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Today, in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, state regulations kick in and the federal "endangered" classification for gray wolves, enacted under the Endangered Species Act, expires. Ed Bangs, the wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is relieved. "I think I'm going to go enjoy myself some champagne," he said. "We're done." In the Great Falls Tribune.
One of the wild turkeys that roosts near a White Bear Lake, Minn. apartment complex has recently been exhibiting some particularly bad behavior, like chasing young children, scratching cars and pecking at windows. It even knocked down a 250-pound man as he checked his mailbox. "Things are way out of hand," says the facility maintenance man. In the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Ron Gillett, a Stanley, ID outfitter and outspoken anti-wolf activist, was arrested Tuesday in Custer County for allegedly assaulting Lynne Stone, director of the Boulder White Clouds Council, a Ketchum-based pro-wolf group. Both individuals are high-profile participants in the debate over removing Rocky Mountain wolves from the federal endangered species list, a policy that will become official tomorrow. In the Twin Falls Times-News.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed suit in U.S. District Court to block the NOAA-authorized killing of up to 85 California sea lions that threaten migrating salmon and steelhead below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Via AP.
Genetic testing indicates that a cougar seen in the Milton area in January is likely the first wild cougar confirmed in Wisconsin in 100 years, and it probably migrated from western South Dakota, state officials say. In the Wisconsin State Journal.
Maryland angler Ron Lewis caught the new state record blue catfish Sunday morning on the Potomac River near Fort Washington. The fish weighed 67.1 pounds, with a length of 51 inches a 34.5-inch girth. The big cat is now at home in a 30,000-gallon tank at the Arundel Mills Bass Pro Shop Outdoors World. Candus Thompson in the Baltimore Sun.
Chris James, the Michigan man who arrowed a 24-point whitetail before he purchased a hunting license, pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to a mandatory five days in jail, plus a $1,000 fine to the state wildlife fund and a $300 fine to the county. In the Grand Rapids Press.
Larry Peterson, of L&D Bait and Tackle in Lakewood, Ohio, was convicted of the commercial sale of sport-caught fish. He received 2 years probation, paid $75 in court costs and forfeited 25 fish mounts to the Division of Wildlife to be used in educational programs. In the Plain Dealer.
National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) CEO Rob Keck announced his resignation this morning, a day after the federation's board of directors forced Chief Operating Officer Carl Brown and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dick Rosenlieb to step down. Reported by Doug Howlett and Colin Moore in the Southern Sporting Journal.
Kenneth Britt, 57, says he looks forward to legally being able to go deer hunting again after receiving word yesterday that he was among 15 people pardoned by President Bush. Britt was convicted in an illegal deer-hunting case involving several others in 1998. Lacking money to appeal, Britt said he took his attorney's advice and pleaded guilty to a single felony charge. The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Illinois' new program that withholds hunting and fishing licenses from parents who are at least $1,000 behind on child support appears to be paying off. In the six months the program has been in effect, the state has collected nearly $130,000 from 90 parents. Collections are expected to spike in a few days with the April 1 license renewal date. In the Chicago Tribune.
We're aware that a firearm can probably be considered a tool under the right circumstances, but one should never be used in place of a power drill. A Missouri man fatally shot his wife Saturday when he used a .22 cal. handgun to put a hole in his home's exterior wall while attempting to install a home satellite system. Authorities have yet to determine if charges will be filed in the case. A good marketing tool for cable TV? Via AP, & read comments.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries wants to make it legal for hunters to kill albino deer during the state's whitetail deer season--reversing a ban that has been in effect since the early 1990s--on grounds that the protection is both an unreasonable burden on hunters and biologically unsound. In The Lansing State Journal.
A pelt belonging to the first confirmed wild mountain lion in Kansas in over 100 years was obtained this week by the Department of Wildlife and Parks after an investigation into its killing. Charges are pending against a Barber County landowner who allegedly shot the adult male cougar on his property west of Medicine Lodge in November. Michael Pearce in the Wichita Eagle.
In a reception this morning, President George W. Bush welcomed Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones and Women’s Bassmaster tour winner Judy Wong to the White House. "And I'm really not sure who's working who here," Jones said of his visit to the Oval Office. "I'm hoping to get an invite to fish on his lake in Crawford, and he's looking for a free fishing guide." In the Baltimore Sun.
