Ohio hunters will be looking to expand upon their 20,659 white-tailed deer bagged last year during the annual muzzle loader hunting season. January 9-12 marks the season and deer hunters from all over the state will be hell-bent on population control and bagging the seasonal kill. Prior to the start of all hunting seasons, Ohio’s deer population was estimated at 650,000. Thus far this year, 227,748 deer have been harvested between adult and youth firearms seasons, early muzzle loader hunting, a special firearms weekend and the first nine weeks of the archery season.

In order to participate, hunters will need their legal permits for the season. Ohio’s small game, furbearer and waterfowl seasons also will be open during the muzzle loader season. Deer hunters express a great joy for muzzle loader hunting; fun to shoot, classic, and extremely accurate, muzzle loader hunting to some is the greatest time of the season. Hunters have been encouraged to kill more does this season and donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts.

With record numbers of deer being bagged during muzzle loader season across the United States, the end half of the deer hunting season is certainly proving to be more fruitful than the slow beginning. Deer hunters have been dealing with harsh conditions and a lack of kills for the better part of the first half of the season, but this muzzle loader hunting season is producing a record number of kills in states all around the Midwest and the rest of the country. Missouri broke its muzzle loader hunting record earlier in the month, and deer hunters hope that the numbers will remain high during their hunting season.

Hunter Dawn Pratt became the first woman to earn a Michigan Grand Slam on Sunday. By bagging a 6 by 6 bull elk on her last elk hunt. Pratt has recorded each of the four big game species of Michigan in the Commemorative Bucks of Michigan record book. A feat previously only accomplished by five men, the title requires a record deer, bear, elk, and turkey. The trophy elk hunt also included Pratt’s husband Jerry, and their scout/guide Chad Sides. With so few elk hunts taking place in Michigan, the Michigan Grand Slam achievement is quite a substantial feat.

Only about 100 elk hunting tags are drawn each year in order to keep the Michigan elk herd around the Pigeon River Country State Forest at about 1,100. The odds of drawing an elk hunting tag is about one in three or four hundred. To Pratt’s excitement, she received news from her husband that this year she would have the chance to bag either a bull or a cow. Pratt hired tracker Chad Sides to guide her during the hunt and help her scout out the area. A quest initially commissioned for eight days, the excursion into the blinding snow led them to an area where elk were bedding down to avoid the horrendous snow.

After Pratt, Sides, and Pratt’s husband Jerry began walking the ridges in search of elk, they stumbled on a few elk bedded down with their head in the snow. When one of them stood up, they realized that it was a lot bigger than they thought. What began as a dry hunt in a blinding snowstorm would soon turn into a trophy elk hunt that the Pratts will not soon forget. Some of the most experienced hunters in Michigan, the Pratts thoroughly scouted the area in search of a bull elk that would get Dawn into the record books along with her trophy bear, turkey, and deer.

Pratt had a bit of difficulty with the elk hunt due to the fact that every time the animal stopped, it’s chest was behind a tree, leaving only its stomach and backside revealed. Finally, when she got a clear shot at the elk, she squeezed the trigger and initially thought that the elk had run away. He husband reassured her that the elk hunt was a success as he’d seen the animal go down. The hons of the elk still have to be left to dry for 60 days before they can be officially scored.

A federal tax on guns and ammunition will be appropriated to state wildlife programs, and Michigan will see a large slice of the pie. Alaska, Texas and Pennsylvania — get more money than the $17 million Michigan is expecting this year: $6 million more than last year’s record. Aside from funding higher education and wildlife management, the money will also be used to lease land from farmers and give hunters more access. The amount each state gets is based on its number of hunting licenses and land. Michigan has hordes of hunters and the most state-owned land east of the Mississippi.

When someone buys a gun in a different state, they are basically helping to fund Michigan hunting and wildlife programs. Guns have been flying off of the shelves for many reasons, one being the fear that Obama may lay down more stringent forms of gun control, a more lenient form of laws supporting defense with deadly force, and an increasing number of concealed weapons permits being sold. Last fiscal year, Michigan collected a record $11.5 million from the tax to pay for wildlife research, managing game reserves and hunter education. For the current budget year, that number is expected to jump to $17 million — almost three times the state’s take a decade ago.

Although views on guns and hunting aren’t consistent across the board, many Michiganders believe in protecting the environment and see this as a great way to do so. Hunters are some of the most hard core environmentalists as well as gun supporters, and Michigan has a lot of them. Besides politics, the sour economy, which tends to drive up crime, also has contributed to the increase, as more people have bought guns for self-protection, gun sellers and experts said. Regardless of the views on guns and hunting, the tax is a welcome boost for the Michigan economy which is in need of any help that it can get. It won’t solve all of the environmental or financial crisis in Michigan, but every little bit helps.

Sen Jason Allen Traverse City is proposing a plan that would establish Michigan’s first moose hunting season in more than 100 years. Experts estimate that there are around 500 to 600 moose in Michigan today, all of which reside in the upper peninsula. According to the Detroit Free Press, a DNR spokeswoman informed them that they would support the idea of an advisory council designed to overlook the possibility. According to the DNR, moose were once common in the Northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas. By 1900, moose were extirpated in the Lower Peninsula and if not in the Upper Peninsula, at the very least, the population was substantially reduced.

If passed, this hunt would be the first hunt of its kind since the native population to the state had been wiped out 100 years ago. The moose hunt would be very restricted and wouldn’t occur for a couple of years. Restrictions put upon the hunt would be similar to the handful of elk licenses that are issued in the northern lower peninsula which takes about 100 animals from a population of 1,000. An economic spike is expected to occur in the event of a moose hunt; elk hunts are among the most sought after in the entire state. Officials hope that moose hunting permits fall into that same category.

Moose populations in the state of Michigan have exploded since they were imported from Ontario and deposited into the upper peninsula. Biologists believe that the population is a little short of the target of 1,000 animals before the hunt would begin.

The warmer weather and wet conditions have made for a slow start to the deer hunting season. Hunters in the Midwest report seeing some of the lowest numbers of deer in recent history. The consensus of hunters thus far into the season is that this is one of the slowest in a great while. Warm weather, lots of water, and lots of corn results in conditions absolutely terrible for hunters. Many hunters don’t want to venture into areas with a high volume of water because they don’t want to get wet, and many deer will simply post up in these areas and not move unless someone virtually steps on them.

Since deer come equipped with winter coats, the less likely they are to be on the move for most of the day. They will likely move at night, but hunters report seeing the lowest amount of deer that they’ve ever seen during the Midwest hunting season. Two back to back cold winters has also caused a drop in the deer population this season.

It appears as though the conditions has made it more likely to run a deer over at night than actually see one during the hunting day.

Hopefully the season will turn around soon, but many individuals wouldn’t even be aware that there is currently a hunting season going on unless they were to check a calendar. Numbers of spotted deer and confirmed kills are down 25 percent throughout the Midwest and the conditions do not seem to be changing rapidly, which could lead to more of the same during the second half of the season.

State wildlife officials are asking hunters to look out for copious marijuana crops being grown on public land this year. Since the crops can be seized if grown on private land, many marijuana farms grow their bounty on public lands. Since these caches are so well hidden, it is usually impossible to find them unless a hunter happens to stumble upon one. State officials in Wisconsin and Michigan have requested that hunters pay extra attention to their surroundings in case a canopy of illegal narcotics happens to be within their vicinity.

The heed to aid the war on drugs came after two sophisticated marijuana operations were uncovered in the last two years. Public land which was open to hunters in search of that fantastic kill was also being used for a not so fantastic growing session. Hunters who spot anything suspicious during their journeys are instructed to contact the authorities immediately. DNR officials also instruct hunters not to venture into any situations that may prove to jeopardize their safety. The correct procedure according to DNR officials is to go back the way you came, record your location and contact authorities.

With such a large marijuana operation across the Midwest, the chances of finding a secret stash are a lot more common than one think. In order to make the public lands safer for hunting animals, it is important to clear out as much illegal plant operations as possible.

So when you’re out trudging in the wilderness trying to be as quiet as a coma in search of the perfect kill, make sure you keep an eye out for marijuana plants.

Beware of this

Saturday is the opening day of Whitetail deer season. Those surrounded by hunting areas have probably noticed trucks and SUVs filled to the brim along the highway in hopes of bagging that trophy buck. It can be said that in areas that count on revenues from the hunting season that there is no such thing as a bad season. Deer hunting has become a pastime and the industry brings in millions of dollars in states where the sport is popular including Michigan.

Different states have a different level of economic growth as a result of the season, but states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have a great number deer hunters absolutely enthralled with the tradition. Supplies, licenses, and other items that deer hunters spend their money stimulates the economy and gives it a well needed boost during tough economic times.

The weather will play a major role in determining the sucess of the deer hunting season and just how big of an economical impact it will have. Luckily for Michigan hunters, the weather is looking to be decent meaning that many hunters will get the opportunity to go out this season. When it comes to deer hunting season and the economy, there is really no such thing as bad seasons, just good and better. Michigan hunters as well as hunters around the country are hoping that this one will air on the better side.

A wonderful article in the Dallas Morning News spoke with scientist and director of the White-tailed Deer Management and Research at Stephen F. Austin State Dr. James Kroll about the science of deer hunting. Kroll has published over 200 scholarly articles and written numerous books pertaining to the art of tracking deer. He shared some answers to popular deer hunting questions and set popular myths straight in this awesome article.

Q: What are the primary weather conditions that cause whitetails to become more active?

A: Climactic variables that affect deer movements are temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. The perfect hunting day is one with less than 50 percent humidity, 35- to 45-degree temperature and a light breeze.

Q: How much less active does a buck become during daylight hours as he ages?

A: Once a buck reaches maturity, he might as well be a different species. A mature buck is 90 to 95 percent nocturnal. At an advanced age, he tends to become more foolish, exposing himself to harvest.

Q: At what age is a buck most likely to grow his largest antlers?

A: There are two ages in which antlers tend to be the largest. The first 4 1/2 years, when a buck becomes physically mature and nutrients that once were directed to body growth are redirected to antlers.

This is also the age when bucks fight their way into the breeding pool, which takes a heavy stress toll. As a consequence, they tend to grow smaller antlers the next year. After their peak productive age of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2, bucks often grow larger antlers because they’re not stressed so much by breeding.

Q: How many does would you expect a dominant buck to breed in a season?

A: No more than eight does a year, though the average is probably much less.

Q: How much more active do bucks become during the rut?

A: The rut is made up of several phases. What most hunters call the rut is the chasing period, when bucks are visibly pursuing does. The greatest movement increase actually occurs during the pre-rut, when bucks are positioning themselves for breeding. The next-most active period is the chasing phase. The least movement occurs during peak breeding when bucks are “nailed down” with does. The next slowest period for buck movement is the post-rut, when bucks restrict movement to conserve energy.

Q: Most hunters can identify a breeding scrape. Are scrapes an important tool for deer hunting?

I pay little attention to scrapes. Most scrapes are worked at night in staging areas. I spend my efforts on rubs, which bucks use year after year. If you map out rubs, you can identify the buck movement patterns on the property where you hunt.

Q: How do hunters overcome a deer’s sense of smell?

A: A deer has a sense of smell that’s at least 100,000 times better than a human’s. There is nothing you can wear or spray that will totally eliminate your odor. Paying attention to wind direction is the best tactic.

Q: At what age should a buck be deemed “undesirable” and removed as a “management buck”?

A: It’s my opinion that the majority of deer hunters and landowners have no business culling deer. Only under a high-fenced situation is culling even practical. In those situations, I start culling bucks at 3 years of age and I focus on trying to remove them early, before the breeding season.

One of the wolf hunting zones in Idaho was closed today. The Upper Snake zone in the Eastern portion of the state was the first to reach the 5 kill limit needed to close the zone for the season. The area borders Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming where the wolves are still protected under the endangered species act. All other portions of Idaho remain open to wolf hunting, with a total of 87 of the 220 statewide quota killed thus far.

Two other zones are nearing their limits. The McCall-Weiser unit has 14 of the 15 animal quota reported, and the Palouse-Hells Canyon zone, with a limit of five, has two predators taken. The Southern Idaho unit, which is the largest, has yet to report any wolves shot toward the quota of five. The season runs through Dec. 31 or March 31 depending on zone, or until each zone quota is met.

The controversial hunt has come at a time where the wolf population is teetering between endangered and not endangered. Many conservationists are in favor of keeping the wolf on the endangered species list due to the protocol not being properly followed in order to remove them from the list.

A Tagged Wolf in Yellowstone Park

The opening day of hunting this year predicts perfect conditions for the fall excursion here in Northern Michigan, Minnesota, etc. Although most individuals are gearing up for pristine conditions this season, I for one am skeptical on how nice the weather will actually be. The recent rain and fluctuating temperatures lends me to believe that this opening day and perhaps the entire season will be a carbon copy of the soggy season of last year.

Cold temperatures and extremely wet conditions made it hell for hunters during last years opening day. Last year was actually the wettest season in recorded history, and the cold weather persuaded many hunters to stay in their trucks, the only place where it was warm. Hunters having enough time fighting the weather alone may be the story for hunting this season.

Michigan hunting offers few places where hunters are likely to bag a nice buck, and if you are limited to public land, it is literally almost impossible. But there is one thing you can do to help your odds — figure out the places where it’s extremely unlikely that you will have success and avoid them. You can do that by looking at the Michigan Antlerless Deer Hunting Guide issued by the Department of Natural Resources.

Four counties in the Northern lower peninsula and the lower upper peninsula issued no doe permits, so it’s safe to say that hunters should avoid these counties. Another good tip is to find areas with does, because it’s likely that the bucks will come looking for them. The basic tips for hunting deer this season hinges on researching where anterless tags are distributed. Avoid counties where the tags are not present, and try your luck where they are.