15-02-2025
Outdoors Notebook: Hoeven, Daines introduce bill to prevent bans of lead tackle, ammo
Feb. 15—WASHINGTON — Sens. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, and Steve Daines, R-Montana, have introduced legislation that would prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or tackle on public lands.
"Federal policy should not limit the ability of sportsmen to access federal lands for hunting and fishing, a central part of North Dakota's heritage," Hoeven said in a statement. "Our legislation will prevent federal agencies from unilaterally imposing a ban on traditional lead ammunition and tackle, helping to preserve the ability of hunters and fishers to engage in these historic past-times, particularly for those in western states where the federal government owns vast areas of land."
According to a news release from Hoeven's office, the bill comes as FWS entered into settlement negotiations in 2022 with "activist organizations" over a lawsuit regarding the use of traditional ammunition and tackle on over 3 million acres of federal land. Hoeven previously joined his colleagues in urging FWS Director Martha Williams to resist pressure from activists and not restrict the use of lead ammo and tackle on public lands.
North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer is among several Republican co-sponsors.
Randy Renner, manager of Conservation Programs-Land Protection for Ducks Unlimited's Great Plains Region office in Bismarck, was the recent recipient of the
North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society's
North Dakota Award. The Wildlife Society bestows the award on an individual or group that has made outstanding contributions toward the aims of professional wildlife endeavors in North Dakota.
Beginning his career with DU as a waterfowl biologist and regional biologist, Renner has devoted the last 36 years to writing and managing grants that allow for the purchase of grassland and wetland easements throughout the upper Great Plains, including Canada. He has been essential in securing nearly 1.5 million acres of grassland easements and nearly 500,000 acres of wetland easements.
Among his countless other achievements, Renner twice has served as president of the
North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society — once as an elected position and once by stepping in for a former president.
Minnesota turkey hunters have through Friday, Feb. 21, to apply for turkey hunting permits for the A spring hunting season in Carlos Avery or Whitewater wildlife management areas. There will be 30 permits available for Carlos Avery WMA and 150 permits for Whitewater WMA, the Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.
In addition to a turkey license, a permit is required for those hoping to bag a tom turkey with a firearm in either of these WMAs during the A season. Turkey firearm permits for these WMAs are distributed via a lottery system for the A season. While a license is required for all seasons, hunters do not need a permit to hunt Carlos Avery or Whitewater WMAs during the B, C, D, E or F seasons. In addition, this year a permit will no longer be required for firearms hunters during any season to hunt Mille Lacs WMA, but a license is still required.
Turkey licenses will go on sale March 1 for several hunting seasons from mid-April to the end of May, with the A season kicking off on Wednesday, April 16. Crossbows will be allowed by all hunters with an archery turkey license. Turkey hunting season dates and details for 2025 are available on the
Minnesota DNR website
at
.
ST. PAUL — Minnesota taxpayers can support the Department of Natural Resources' Nongame Wildlife Program by checking the box to donate to the Nongame Wildlife Fund.
Minnesota tax filer donations to the Nongame Wildlife Fund provide essential support to at-risk wildlife, the DNR said. The agency's Nongame Wildlife Program relies on these donations for its critical wildlife conservation work.
Donations to the Nongame Wildlife Fund tax checkoff support wildlife field research, habitat enhancement projects and educational programs, including popular wildlife cameras like the DNR EagleCam and FalconCam. All donations are tripled with matching funds from the Reinvest in Minnesota critical habitat license plates.
"Minnesotans value and support wildlife diversity and natural resources, and the Nongame Wildlife Fund tax checkoff is a great way to do that," Kristin Hall, Nongame Wildlife Program supervisor, said in a news release. "Together, we can work to ensure a future for at-risk wildlife."
The Nongame Wildlife Fund tax checkoff can be found on Form M1 Individual Income Tax and on Form M1PR Homestead Credit Refund. If filing on paper, simply look for the loon to invest in the future of Minnesota's at-risk wildlife. Donations also can be made at any time
online
at
More information about the Nongame Wildlife Program is available on the
DNR website
at
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota DNR is asking for the public to comment on proposed rules about fishing methods that, if adopted, would go into effect in March 2026.
The rules propose increasing the maximum allowed distance between hooks in tackle configurations with multiple hooks from 9 inches to 18 inches. The rulemaking also allows for the use of certain automatic hook-setting devices for ice fishing that currently are not allowed and includes clarification of the definition of "hook." These changes would allow anglers to use a wider range of commercially available products and be more practical for bait commonly used. The changes are anticipated to reduce the number of swallowed hooks and deep hook sets, thereby decreasing hooking mortality without posing a threat to conservation.
Comments can be submitted through Thursday, March 20, by email to or mail to Bethany Bethke, Fisheries Rules and Regulations Coordinator, Fish and Wildlife Division, Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155.
More Information, including the proposed rule language and contact information for comments, is available on the
fisheries rulemaking page of the DNR website
at
CLEARFIELD, Utah — The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) benefitted 122 deer herds in 18 states through its mission delivery in 2024, the organization said in a news release. These conservation actions improved over 700,000 acres and 151 miles of fence removed or modified to wildlife-friendly standards. MDF's investment of $16.9 million was matched by $34.3 million in agency and partner funds as well as volunteer in-kind hours to implement 184 conservation projects across the West.
Additionally, MDF funded an additional $99,000 for partner support for sponsorship, education, and capacity requests, and $186,000 for research and monitoring. Overall MDF's actions resulted in a $53.1 million investment for mule deer and black-tailed deer for 2024.
In a news release, MDF said it saw a significant bump in yearly efforts due to the expanded federal partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in addition to increased fundraising from staff and volunteers through events and philanthropic giving.
"These tremendous results are due to the commitment of MDF staff, volunteers, partners, and other stakeholders," Greg Sheehan, MDF president and CEO, said in a statement. "MDF is known as an organization that gets stuff done on the ground for deer, and our continued growth is amazing. The past five years alone, MDF has benefitted over 1.2 million acres of habitat and fixed over 400 miles of fence on hundreds of deer herds throughout their range."
