Flooding Causes Problems For AR Deer Hunters

From AGFC


LITTLE ROCK – Continued rain and rising water levels have forced the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to close deer-hunting season in many flood prone regions of Arkansas and wildlife management areas in those regions.


“Rising water has made access to many of these areas impossible and is pushing deer to higher ground, where they’re susceptible to overharvest,” said Brad Miller, AGFC deer program coordinator. “Only deer hunting is closed in these areas, but so much water is covering the areas that access is virtually impossible and dangerous."


As of 3 p.m., Nov. 3, deer season in the following flood prone regions and WMAs is closed:

• Flood Prone Regions B, C, D, E and F; Black River Flood Prone Region; St. Francis River Flood Prone Region; Shirey Bay Rainey Brake Flood Prone Region
• Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA; Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA; Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMA; Benson Creek Natural Area WMA; Trusten Holder WMA; Dave Donaldson Black River WMA; St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA; Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA; Big Lake WMA; Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA; Rex Hancock Black Swamp WMA.

   Flood prone zone closures and openings are determined by specific river gauge readings at 3 p.m. each afternoon. For more information on flood prone regions and maps of closed areas, go to: http://www.agfc.com/hunting/misc_hunting/floodprone.aspx.


The following WMAs are still open to deer hunting, but hunters should be aware that the water levels in these areas are dangerously high and will make hunting extremely difficult: 

• Bayou Meto WMA – heavily flooded with water topping levees. Permit hunts will continue as planned however, permit recipients are eligible for refunds (see permit hunt release below).
• Beryl Anthony Bayou DeView WMA – completely flooded, access only by boat.
• Cut-Off Creek WMA – heavily flooded with limited access in most areas and no access to east side. All campgrounds are flooded. Permit hunts will continue as planned however, permit recipients are eligible for refunds (see permit hunt release below).
• Cypress Bayou WMA – flooded with limited access from Hwy 31. Access points on the south and west areas of the WMA are usable. Expected 500-700 acres of huntable ground available during the permit hunt. Permit hunts will continue as planned however, permit recipients are eligible for refunds (see permit hunt release below).
• Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d’Arc WMA – water is above normal flood pool. Permit hunts will continue as planned and permit recipients are not eligible for refunds.
• Earl Buss Bayou DeView WMA – heavily flooded and limited access
• Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA – extensive flooding with limited access. Permit hunts will continue as planned and permit recipients are not eligible for refunds.
• Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA – About 20 percent of the area is flooded, primarily in the southwest portion of the WMA. Permit hunts will continue as planned and permit recipients are not eligible for refunds.
• Petit Jean WMA – extensive flooding with limited access.
• Sulphur River WMA – Overflow flooding still exists, roads previously closed remain closed. Water is falling, but damage assessments of the roads will need to be conducted before allowing for use.
• Two Bayou Creek WMA – some flooding.

 Some permit deer hunts cancelled, others an option


LITTLE ROCK – Unusually high water has forced the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to close many scheduled permit deer hunts on wildlife management areas in eastern Arkansas. Other hunts have been given an optional status with hunters being able to choose between hunting or receiving a refund on their permit and preference points.


As of 3 p.m., Nov. 3, the following permit hunts have been cancelled. 

• Dave Donaldson Black River WMA Muzzleloader Hunt (Nov. 7-9)
• Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-11)
• Sheffield Nelson Dagmar WMA Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-11)
• Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA Muzzleloader Hunt (Nov. 7-9)
• Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA Youth Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-8)

Permit recipients for these hunts have been mailed notification of the closure and will receive a refund for their permit and will have their preference points restored as if they had not been drawn this year.


Some permit hunts in flooded areas are still scheduled, but hunters have the option to receive a refund and have their preference points restored if they decide to skip the hunt.
The following hunts have been given “optional” status: 

• Bayou Meto WMA Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-11)
• Cut-Off Creek WMA Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-11)
• Cypress Bayou WMA Modern Gun Hunt (Nov. 7-11) 

Hunters who want a refund must return their permit by mail (postmarked by Nov. 6, 2008). Hunters who wish to hunt the area as planned should expect extensive flooding and should exercise extreme caution when accessing these areas.  


Requests for refunds must be mailed by Nov. 6 to:


Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Attn: Permit Refunds
2 Natural Resources Drive
Little Rock, AR  72205

B&C Scoring Used Against Poachers

From B&C

MISSOULA, Mont.-Courts in a growing number of states are using the Boone and Crockett scoring system to slap poachers with more felony charges, stiffer fines and longer revocations of hunting privileges.

Game animals with large antlers and horns aren't just trophies, but valuable conservation resources that warrant harsher penalties for abuse, say Boone and Crockett Club officials.

"I can't think of a better use for Boone and Crockett's scoring system than assessing trophy-class fines for poaching trophy-class animals. All wildlife violations are setbacks for conservation, of course, but we're especially pleased to see stiffer penalties for illegally taking an animal that is larger, has lived longer, is worth more as a benchmark of good management-and would have been a rare and cherished prize for a legal, ethical, license-buying hunter," said Lowell E. Baier, president of the Club.

Idaho, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states now use all or parts of the Boone and Crockett scoring system for wildlife law enforcement.

Ohio, for example, is in the second year of a new penalty structure that is "based on the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system to calculate restitution values of illegally taken or possessed deer," said Ken Fitz, law enforcement program administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The penalty structure includes a formula that is somewhat complex, but for illegally killed deer with a Boone and Crockett gross score of 125 or greater (without drying time), the result is an exponential increase in restitution charges. In fact, the new regulation increased Ohio's penalty for poaching a 200-class whitetail buck from $400 to $17,000!

"Last year we had two deer with restitution values ordered in the area of $13,000," said Fitz. "From a deterrent point of view, the law is still too new to evaluate, but I believe it's having an effect. Under the old law, some people thought $400 in restitution was a gamble worth taking for a trophy buck. Under the new law, the stakes are much higher and not worth it for most folks."

He added that the new law seems very popular with both the hunting and non-hunting public in Ohio.

In Idaho, the Boone and Crockett scoring system helped up the ante after Idaho poacher Frederick R. Schoenick of St. Maries killed a trophy mule deer prior to the season opener. Schoenick took only the head and cape, leaving the meat to waste. A game warden collected a DNA sample from the headless carcass. Later, when Schoenick entered the antlers into a local big buck contest, wardens used DNA to positively match the antlers to the carcass.

Because Schoenick's illegal buck scored over 150 Boone and Crockett points (actual score was 214-3/8), it was considered a trophy animal by Idaho statute and therefore subject to a more severe civil penalty-a $2,000 fine instead of the normal $400.

Jon Heggen, enforcement bureau chief with the Idaho Fish and Game Department, explained, "In 1998, a group of concerned sportsmen believed that stiffer penalties would create a bigger deterrent to poaching. Their work transformed into Senate Bill 1499 which passed into law that same year. One aspect of this new legislation was increasing civil penalties on trophy big game animals."

Idaho law actually cites Boone and Crockett standards as the official definition of "trophy" for several species, and states that the highest of the typical or non-typical scores shall be used to assess penalties.

"The 1998 law also established a felony violation when accumulated civil penalties surpass $1,000 within a 12-month period, so trophy status soon became a mechanism that helped elevate certain fish and game violations from misdemeanors to felonies," said Heggen.

This felony clause, in turn, increased the ability of Idaho courts to revoke a poacher's hunting privileges for more than three years and up to a lifetime.

Schoenick pleaded guilty to taking a trophy mule deer during closed season as well as wasteful destruction. He received a $3,158 fine, 5 days in jail or 120 hours of community service, 2-year probation and 2-year loss of hunting privileges.

The Boone and Crockett scoring system originated early in the 20th Century as a means of recording details on big game species that were thought to be disappearing. Conservation efforts led and funded by hunters took those species from vanishing to flourishing. Today the Club's records book remains a valuable tool for measuring the success of ongoing management programs.

Baier said, "Healthy fish and wildlife represents an investment by state conservation agencies on behalf of all citizens. The Boone and Crockett Club has always stood behind law enforcement professionals and programs, and today we're especially proud that our trophy concept is adding more teeth to the laws that help protect public fish and wildlife."


About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the National Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.booneandcrockettclub.com.

HFTH Kicks Off 2009/2010 Season

From TWF

NASHVILLE, TN -The Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Hunters for the Hungry program is in full swing for the 2009/2010 hunting season as the state-wide muzzleloader season opens November 7th and lasts through the 20th.

Hunters for the Hungry works with hunters and meat processors to fight hunger by providing properly prepared venison to food banks, church programs and soup kitchens. There are 70 processors in 54 counties across the state of Tennessee participating in the program.

Last season, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) introduced TWF Chapters which allow local volunteers to start, manage, and support Hunters for the Hungry in their home town or county. These chapters use money raised locally to adopt processors in order to provide free processing for hunters who donate deer to the program.

There are currently 21 counties with funding to accept deer for free processing. TWF keeps a list of funds available for processing on their website at www.tnwf.org. The list is updated weekly. Participating processors who have not yet been adopted typically offer discounts on donated deer to hunters donating deer. Check with your local processor for details.


Another means of donation by sportsmen and women to the program is the "pound or pack" method. By this way of donation, processors can accept a small portion of processed deer to be kept for pick up and distribution.


"Last year more than 71,000 pounds of venison was donated to the program, providing over 284,000 meals to those less fortunate," said Matt Simcox, TWF's Hunters for the Hungry coordinator. "With the current economic situation affecting the food budgets of so many Tennessee families, we hope hunters this year will take advantage of liberal doe seasons to help us provide relief to those in need. We also want to remind hunters to donate $1 or more to Hunters for the Hungry when purchasing their Tennessee Hunting and Fishing license," he continued.


For information on starting a local TWF Chapter for Hunters for the Hungry in your area, contact Matt Simcox at (615) 353-1133.


A list of processors categorized by region and county can be found by clicking here or on the TWF website at www.tnwf.org.


The Tennessee Wildlife Federation is a not for profit organization established in 1946 whose mission is to champion the conservation, sound management and enjoyment of Tennessee's wildlife and natural resources for current and future generations through stewardship, advocacy and education.

DU Migration Map Tops 1.5 Million Page Views

From DU

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 2, 2009 – Ducks Unlimited members and waterfowl hunters throughout the U.S. are utilizing DU’s Migration Map in unprecedented numbers. Surpassing more than 1.5 million page views within the site’s first two months is allowing waterfowl hunters to utilize the migration map to improve their success in the field.

“We have created the ‘ultimate waterfowl hunter’s resource’ with Opening Day-First Flight,” says Anthony Jones, director of internet services for DU. “The migration map is only successful when hunters post detailed reports of the migration they are personally witnessing while they are in the field. Our numbers are showing that not only are visitors utilizing the map, but the feedback we are getting shows that hunters are using the site’s many aspects as tools within every flyway.”              

Opening Day – First Flight offers constantly changing articles, video, gear features and several interactive maps for waterfowl hunters to utilize throughout the season. It offers everything from state agency sites to get licenses to detailed weather maps in conjunction with the Zip Code they plan to waterfowl hunt; it’s the most comprehensive waterfowl hunting site on the web.

“We have continually built interactive applications for the site and the Migration Map,” Jones says. “With the video contest, member photo application and the constantly updated content, it’s not surprising that we have been able to reach 1.5 million page views in the first two months.”

Opening Day-First Flight site and DU’s Migration Map went live Sept. 1, 2009, and will be live until Jan. 31, 2010. Understanding that waterfowl hunters are the foundation of wetland conservation in North America, DU has worked to help improve waterfowl populations since its inception in 1937. The Opening Day-First Flight site is a testament to the passion waterfowl hunters embody and their commitment to the resource.  Visit openingday.ducks.org for the experience.

2010 Sportfishing Regulations Passed During October TWRC Meeting

From TWRA


KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission approved the 2010 sportfishing regulations on Friday during its October meeting held at the Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff. The TWRC serves as the governing body of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency changes by region and statewide for 2010: The new regulations will become effective, March 1, 2010.

Changes-Region III:

*Dale Hollow Reservoir

Increase muskellunge minimum size limit to 50 inches, 1 fish per day creel

*Fall Creek Lake, Fall Creek Falls State Park

Remove black bass minimum size limit

Establish 20 fish aggregate creel limit for redear and bluegill

*Falling Water Lake, Burgess Falls SP

Remove all fisheries regulations- statewide regulations apply

*Cordell Hull

Largemouth Bass-17-23 inches Protected Length Range (PLR), 1 fish over 23 inches, 2 fish under 17 inches

*Caney Fork River

Rainbow and brook trout-14-20 inches PLR with 1 fish of each species over 20 inches

Brown Trout-24 inches Minimum Length Limit (MLL) with 1 fish over,

(changed from 18-inches MLL with two over)

*Also, on the Caney Fork, the daily creel limit has been changed from seven to five trout per day, per person

Changes-Region IV:

*Cherokee Reservoir - remove paddlefish size limit. Replace wording: "Culling, the releasing of harvested fish, is prohibited" with “Paddlefish: 1 per day. Season is open from March 1-15. Fish may not be released when caught.”

*Melton Hill Reservoir – Increase the muskellunge minimum length limit from 44 to 50 inches, 1 fish per day creel

Extend the striped bass PLR (32-42 inches, 1 over) to Hwy. 61 bridge at Clinton

*South Holston Reservoir- Remove the closed trout season (Dec. 1 to Feb. 28)

*Norris Reservoir – change smallmouth bass size limit from 18 inch minimum length limit to a 17 to 22 inches PLR-1 fish under and 1 fish over the PLR

Other changes-Statewide:

Sport trotlines, limblines, and jugs: To read –"Sport fishing trotlines, limblines, and jugs must be tagged and/or marked with the angler’s name or current TWRA identification number.

Bait Proclamations- Live Bait, Commercial and Sportfishing:

The regulation changes include: 1) adoption of the Live Bait Proclamation 09-20 will regulate the sale and use of live bait for fishing; 2) Proclamation 09-21 which amends Commercial Fishing Proclamation 08-01 to allow commercial fishers to use live bait and provides guidelines for bait dealers who harvest live bait from the wild for the purpose of sale; and 3) an addition to the previously proposed Sport Fishing Proclamation 09-22 which would remove live bait regulations from the Sport Fishing Proclamation (because they will now be in the Live Bait Proclamation).

The live bait proclamation includes an amendment that allows bait dealers to sale and anglers to use goldfish for bait. Bait dealers will be allowed to harvest inland and brook silversides and sell these species as dead bait.

In other business at the October meeting, the TWRA presented its awards for the 2009 wildlife biologist and fisheries biologist of the year. Chris Simpson, from TWRA Region III was honored as the Wildlife Biologist of the Year. Jim Habera, from Region IV, was tabbed as the TWRA Fisheries Biologist of the Year.

The TWRC also heard from Charles “Chuck” Flynn from Rockford. Flynn was the first hunter to harvest an elk in Tennessee’s first-ever managed elk hunt which came on Oct. 19.

Doug Peckam of the Volunteer Muskie Hunters Club presented a donation for Melton Hill Reservoir and other Tennessee waters.

The TWRC will next meet Dec. 3-4 in Nashville. The first meeting of the 2010 calendar year was scheduled during the October meeting and will be held Jan. 20-21 at Reelfoot Lake State Park.

MO Waterfowl Report

From MDC

JEFFERSON CITY–Missouri has nearly everything it needs for a terrific duck season. Now it is just a matter of watching the weather.

For the second year in a row, ducks found plenty of nesting habitat, especially in the north-central United States. This Prairie Pothole Region produces most of the ducks that migrate through Missouri in what is known as the Mississippi Flyway.

The numbers are heartening. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimates North America’s total breeding duck population at 42 million. That is up 13 percent from last year and 25 percent more than the average since 1955.

Mallards are the species most sought after by hunters. This year’s estimate of mallard breeding numbers is 8.5 million, 10 percent more than last year and 13 percent above the long-term average (LTA).

Surveys found 7.4 million breeding blue-winged teal, 11 percent more than last year and up 60 percent from the LTA. Estimates of other duck species’ breeding numbers were:
·       Northern pintails, 3.2 million, up 23 percent from last year but still 20 percent below the LTA.
·       Green-winged teal, 3.4 million, up 16 percent from last year and 79 percent above the LTA.
·       Gadwalls, 3.1 million, about the same as last year and up 73 percent from the LTA.
·       American wigeon, 2.5 million, about the same as last year and down 5 percent from the LTA.
·       Northern shovelers, 4.4 million, up 25 percent from last year and 92 percent above the LTA.
·       Redheads, 1 million, essentially the same as last year, but 62 percent above the LTA.
·       Scaup, 4.2 million, up 12 percent from last year but down 18 percent from the LTA.
·       Canvasbacks, 662,000, up 35 percent from last year and 16 percent above the LTA.

Resource Scientist Dave Graber, a waterfowl biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said geese that nest in Canada did not have as good a year for nesting as ducks did. However, he noted that Missouri’s resident Canada goose population remains strong, offering good prospects for hunting this year.

Abundant ducks and nesting habitat mean lots of ducks flying south through Missouri. Even better for hunters, many of those ducks will be young birds that have not learned to be cautious when approaching decoys.

However, hunting can be mediocre even in years when duck populations boom. It all depends on migration timing and the amount of food and wetland habitat available during their migration. If food or wetland habitat is in short supply, ducks continue south until they find more attractive conditions.

“We are set up to have good habitat conditions in Missouri this year,” said Graber. “Things look pretty good from the standpoint of moist-soil vegetation – the native plants produce the foods that ducks like. We have had good production for the most part.”

According to Graber, Schell-Osage and Four Rivers conservation areas and other parts of the Osage River Basin experienced flooding that limited moist-soil plant growth or washed away seeds produced earlier in the growing season. However, this year’s flooding has not been as severe or widespread as last year, when moist soil plants never got a chance to grow in large areas. Furthermore, losses due to flooding in western Missouri were offset by the filling of higher basins that often are dry. The Grand River basin in north-central Missouri was also impacted by a series of floods.

He said this year’s above-average rainfall has been great for many private duck clubs. Wetland areas managed by the Conservation Department and the FWS have levees, water-control systems and high-capacity pumps that allow managers to maintain optimum water levels under all but the most extreme weather conditions. Most privately owned wetlands depend more on nature. This year’s weather has been nearly ideal for creating waterfowl habitat on private wetlands.

“I have talked to some private club owners and they are very excited,” said Graber. “They say they have good food conditions this year, and they have reasonable water levels going into the hunting season.”

Even with plenty of ducks and habitat, a third variable – weather – can cut short an otherwise promising season, or make for challenging hunting conditions. Asked how the weather for an ideal season would unfold, Graber said moderation is the key.
Graber said the ideal hunting season would start with the arrival of a cold front just before the season opened.

“A cold front at this time of year will bring peak numbers of early-season migrants, such as green-winged teal, gadwall, wigeon and the first mallards,” he said. “We already have more ducks in Missouri than our previous five-year average due to the unusually cool October.” Then you would want that weather to stay cool with periodic cool fronts and rain moving through to keep pushing new ducks into Missouri and keep them moving around.

“Late in the season, I personally like to see the temperature drop into the 20s in December, so wetland areas kind of freeze up during the night and then thaw out during the day. That keeps the birds off-balance, moving around. Once the cold weather arrives, shallow-water areas freeze up, and the river and reservoir hunters have a better crack at them.”

Worst-case scenarios, he said, are when lots of calm, warm, overcast days make hunting difficult. Extremely mild conditions can delay migrations and cause hunters to experience the mid-season lull of having to wait for new ducks to arrive. Similarly, severe cold weather early in the season can cause ducks to move on south before hunters have much opportunity to pursue them.

This year’s waterfowl seasons dates are:
North Zone:
                 Youth days – Oct. 24-25
                 Regular season – Oct. 31-Dec. 29
Middle Zone:
                 Youth days – Oct. 31- Nov. 1
                 Regular season – Nov. 7 -Jan. 5                
South Zone:
                 Youth days – Nov. 21-22
                 Regular season – Nov. 26-Jan. 24

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved a new type of nontoxic shot for waterfowl hunting. Effective immediately, hunters may use tungsten-iron-fluoropolymer shot, along with other nontoxic shot previously approved. More details about bag limits and other waterfowl hunting regulations are available in the “2009-2010 Waterfowl Hunting Digest,” available wherever hunting permits are sold or at mdc.mo.gov/hunt/wtrfowl/index.htm.

Rewards Offered For Info On Poaching

From TWRA

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) offers rewards of up to $1000.00 for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of wildlife poachers.
Activities such as shooting from public roads, taking over the limit of game, hunting over bait, or spotlighting deer are illegal. Such actions cannot be tolerated and should be reported to the TWRA.
If you have information about poaching activities, call the TWRA Poaching Hotline. The hotline numbers are: West Tennessee (1-800-831-1173), Middle Tennessee (1-800-255-8972), Cumberland Plateau (1-800-241-0767, and East Tennessee (1-800-831-1174). All information will be kept in the strictest confidence.