a native or agricultural food source should be good spots come September.             Despite it being hot and dry, Richardson said breeding counts were up at the start of the summer. Food resource...

English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) LAKE VIEW, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will discuss its plans to renovate the fishery in Black Hawk Lake during a public meeting on August 30, at 6:30 p.m., at the American Legion Hall, in Lake View.  Black Hawk Lake is in the early stages of a major watershed and lake improvement and restoration effort to improve the water quality and clarity and remove the lake from the Impaired Waters List.  Black Hawk Lake is listed on the state’s Impaired Waters List for algae, turbidity, and bacteria.   The major focus of the lake restoration project has been targeted at improving the watershed.  Local landowners, stakeholders, and other citizens have made great advances in reducing the amount of sediment and nutrient loading into the lake.  While improvements can still be made to the watershed, the internal recycling of nutrients and re-suspension of sedimen...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Oklahoma waterfowl hunters could be headed into a very successful hunting season.             According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife surveys, record numbers of ducks - including the third highest recorded number of mallards - have been surveyed on breeding grounds in the northern United States and southern Canada.             "A steady dose of cold temperatures and plenty of available water is going to be important in order for Oklahomans to get in on the best waterfowl hunting this year," said Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "Ducks are thriving, and hopefully cold weather will drive them south and they'll find plenty of good habitat in Oklahoma."             At its August meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Cons...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s  Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide  for 2012 is now available online at the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, PLOTS Guides will be available at most license vendors throughout the state in late August. The guide will feature about 840,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts where the habitat and condition of the tract will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press. To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website. Hunters can also view the guide, and find  a list of vendors  where guides are available, on the website. The PLOTS Guide features maps highlighti...

PIERRE, S.D. – Schools are starting back up, but the weather is still warm. Take advantage of the last days of summer by attending a state park program. America’s Comeback King: The Bald Eagle,   Chief White Crane Recreation Area  near Yankton, Aug. 24, 7 p.m. CDT. Learn all about our nation's iconic bird, its habitat, feeding habits and phenomenal comeback. Info: 605-668-2985 Kayaking for Fun,   Randall Creek Recreation Area  near Pickstown, Aug. 25, 9 a.m. CDT. Learn how to safely and effectively paddle a kayak. Kayaks will be provided, but bring your own personal floatation device, if possible. Info: 605-487-7046 CSI: Newton Hills,   Newton Hills State Park  near Canton, Aug. 25, 4 p.m. CDT. Meet at the amphitheater where the kids can take part in Animal CSI! The park ranger will join us for this program where we will talk about animal tracks, how to identify animals, and make bookmarks. This will qualify as a Junior Naturalist Program. I...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is offering citizens the opportunity to review a five-year draft management plan for river otters. The South Dakota River Otter Management Plan  is a draft plan on how the state proposes to manage this unique species associated with South Dakota’s riparian habitats. The draft is now open for review during a 30-day public comment period. “As a state threatened species, this plan identifies specific objectives and strategies with the intent of recovering the state’s population of river otters,” said senior wildlife biologist Eileen Dowd-Stukel. “Further research, inventory, and surveys will help identify the direction of future management activities.” The draft management plan can be found on the GFP website at:http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/ management/diversity/river- otter.aspx There is also the opportunity to provide feedback on the plan through that link. ...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) CENTRAL Arcadia: August 19. Elevation below normal. Catfish good to excellent on CJ's punch bait and liver along flats and transitional areas. Flathead catfish slow to fair. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs at 8-12 ft. Report submitted by Chance Whiteley, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County. Hefner: August 21. Elevation below normal and dropping, water 87-90 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits and jigs at 5-15 ft. around deeper areas of the dam. Smallmouth bass slow on jigs at 5-15 ft. around deeper areas of the dam. White bass fair on gay blades and sassy shad at 3-10 ft. along windy shorelines. Channel catfish fair on cut bait and dough bait at 12-20 ft. around deeper areas of the dam. Blue catfish fair on cut bait at 20 ft. around deeper areas of the dam. Flathead catfish fair on minnows and sunfish at 8-20 ft. around deeper areas of the dam. Crappie slow on minnows and jigs at 20 ft. around deeper areas of the da...