Tag: hunters

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Park Service Lifts Sport-Hunting Restrictions in Alaska

 

Thanks to the latest regulatory rollback of the Trump administration, Alaskan hunters can use donuts to bait bears from their dens once again, and they can kill wolf and coyote pups during denning season.

Published in the Federal Register on June 3 and set to take effect in 30 days, the rule from the National Park Service removes prohibitions enacted during the Obama administration against certain hunting and trapping practices that Alaska state law otherwise permits in 2015.

Alaska had sued the Interior Department over the rules three years ago, saying they interfered with residents’ way of life and ability to feed their families. “Removing this provision will expand harvest opportunities, complement regulations on lands and waters within and surrounding national preserves, and defer to the State in regard to fish and wildlife management,” the 35-page rule states.

Among other practices, the Obama rule prohibited hunters from using flashlights to see inside brown and black bear dens; tracking bears with dogs; or luring the animals out into the open with piles of bait.

The rule also prevented hunters and trappers from using motorboats to shoot swimming caribou, and from taking wolves and coyotes or their pups between May and August when the animals are getting ready to give birth, a period known as denning season.

Environmentalists have been quick to dispute Alaska’s claim about putting food on the table. Congressman Don Young and Governor Michael Dunleavy are among the officials claiming otherwise.

The rule change has been in progress since 2018 when then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued a memo that said states should control fish and wildlife management on federal lands.

The National Park Service said Tuesday it “reconsidered its prior position” because the “2015 rule conflicts with federal and state laws which allow for hunting and trapping in national preserves.”

With the change, Alaska now assumes full authority of wildlife management on national preserves. The state is home to eight national parks, the second highest of any state after California, which has nine.

Lavin at Defenders of Wildlife said his organization is planning on holding the National Park Service accountable to its wildlife-management duties.

Trump’s revisions abandon the primary purpose of national preserved lands, which is to conserve wildlife and wild places, “and that includes preserving natural predator prey interactions and otherwise managing wildlife in its natural diversity,” Lavin added.

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Black bear hunting season proposed in Missouri

 

The Missouri Department of Conservation is seeking public input on a proposed limited hunting season for black bears in the state.

The conservation department is proposing a limited hunting season for black bears in Missouri that would begin each year on the third Monday in October and run for 10 days or until management zone specific quotas are reached, whichever comes first.

Hunting hours would be a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

Harvest quotas for each of the three zones would be determined annually each spring. Quotas have not yet been established for the future season.

Once the specific harvest quotas are filled for each zone, the season for that area would be closed.

Hunters would need to call in each morning they intend to hunt to determine if the zone-specific quota has been reached. If harvest quotas are not reached, the season would close at the end of the 10 designated hunting days.

Hunters would be allowed to use both archery and firearms equipment with allowable methods being the same as those for deer and elk, except the use of an atlatl. Baiting and the use of dogs is not being allowed at this time but may be considered in the future.

Individuals must be Missouri residents and would only be allowed to apply once per year to hunt in one of the three designated zones.

To ensure resident landowners within a zone have an opportunity to participate in the hunt, the department would propose that a minimum of 10% of zone-specific black bear hunting permits are awarded to qualifying landowners.

To be eligible, landowners would have to have submitted their Landowner Permit Application, would need to meet the same eligibility requirements for deer and turkey landowner permits and would need to have at least 20 contiguous acres within the zone for which they are applying.

The department would issue a limited number of hunting permits for each of the three zones. Each permit would be for a specific zone and could be used on public or private property within the area.

Those selected would be eligible to buy a permit at a cost of $25. A person would need to be 11 years of age or older and have completed hunter education by the time of the hunt to purchase a permit.

The department would also require the submission of a tooth from each harvested bear within 10 days of harvest. This would help department staff with black-bear research and management.