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VT Fish and Wildlife weekly Shoot Out VERMONT FISH & WILDLIFE Press Release For Immediate Release: April 8, 2013 Media Contacts: Adam Murkowski 802-786-3860, Mark Scott 802-583-7194 Vermont Public Television Invites Deer Management Discussion April 11 On Thursday, April 11, at 8 p.m. on Vermont Public Television, Lawrence Pyne will host “Deer Herd Management: An Outdoor Journal Special.” The live program, airing on VPT and webcast on vpt.org, is an opportunity for the public to ask questions about the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s comprehensive deer management review process and offer comments on current deer hunting regulations. Input and suggestions on current and potential season structures and harvest regulations are encouraged. Panelists will include the department’s deer project leader, Adam Murkowski; Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry; and Brian Ames, chair of the Fish and Wildlife Board. Viewers are invited to participate via phone and email during the program. Comments may also be submitted in advance to connect@vpt.org.
VERMONT FISH and WILDLIFE
Press Release
For Immediate Release: February 22, 2013
Media Contact: Adam Murkowski, 802-786-3860;
Scott Darling, 786-3862; Mark Scott,
802-583-7194
Fish & Wildlife Department Seeks Deer
Hunters for Regional Working Groups
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Department is encouraging deer hunters to
apply for one of
three regional working groups currently being formed throughout the
state. The goal of the working groups is to bring together hunters
to discuss deer management strategies and regulations as part of the
department’s comprehensive deer management review process.
Hunters selected for these regional
working groups will evaluate public input relating to deer
management and will interpret the results of hunter surveys. They
will also evaluate data relating to current harvest regulations and
season structures and provide feedback to the department.
“Hunters frequently express to us an
interest in becoming more directly involved in deer management
decisions,” said Adam Murkowski, Fish & Wildlife’s deer project
leader. “This is a great opportunity for deer hunters across Vermont
to make their voice and the voices of their fellow hunters heard.
The results of the comprehensive review process will impact future
deer hunting regulations in Vermont so it is important that hunters
are actively engaged throughout this process.”
The regional working groups are
designed to represent areas with similar deer densities and land
uses. Vermont’s valleys and foothills on the eastern and western
portions of the state are each represented by one working group,
while the central mountains and Northeast Kingdom are joined to make
up the third working group.
Working group members will meet four
times between the end of March and September. Once hunters have been
selected for each working group the dates and times of each meeting
will be determined.
Hunters interested in learning more
about Vermont’s
comprehensive deer management
review process and the regional working groups should
visit the department’s website
www.vtfishandwildlife.com.
Press Release
For Immediate
Release: February 6, 2013
Anyone contemplating violating Vermont’s fish and wildlife laws now needs to keep in mind that they can no longer just hunt, fish or trap in another state if their licenses are revoked here. Vermont is now the 39th member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC), which recognizes license suspensions of member states. Any person whose license privileges are suspended in one compact member state will have his or her licenses suspended in all other compact member states. The IWVC assures that in participating states, nonresident violators will receive the same treatment as resident violators. A violator who fails to comply with the terms of a citation issued in a participating state also faces the possibility of suspension of their wildlife license privileges in the other member states until the terms of the citation are met. The goal of the IWVC is to improve enforcement of hunting, fishing and trapping laws through the cooperation of law enforcement units in member states. “Joining the IWVC provides an added deterrent to Vermonters who might be tempted to violate fish and wildlife laws at home and then expect to hunt, fish or trap in other states or vice versa,” said Col. David LeCours. “Also, we didn’t want Vermont to be one of the last states where bad actors from other states can come to violate our fish and wildlife laws.” VERMONT FISH and WILDLIFE Press Release For Immediate Release: January 30, 2013 Media Contact: David Sausville 802-878-1564; Scott Darling 802-786-3862 Special Snow Goose Harvest Opportunity
Since 2009 hunters have had the opportunity to pursue snow geese during the spring as a result of a special management action referred to as a “Conservation Order” allowed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and adopted by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board. The measure was adopted at the recommendation of federal and state wildlife scientists in response to concerns about a growing number of snow geese across North America. Eight states in the Atlantic Flyway (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont) will hold a Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order in 2013. The Vermont 2013 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order will occur statewide from March 11 through April 26. The daily bag limit is 15 snow geese, and there is no possession limit. Waterfowl hunting regulations in effect last fall will apply during the 2013 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order with the exception that unplugged shotguns and electronic calls may be used, and shooting hours will be extended until ½ hour after sunset. A 2013 Spring Snow Goose Harvest Permit is required and is available at no charge on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website (vtfishandwildlife.com).. Hunters may also call the Essex Junction Office (802-878-1564) to request a permit. In addition to this permit, hunters will need a 2013 Vermont hunting license (residents $22, nonresidents $50), 2013 Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification, a 2012 federal migratory hunting stamp ($15), and a 2013 Vermont migratory waterfowl stamp ($7.50). Hunters can register with the Harvest Information Program by going to the department website or calling toll free 1-877-306-7091 during normal business hours. The populations of snow geese, blue geese and Ross’s geese in North America, collectively referred to as “light geese,” have grown to record levels over the past three decades. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the overabundance of light geese, which nest in far northern regions of North America, is harming their fragile arctic breeding habitat. The damage to the habitat is, in turn, harming the health of the light geese and other bird species that depend on the tundra habitat. Returning the light goose population to sustainable levels is necessary to protect this delicate habitat and every species dependent on it. Greater snow geese make up a large share of the light goose population in the Atlantic Flyway. “The population of greater snow geese has grown from approximately 50,000 birds in the mid-1960s to 1 million today,” said David Sausville, Vermont’s waterfowl project biologist. “This increase has resulted in damage to agricultural crops and marsh vegetation in staging and wintering areas from Quebec to North Carolina. The Atlantic Flyway has established a goal of 500,000 greater snow geese to bring populations in balance with their habitat and reduce crop depredation.” Hunters who obtain a permit will be required to complete an online survey after April 26 and prior to May 16, 2013, whether they hunted or not. Hunters without access to the internet may obtain a copy of the survey by calling 802-878-1564. The Spring Snow Goose hunt occurs annually from March 11 until the Friday before Youth Turkey Weekend. During spring migration, snow geese typically move through the Champlain Valley in late March and early April. They usually pass through Vermont fairly quickly in route to their spring staging areas along the St. Lawrence River Valley. Here they remain for about a month before moving on to their nesting areas in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. About 100 snow geese are taken by Vermont hunters during the spring seasons.
Date: Wed,
Jan 16, 2013 - 09:37 PM ET
Website Address: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/16/gun-range-bans-police/1840937/
Gun range prohibits police after
city considers ban
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A rural
Vermont firing range has
told the police department
in Burlington that its
officers are unwelcome to
train at the facility
because the City Council has
advanced a measure to ban
semi-automatic rifles and
large-capacity magazines in
the state's largest city.
The City Council's
action earlier this
month threatens
constitutional freedoms,
Robert Boivin II, board
chairman of the Lamoille
Valley Fish and Game
Club Inc., wrote in a
letter to police
department, city and
state leaders
terminating use of the
gun range by Burlington
police.
The firing range is
in Morrisville,
about 50 miles
northeast of
Burlington. The city
of 42,000 residents
has a police force
of just less than
100 officers.
The club's
executive board
"can no longer
support the City
of Burlington
with such a
prejudice
against our club
and its members,
and has voted to
suspend the
City's use of
our range for
its law
enforcement.
This action is
effective
immediately,"
Boivin wrote in
the letter,
dated Tuesday.
It was provided
Wednesday to The
Burlington Free
Press.
"We hope
that the
council
reconsiders
its actions
and
redirects
its efforts
towards
perpetrators
of violent
crimes and
security
issues,"
Boivin wrote
DEC's
official press release on spiny water fleas 8.1.12
Spiny Water Flea Confirmed in Lake GeorgeFrom: mark.scott@state.vt.us Bear Tags The change will not affect hunters who purchase a lifetime or permanent license in year 2012 or earlier. Starting when the new early season tag goes into effect, it will be treated as an add-on tag, such as we do with turkey. Their regular bear tag will be valid for the extra five days in November deer season. Here’s a complete list on how we intend to handle the bear tags: 1) RE: All previous term licenses for hunting that cover multiple years, that have been issued a black bear tag. These tags are valid for both the “Early” and “Late” black bear season. No additional tags need to be issued to these license holders. If these license holders harvest a black bear, they will continue to be reissued a bear tag that is valid in both “Early” and “Late” seasons for the duration of these licenses. These license types include lifetimes (kids as you refer), permanents and 5 year hunting. 2) Department in calendar year 2013 will issue two black bear tags for new license sold. Traditional hunting license or combination hunting\fishing licenses will be issued with a tag designated “Late Season” to cover the bear season as it overlaps with the rifle deer season in November. A second tag designated “Early Season” will be issued if requested for the open black bear season that does not overlap the November rifle deer season. The Department will charge $5.00 for this “early season” tag. 3) In 2013, in order to purchase a new hunting license of any type the license buyer will be asked “Did you hunt black bears last year” or some variation of this question. This question will be used as a screening tool for future surveys to determine hunters who may have hunted black bears in an systematic attempt to subsequently survey hunters regarding hunting pressure, effort or other questions. This question will be in effect for electronic and book agent license sales. 4) Big Game Reporting stations in 2013 will be instructed to take the remaining black bear tag when a successful hunter presents a harvested bear to be checked. This will hopefully ensure they do not accidentally get confused and go shoot another bear with the remaining tag. Tables turned on Humane Society
Jim Matthews, Outdoors
Posted: 07/26/2012 08:32:04
PM PDT
The Humane Society of the United States, an organization that does next to nothing for animal shelters but sues, badgers and lobbies politicians and businesses into adopting its radical animals rights agenda, is getting a taste of its own medicine. In a little-reported ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia earlier this month, the HSUS is facing allegations under RICO statues on racketeering, obstruction of justice, malicious prosecution and other claims for a lawsuit it brought and lost against Ringling Brothers Circus' parent company Feld Entertainment, Inc. After winning the case alleging mistreatment of elephants in its circuses brought by Friends of Animals (later merged into HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), lawyers at Feld filed a countersuit with a litany of claims ranging from bribery to money laundering to racketeering. The attorneys for the animal rights groups asked the judge to dismiss all of the claims, but most survived. So in early August, HSUS will be facing the music in a case that should attract the attention of hunters, ranchers, farmers and anyone impacted by HSUS' radical animal rights agenda. District judge Emmet G. Sullivan did dismiss allegations of mail and wire fraud, but he did so only because Feld didn't have standing to file this charge. His ruling all but set the stage for a class-action RICO lawsuit against HSUS for misrepresenting itself in its fundraising campaigns across the nation. This lawsuit easily could bankrupt HSUS, put it out of business and send some of its top executives to prison. For the first time, a group has fought back against the animal rights and environmental extremists who have been setting policy in this country for the past 20 years or more. Now, instead of getting rich off their lawsuits and fundraising schemes that misrepresent their efforts and accomplishments, they could be driven out of business. These groups have cost the farming and ranching industry jobs and raised the price of products we buy every day. They are behind the efforts to ban sport hunting across the nation. They have forced state wildlife and fishery agencies to waste countless millions of dollars on lawsuits and have spearheaded policies and legislation like the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), which has ruined livelihoods in recreational and commercial fishing without helping marine resources. These groups operate with surly arrogance and believe they are above the law. Thankfully, that is not the case. Stay tuned. UVM Political Science Students making UNAUTHORIZED site "safety" inspect...
section of the Vermont report. The Vermont lead report was pseudo science. --------------------------Original E-mail released 4/25/12---------------------------- Last Friday I became aware that UVM students had been making site visits to Vermont gun ranges. I learned this because an officer of the North Country Sportsmen's Club (NSCS) in Williston encountered three UVM students on the club property. The students were informed they should have eye and ear protection and they were there without permission. asked what they were doing on the property they related they were there to do a site inspection for a study requested by Chittenden County State Senator "Ginny" Lyons. The NCSC officer contacted Senator Lyons and it turns out they were doing this site inspection at the instruction of UVM Professor Anthony "Jack" Gierzynski, who is an Internship Director for the UVM Political Science Department. The study was checking for lead management and was being performed as a research project for the Vermont Legislative Research of the James M. Jeffords Center. The UVM students impressed the NCSC officer as not having any real working knowledge of firearms or ranges. They also showed up a range without ear or eye protection. The officer related they did not have any writing or recording materials or devices. The NCSC officer contacted Professor Gierzynski to get access to the completed research report. What he received was what is reportedly a "rough draft" of the study and it is provided as an attachment to this E-mail. The report is incorporated into a previous study performed about ranges. It was requested by Senator Lyons in an apparent reaction to an April, 2011 article about ranges in Seven Days Magazine. The original study was lacking in objectivity and the level of the work was quite disappointing for a college of the standing of UVM. This one is no better. Starting on Page 9 the study reports the UVM students visited four ranges in Vermont. The Bulleye's range, Barre Fish & Game Club, Waterbury-Stowe Club and the North Country Sportsmen's Club in Williston were reviewed in March and April... Apparently, the ranges visited were selected because they had shotgun ranges. In February, 2007 the Vermont Attorney General and Acting Commissioner of Health issued the report "Get the Lead Out of Vermont" which had three pages dedicated to ranges and specifically targeted skeet and trap ranges. This raises important questions: Is it ethical for a faculty academic research leader to dispatch students to private property for data gathering unannounced inspections without the permission or prior knowledge of the property owner? Given the fact that UVM receives funding support from your taxes, do Vermont taxpayers want to have their tax dollars funding research that is clearly biased and certainly appears to be driven to justify the goal of finding ranges as bad actors? Do the graduates of UVM want to continue to donate to the college so long as it engages in these type of research projects. Is it a sound safety practice for UVM students to be dispatched to ranges for a research project without ear and eye protection? Concerned about this situation? You should be. In Vermont there used to be respect for private property. Apparently clubs and ranges are sufficiently Politically Incorrect to the point that UVM students on a mission for a state senator just show up and traipse all over the property. All in the name of ethical research. The UVM President's Office is located at 85 South Prospect Street, 344-353 Waterman Building, Burlington, Vermont 05405. Tel. 802-656-3186 As a Richmond resident you may already know our club has been involved in an ongoing legal battle with a few neighbors who don’t like the fact an organization that has been in operation since 1926, long before any of them moved in, is still there. We are an essential part of Richmond’s recreational outlets for hundreds of residents and added to the town’s quality of life for over 250members in just the last decade. After multiple hearings with the town boards, 3 court sessions (including Vermont Supreme Court) the issue is coming to a head after 10 years. All this came about by unsubstantiated testimony in the original 2003 court case. That led the judge to rule we had expanded usage by 2X since enactment of the zoning laws in 1969, and now the town is seeking to require us to cut usage in half, under a zoning “Notice of Violation”. In 1969 we had 2000 members, allowed unlimited guests and operated from dawn to dark, as opposed to 7-800 members now, no guests and reduced hours. The Town Select Board has apparently approved the hiring of counsel to represent the Town, and its zoning administrator, in the Club’s appeal of the Notice of Violation, to the Town Development Review Board. If you enjoy the use of the range, archery, ponds, etc. and think this action an injustice, it is critical you come to the Development Review Board at the town hall on Wednesday, April 11th for the 7 pm meeting to show your support. Please make the effort to attend for your own benefit and we are sure all will be respectful as we always have been. Thank you, and hope to see you there..
2012_Crossbow_FWD_Presentation.pdf
HAT Survey Results
Would you support a $10.00 surcharge on each ADULT hunting license sale
which MUST be deposited into an escrow account to be used solely for DEER
WINTER HABITAT improvement on both public and private lands?
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