Vermont News
Vermont Moose Hunting Applications Are Available
May 4, 2012
Vermont moose hunting permit applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website, and printed applications will be at Vermont license agents statewide in June.
Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is July 5. Winners of the permit lottery will purchase resident hunting permits for $100 and nonresident hunting permits for $350. Hunters also will have the option to bid on five moose hunting permits in an auction to be announced later.
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Public Hearings May 22 & 23 on Proposed Bear Hunting Regulation
April 26, 2012
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board will hold two public hearings to discuss a proposed bear hunting regulation designed to increase bear hunting opportunities, stabilize Vermont’s growing bear population and provide Fish & Wildlife Department biologists with additional data to better manage black bears in Vermont.
The hearings will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, at the Kehoe Conservation Camp in Castleton and Wednesday, May 23, at Lyndon State College in Room 100.
The board voted in March on a proposal presented by department biologists that would extend the annual bear season by four days and establish a new, separate black bear tag for those hunters who want to pursue bear in advance of the November deer rifle season.
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May Deer Hearings Set for St Albans and Springfield
April 26, 2012
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will hold two public hearings on white-tailed deer management in May to give Vermonters the opportunity to review 2011 hunting season results and discuss the details of the 2012 Antlerless Permitting and Youth Season Recommendations. One meeting will be Monday, May 14, in St. Albans and the other Tuesday, May 15, in Springfield.
Three public hearings on deer were held in Castleton, Montpelier and Orleans in March, prior to the antlerless recommendation. The two May hearings provide the public the opportunity to comment on the department’s recommendation for the number of muzzleloader season antlerless deer permits, as well as the antlerless harvest during archery season and the Youth Deer Weekend.
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Vermont Fish & Wildlife Acquires Two New Fishing Access Areas
April 19, 2012
Anglers and boaters now have guaranteed access at two lake sites -- one on Lake Champlain in South Hero, the other at Maidstone Lake in the Northeast Kingdom. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department acquired the properties, adding them to the list of state-owned, free public fishing and boating access areas around the state.
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Public Hearing April 25 on Proposed Moose Hunt
April 18, 2012
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board will hold a public hearing Wednesday, April 25, on the proposed regulation for the 2012 moose hunt. The hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. in St. Leo’s Hall, 109 South Main Street, Waterbury.
A total of 385 moose hunting permits will be issued for Vermont’s 20th annual regular October moose season under a proposed regulation before the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board.
The board voted unanimously at their February meeting on the proposal presented by Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department biologists that allocates moose hunting permits in 17 of the state’s 26 Wildlife Management Units.
The 385 permits proposed by the department represent a slight decrease from the 405 permits issued last year. Under the proposal, hunters are expected to harvest over 200 animals during the Oct. 20-25 season.
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Vermont Launches “Got Bats?” Campaign
April 17, 2012
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is seeking information on summer bat colonies around the state.
Vermont’s cave-bat species continue to struggle due to the deadly effects of White-Nose Syndrome. As a result, two species were added to the state endangered species list last July, the little brown bat and the northern long-eared bat. Little brown bats prefer to raise their young in warm attics and barns over the summer. To learn more about the size and location of colonies around the state, the Fish & Wildlife is relying on citizens to report groups of bats found in buildings this summer.
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New England News
Get 'er Done! Moose Lottery Deadline Is May 25, 2012
May 3, 2012
Concord, NH – Want to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall? The deadline for entering the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery is May 25, 2012. It costs just $15 for residents and $25 for non-residents to enter the lottery for a chance at the adventure of a lifetime. A total of 275 permits will be issued. The state's moose hunt will run from October 20 – 28, 2012. Last year, the statewide hunter success rate was 71%.
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Moose Deadline Approaching!
May 1, 2012
Augusta, ME - The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants to remind everyone that this year’s lottery for a Moose Permit closes on May 14th. Paper applications were due in April and the only way to still get your name in the pot for a permit is by applying on-line.
“We would encourage people to apply as soon as possible and avoid the chance they might miss the opportunity to participate. The deadline is rapidly approaching” said Chandler Woodcock, Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
The State of Maine will award 3,725 permits to take a moose this year. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on May 14th.
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National News
Who Really Foots the Bill for Anti-Hunting Lawsuits?
May 4, 2012
Studies released independently by the Notre Dame Law School and the Government Accountability Office show that environmental groups pad their claims for reimbursed legal fees using a social program entitled the Equal Access to Justice Act, and the U.S. is not keeping track of expenditures.
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Missouri Elk Restoration Enters Second Year
March 15, 2012
Missouri’s elk herd is growing on two fronts, and conservation officials express optimism that the second year of restoration work will benefit from experience gained in 2011.
Efforts to bring elk back to Missouri after a 150-year absence began in October 2010, when the Missouri Conservation Commission approved a restoration plan. The plan called for obtaining up to 150 wild elk from other states with established wild populations.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) quickly got the go-ahead from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to trap elk from its herd of more than 10,000. The Bluegrass State restored its elk herd between 1997 and 2002, bringing elk from Utah and other western states to populate a 16-county restoration zone.
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Eastern Cougar Declared Extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
March 2, 2012
After 38 years on the “endangered” list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the Eastern cougar, a subspecies of the mountain lion, extinct. Though many sightings have been reported, there has not been a confirmed sighting in the past 80 years. Many believe that man wiped out the native population of the cougars as long as a century ago.
The cougar, nicknamed “ghost cat,” could still retain life in certain parts of the Eastern United States though it is highly unlikely.
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Minnesota’s Moose Population Continues to Decline; Hunting Season in Jeopardy
February 23, 2012
Researchers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are still puzzled as to the reason for the steadily declining moose population in Minnesota. The population fell by an estimated 670 moose to a total of 4,230 moose from 2011 to 2012.
While they have attributed a small percentage of deaths to known causes, the causes of adult non-hunting mortality that drive population decline are largely unknown, according to the DNR’s Minnesota Moose Research and Management Plan.
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