From the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department - Fish and Wildlife Department Makes Grant Money Available to Shooting Ranges

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is continuing a grant program that increases access to safe places to shoot.

The grant is available for shooting clubs, sportsmen’s groups and government agencies involved in the operation of shooting ranges and archery ranges. Applicants have until 4:30 p.m. on May 15, 2013 to submit applications. The funding period is Fiscal Year 2014, which runs from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.

The Shooting Range Improvement Grant Program was developed to encourage shooting ranges to make improvements and enhance their safety and operation. “Increased range opportunities encourage hunters to become more proficient with firearms and promote safe and responsible gun handling,” said Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry.

Projects eligible for funding include shooting range development, noise abatement structures, safety berms, shooting pads and stations, and road and parking lot improvement. Grant money can be also used for lead mitigation measures.

The Fish & Wildlife Department anticipates making a total of $80,000 available this year. These funds are derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program, which is funded from Federal excise taxes on hunting, shooting and fishing equipment. Grant recipients are required to provide 25 percent of project funding, which may come from an ‘in-kind’ funding match such as volunteer labor or donations.

A range receiving one of these grants must provide at least 20 hours of public use per week when in operation and the facility must be made available at reasonable times for hunter education courses.

For further information or to download an application packet, visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department website at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. Click on “Hunting and Trapping,” and then on “Shooting Ranges in Vermont.” You may also contact Chris Saunders, Hunter Education Coordinator, at 802-828-1193.

From the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife - 2013 Turkey Season Opens April 22, Youth Day is April 20

The arrival of spring is eagerly anticipated by turkey hunters anxious for the beginning of New Jersey's Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Season. This year's regular season kicks off on Monday, April 22, and runs for five weeks. Turkey populations are restored statewide, and hunters can enjoy some of the finest turkey hunting on the East Coast right here in the Garden State.

Spring turkey hunting continues to grow in popularity and it's easy to see why. The tranquility of being in the pre-dawn and early morning forest coupled with the adrenaline surge caused by turkeys gobbling from the roost and on the ground provides an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience. If you have never tried spring turkey hunting, or have been away from it for a while, why not get outside this year and give it a try. Be aware though, that once you do you will more than likely get hooked on the experience!

YOUTH DAY SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 20

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From the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission - Elk Seasons Finalized

Winner, South Dakota - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has finalized several elk-hunting seasons for 2013.

Archery elk hunters will have 92 "any elk" and 15 "antlerless elk" licenses available for the season. The 2013 Archery Elk Season will run from Sept. 1-30.

The Black Hills Firearms Elk Hunting Season will run from Oct. 1-31 for the "any" elk license holders. Antlerless elk seasons will run from Oct. 16-31 and Dec. 1-15. Black Hills Firearms Elk hunters will have 620 licenses available, comprised of 445 "any" and 175 "antlerless" licenses.

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From the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission - Commission approves hunting rules, defines options for octopus protection

Olympia, Washington – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted 17 new hunting rules and agreed on a range of possible options for providing more protection for Puget Sound’s giant Pacific octopus population during a public meeting April 12-13 in Olympia.

The commission, a nine-member panel appointed by the Governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), approved the new hunting rules after holding a public hearing March 1 in Moses Lake and reviewing written comments received earlier this year.

One new regulation approved by the commission will allow bow hunters to use electronically illuminated arrow nocks, which can be helpful in finding and retrieving arrows. Other new rules will:

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From North Dakota Game & Fish - Hunting, Fishing License Fees Increase in 2014t

Increases in North Dakota hunting, fishing and boat registration fees recently passed by the state legislature will not take effect until 2014.

Terry Steinwand, director of the State Game and Fish Department, said the current three-year boat registration cycle runs through December, and 2013-14 hunting and fishing licenses are in effect through next March. Therefore, registration fees for boat owners will go up Jan. 1, 2014, while hunters and anglers will see the license increase in April, 2014.

“This is the first time in many years we’ve seen such a wide range of license fee increases,” Steinwand said. “State legislators, hunters and anglers voiced overwhelming support during committee hearings and when voted on the floor. We heard that same type of support at statewide advisory board meetings last fall.”

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From the Alaska Department of Fish & Game - Tier II Hunt Scheduled for Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou: A Predator Control Success Story

(KING SALMON) – A new Tier II subsistence hunt for Southern Alaska Peninsula (SAP) caribou is scheduled to open this fall in Game Management Subunit 9D. Composed of split fall and winter seasons, Permit Hunt TC506 will run August 1 through September 30 with a bag limit of one bull, and from November 15 through March 31 with a bag limit of one caribou (either sex) for hunters who do not harvest a bull in the fall.

The application period for this season’s hunt will be May 1 through May 31, 2013. Online applications (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.main) must be submitted before 5 p.m. on May 31, 2013. Hard-copy applications must be postmarked by May 31 in order for the application to be accepted. To hunt caribou in Subunit 9D, hunters must possess a valid Alaska resident hunting license and the Tier II permit.

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From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources - Partnership Reduces Deer Herd, Helps to Feed Iowans in Need

It has been 10 years since the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Food Bank of Iowa joined to promote a new program to help reduce the size of Iowa’s deer herd, and help Iowans in need receive a healthy meal.

The Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program allows hunters to donate any legally harvested deer to a participating locker as a way to encourage hunters to harvest more deer.

Lockers process the donated deer into ground venison in specially labeled two pound packages that are picked up by the local food bank and distributed in the community. HUSH lockers have processed 56,000 donated deer providing more than 11 million meals since the program began.

This program exemplifies Iowans helping Iowans.

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From the Nevada Department of Wildlife - Winter surveys point to good news for Nevada's Big Game

If you are in the process of applying for big game tags, and with the tag application deadline this Monday you better hurry up, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has some insider information…apply for cow elk.

"With the numbers we are looking at from our winter surveys, it looks like it will be a good year for Nevada’s sportsmen to apply for cow elk tags with their chances for success greatly enhanced," said Larry Gilbertson, Game Chief for NDOW.

Ken Gray, Eastern Region supervising biologist in Elko reported his field biologists completed elk surveys and classified 10,384 elk this winter. This was a record elk survey for the region surpassing the 2010 sample by 1,005 elk.

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From Colorado Parks and Wildlife - Spring Turkey Season Opens April 13

Denver, Colorado - Between April 13 and May 26, some 12,000 hunters will take to the fields and woods in Colorado as part of one of the fastest growing hunting sports in the United States – turkey hunting. Colorado hunters pursue turkeys on both private and public land during the 44-day spring season.

Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife issued over 15,000 licenses for the spring season and hunters bagged 3,300 gobblers.

Colorado is home to two subspecies of wild turkeys. The Merriam’s wild turkey, a Colorado native, inhabits areas of ponderosa pine, oak-brush and ... more on Colorado's Spring Turkey Season ...