The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting applications to participate in this year’s lottery for black bear hunting permits through August 31. Permit applications issued will be valid for this year’s black bear hunting season, which will take place October 22 through October 27.


 


[b]APPLY NOW! Go to: [url=http://blackbear.dnr.state.md.us/]http://blackbear.dnr.state.md.us/[/url] [/b]


[b] [/b]


[b]Registrations will also be accepted by phone between August 20 and August 24 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 1-888-579-6768.[/b]


 


Read what last year's hunters had to say: [url=http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Testimonials.asp]http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Testimonials.asp[/url]


 


See photos from prior hunts: [url=http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Photos.asp]http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Photos.asp[/url] (Later this year, it could be you in one of those photos).


 


[b]If you have never hunted black bear before, DNR has created a content area for everything Maryland Black Bear (including videos, photos, how-to information), visit our online resource: [/b][url=http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BlackBearGuide.asp]http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BlackBearGuide.asp[/url]



This year’s hunt will follow the same successful model we’ve used for the previous bear hunting seasons.



The application process will follow the Preference Point System for bear hunting permit applications that DNR implemented in 2007. Hunters who apply this year will receive one entry in the random drawing as well as one additional entry for each past consecutive year they have applied. Therefore, those hunters who applied unsuccessfully in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 will receive six entries in the drawing when they apply this year. The following rules also apply:


<ul>
<li>Applicants must apply each year to retain preference points. If an applicant skips a year, all preference points will be forfeited.</li>
<li>Once an applicant is selected to receive a bear hunting permit in the random drawing, all preference points will be forfeited.</li>
<li>If an applicant is selected in the random drawing, but forfeits the permit, all preference points will be forfeited.</li>
<li>Applicants will have the opportunity to purchase a preference point. This will allow those hunters who cannot hunt in 2012 the opportunity to retain their preference points for use in future drawings.</li>
</ul>
The opportunity to hunt black bears inMarylandremains limited to Garrett and Allegany counties.



Online applications for the Maryland Black Bear Lottery are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. (almost midnight) on Friday, August 31. 



To apply, a $15 non-refundable application fee must be submitted via credit card, check, or money order. All payments must be received by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. Checks and money orders should be made payable to MDDNR Black Bear and mailed to MDDNR Black Bear,P.O. Box 360,Frostburg,MD21532.



Only one application per person will be accepted. Duplicate applications will result in disqualification and forfeiture of all fees.


 

Well, I guess if they (Wolf Protectionist's) wish to see widespread re-introduction of the cute and wonderfull wolf, we should begin by establishing packs in their neighborhoods and within their gated community's. Let's see what they think about the wolf when the lovlies begin hanging around the playgrounds and skate parks. What will their reaction be when their pets and kids and joggers begin to get eaten up. I would imagine the next step would be they would move to spend taxpayer dollars to study the problem and maybe they would then wish to have the wolves live-trapped, re- educated, and taught to eat salad's.

I wonder if any of those "experts" have ever seen a wolf in the wild? Or a wolf kill in the wild? There was good reason the wolves were systematically exterminated from populated areas of this country. Now, we need to teach these lessons to a group of people who have likely never spent 24 hours away from porcelain? I truly feel for the people of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and the problems they and game animals are having with increased wolf populations. Gee, if wolves were re-introduced as they are asking and decimate the deer herds in the lower 48, I wonder what they'll next say about the viability of deer hunting.......

Wonder what wolf taste like, if i see any with rifle in hand, we'll find out.

Petition Seeks to Have Wolves Introduced Throughout US

7/26/2010

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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Tens of thousands of gray wolves would be returned to the woods of New England, the mountains of California, the wide open Great Plains and the desert West under a scientific petition filed Tuesday with the federal government.

The animals were poisoned and trapped to near-extermination in the United States last century, but have since clawed their way back to some of the most remote wilderness in the lower 48 states.

Biologists with the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, however, said those isolated pockets of wolves are not enough.

"If the gray wolf is listed as endangered, it should be recovered in all significant portions of its range, not just fragments,'' said Michael Robinson, one of the petition's authors. He said the animals occupy just 5 percent of their historic range in the lower 48 states.

About 6,000 wolves live in the U.S. outside Alaska, with most of those in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies, with only a few dozen in Arizona and New Mexico. They are listed as endangered except in Alaska, Idaho and Montana.

Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has pushed to end federal protections for wolves and return control over the animals to the states.

But both administrations have been rebuffed in the courts. Federal judges have ruled repeatedly that the government failed to prove existing wolf numbers will ensure the population's long-term survival.

Last year, the Interior Department relented to pressure from environmentalists in the Great Lakes. The agency agreed to put wolves back on the endangered list at least temporarily — just months after they had been removed for the second time in recent years.

Wolves are notorious predators with a hunger for livestock, and experts say they could survive in most of the country if they were allowed.

Young adult wolves sometimes travel hundreds of miles when looking to establish a new territory. In the last several years, packs have gained a toehold in parts of Oregon and Washington. Others have been spotted in Colorado, Utah and northern New England.

But with wolves, more than just biology is at play. Politics serves the deciding role in where wolves are allowed, said David Mech, a wolf expert and senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

"In the areas where they are not acceptable, they will be killed out — illegally if nothing else, Mech said.

The Northern Rockies population has stirred the most rancor, largely because of sheep and cattle killings and wolves preying on big game populations that swelled when the predators were absent.

Idaho and Montana initiated public wolf hunts last year, and both intend to increase their quotas on the animals this fall. The states want to put a dent in the animal's population growth rate, which has been as high as 30 percent annually.

Tryin to teach us all a lesson

Didn't think uncle Ted was that hard up for cash!

What do you think about Ted Nugent getting busted hunting over illegal bait , shooting an illegal spike , then putting it on his TV Show? http://tiny.cc/t2v5p

Yeah But ya gotta love Uncle Ted & his Nugisms

He is one of those guys that hunt on ranches that are allowed to hunt yr round and got carried away......Funny he was shooting a spike ...must have been a slow week....lol very slow.....

All hunters would do well to follow the State regulations re. hunting.
I do not care to impose my personal ideas as to what is ethical hunting , but I do believe in complying with state hunting regulations.
What nugent did was stupid or even worse!

Bambi's Revenge! Ted Nugent Faces Music for Offing Defenseless Deer on TV

Today 10:40 AM PDT by Josh Grossberg

There might be more than one way to skin a cat. But there's only a few legal ways to kill a baby buck—as Mr. Cat Scratch Fever found out.

Animal-slaying rocker Ted Nugent pleaded no contest in Marysville, Calif., courtroom to offing a defenseless deer on a reality TV show using illegal hunting tactics.

A lawyer for the 61-year-old rocker entered a no-contest plea on Nugent's behalf Friday in Yuba County Superior Court to misdemeanor counts of baiting a deer and failing to acquire an authorized signature to confirm the kill's legality.

Nugent originally faced 11 charges, but managed to get those dropped after his attorney negotiated a deal. He must now fork over a $1,750 fine to settle the matter.

The conservative crooner got into hot water with the California Department of Fish and Game when he went out on a bow and arrow hunt as part of his Outdoor Channel reality show, Spirit of the Wild, last February.

Department spokesman Patrick Foy told local station KBET-10 that a game warden witnessed him target a deer too young to be hunted.

"They watched him appear to shoot a spiked buck, which is an illegal buck to take, because it's too small. And he had it right there on television, and it wasn't live, it was taped," Foy said.

To make matters worse, Nugent didn't kill Bambi mano a bucko. Instead, he cheated by using deer bait called, ahem, "C'mere Deer" to lure his trophy. Under California law, enticing animals with bait for hunting purposes is illegal.

"We were disappointed because he had been an advocate for hunting, so for him to make this decision was very disappointing," said Foy.

The Motor City Madman was unavailable for comment. But Nugent has taken heat over the years from both hunters and anti-hunting advocates alike for allegedly arranging canned hunts on his fenced-in Renegade Ranch in his native Michigan.

Vermont Sees Sixth Rabid Fox Attack of Year

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BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's officials say there have been six attacks by rabid gray foxes in the state this year following an attack on an 8-year-old boy.

Officials say Rimmele Wood was playing in his family's yard in Bennington on July 11 when a fox appeared and bit him on the leg. The boy's father, Ned Wood, told the Bennington Banner that he had to kill the fox with ax to free his son.

The fox tested positive for rabies. Both father and son are receiving treatment.

Robert Johnson, the state public health veterinarian, said there are usually just a handful of fox attacks every year, but that the high rate this year isn't alarming.

I signed Hank! I will sign anything that will help my fello American get back to work because our fearless learder is not doing a thing!
Plus I'll always help my friends here!

LOL uh huh~ No problem Hank.
You know me~ I will always do what I can to Help SMH Members

Thanks for your support Chris, and all......

Thanks Hank. I will sign up now.

The governments (Obama) ban on deep water drilling is putting an additional strain on the economy of south Louisiana. This is a knee jerk reaction to the tragedy that is taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. It's bad enough, that numerous fishermen have lost their livelyhood due to the oil spill. If that hasn't hurt us enough, Mr. Obama in his infinite wisdom put a ban on deep water drilling. As a result, he and his government has put another 18,000 - 20,000 hard working men and women out of work.

This ban makes no sense. The government doesn't ground the airline industry when there is a major plane crash that kills 150 - 200 people. They don't shutdown the oil refineries when one explodes killing many of the folks that were running the refinery. They didn't stop shipping oil in tankers across the oceans when the Valdez oil spill happened. Why do this? I'll admit it's a tragedy, but this type of knee jerk reaction is not the answer.

I have several friends that are out of work because of this ban...... and I'm asking your support by signing the attached petition (if you agree with it). I'm not trying to push my opinion on anybody, but this is crazy.

Here is the website to sign the petiton to do away with the 6 month ban on drilling. We need to have the ban lifted so we can keep our jobs and go back to work. Over 63,000 people have signed it in the last 3 days. Lets keep it going and add another 63,000 signatures. http://www.crt.state.la.us/GEST/index.aspx

Thanks

Those Coyotes can take over if not controled. They are awesome hunters and are not afraid to come into towns to take dogs, cats or any kind of pets. I varmint hunt & Trap on my place here in Oklahoma year around. Coyote Season here is year around with no limit. I've been reading and hearing about Coyote and Wolves cross breeding in some of the Northern States, it that is happening that will be a smart, mean killing machine that might be hard to control in the future.

Coyote ConcernsBy WBNG News

Story Created: Jun 29, 2010 at 5:09 PM EDT

Cortland, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Coyotes have been moving a little bit closer to home for some people in our area. Some of you have noticed coyotes out at odd times of the day, and not very wary of people.

Their packs are on the prowl...

"People might be seeing more coyotes this time of year because the young are just starting to get to their dens and they go along with the adults on hunting trips," said Lance Clark, a wildlife biologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

They're coming out in many places around here. Many times, it's along woodland edges of shrubby fields, places where they hunt for small animals.

"Along the back roads of the mountainsides here we're inundated by them," said Gordon Kniffen, (R) Kirkwood Town Supervisor.

"A lot of the ones that do come in are the younger ones -- they're usually more curious," said Tom Tasber, a naturalist with Broome County Parks at the Finch Hollow Nature Center in the Town of Maine.

And curiosity has put these animals close to some homes. Sometimes it's like an invitation when food is left out. The DEC says coyotes could become to comfortable around humans, and there could be consequences.

"They get more used to people being around, they'll start attacking dogs on a leash when people are walking them and the ultimate progression of that unfortunately is small kids might become a target for coyotes," Clark said.

"They are more active -- even during the day," Tasber said.

That doesn't always mean they're on the attack or they're sick. If they stagger or act too hostlie or too friendly, call the DEC. Otherwise,

"Like any wild animal, you should keep your distance -- you just have to keep your eyes open," Tasber said.
Until then, get used to the sound of howling during the summer.

"The volunteer fire department has to test their sirens and they go off at 6:00 at night, you hear the coyotes answer back," Kniffen said.

A six year-old girl in Westchester County was attacked by two coyotes just this past weekend. The DEC says that the law does permit anyone to kill a coyote if it threatens humans or livestock if they are threatening.

Coyote Attacks 3-Year-Old Girl; Second Rye Attack In Four Days

RYE, N.Y. — A coyote has attacked a 3-year-old girl playing in her backyard in suburban New York, the second coyote attack on a child in the same suburb within four days.

Rye Mayor Doug French says the 3-year-old was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the Tuesday night attack. The girl's house is behind the Rye Nature Center, which is located on a 47-acre wildlife preserve.

The latest attack occurred as Rye Police Commissioner William Connors was addressing a group of residents about the last coyote attack.

On Friday, two coyotes attacked a 6-year-old girl in her front yard. She was treated for scratches and bites at a hospital and released.

The two attacks happened about 1.5 miles apart.

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Information from: The Journal News,

New SC hunting laws go after wild hogs, coyotesvar collab_title = 'New SC hunting laws go after wild hogs, coyotes
The Associated Press

Published: Monday, June 28, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

COLUMBIA — Hunters in South Carolina will be able to hunt wild hogs and coyotes at night under new laws passed by the General Assembly.

Lawmakers this year also placed restrictions on using dogs to hunt deer on other people's property without permission, according to a story published Sunday by The State of Columbia.

Backers of the new laws said changes were needed because coyotes and wild hogs are rapidly becoming a nuisance in the state.

Wild hogs used to be confined to South Carolina's coast, but in the past 50 years the animals have rapidly spread as hunters trap hogs in one place and move them to new habitats so they can have additional areas to hunt.

The new laws make trapping and moving hogs illegal and allow night hunting.

Wildlife officials gave several reasons for asking for the new legislation. Hogs spread disease, can damage crops, damage stream banks and wetlands looking for food and often drive out native species in competition for meals, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Night hunting will hopefully give hunters more chances to kill hogs, which mostly move around after dark.

The new laws also allow for hunting of coyotes at night and extends the trapping season for the animals by a month. Backers of the law said coyotes are rapidly becoming a nuisance, killing chickens , goats and sheep in rural areas, and family pets where urban sprawl has spread.

Another bill passed this year clamps down on a hunting tradition of using dogs to run deer toward waiting hunters. The "Renegade Hunter Act" requires hunters to get permission before running their dogs through or on the edges of other people's property.