Study Finds Mountain Lions Avoid Wolves
Mountain lions spend a lot of their time in the parts of their territories farthest away from wolves, according to new research from the Teton Cougar Project, Mike Koshmrl writes in the Jackson Hole News & Guide. A paper published in the Journal of Zoology reported that mountain lions tend to distance themselves from wolves, a competing species that sometimes kills cougars. "If you look at what's called the core home range, it tends to be farther from wolves than the rest of their home range," said Patrick Lendrum, lead author of the study.
Koshmurl reported, "Individual mountain lions frequent the core areas within their home ranges the most. Because wolves select top-tier territories with the most available prey, subordinate mountain lions are being pushed away from the most productive parts of the landscape."
Six Tips for Drought Proofing Your Food Plots
Despite ample rain through much of the country, there are parts of the whitetails' range that are under a drought right now. Normally a manager shouldn't bet 100 percent on a drought, but they should hedge their bet and follow the following steps from the Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Club. It can mean the difference between having some food and a complete withered failure.
Select the right location. You can't just select any open spot and expect success.
Time your planting properly. While we definitely have predetermined windows for when specific crops should be planted, one should be adaptable and open to planting when there is ample moisture to germinate the seed and get the new seedling off to a good start.
Soil preparation may be the most important detail. If soil moisture is limited or dry times are expected it's best to reduce the amount of times you turn the soil. Every time you work the soil valuable moisture is lost. A tiller requires fewer passes to achieve the same results as a disk. And, if you have a hard-pan, removing the hard-pan by sub-soiling periodically allows the plant's roots to penetrate deeper so they're able to access moisture that would otherwise be unavailable if a hard-pan is present.
Eliminate weed competition. Unwanted competition will steal valuable moisture from your crop. Balance your herd density with the available food. The higher your density, the more browse pressure negatively affects your plants. If your food plots are being browsed heavily due to a high deer density, the crop will be stressed.
Choose what to plant carefully. Selecting the right crops should depend more upon your overall management goals than whether or not they will survive a drought. However, a drought can negatively impact your food plot success, thus upsetting these management goals, so hedging your bet with some drought tolerant food plot plantings can be the difference between having
some forage for your herd or a complete dried-up disappointment.
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Lynx Habitat Changes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has unveiled a draft economic analysis and a draft environmental assessment for the proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the contiguous U.S. distinct population segment of the Canada lynx under the Endangered Species Act.
The proposal includes the revised boundary of the lynx DPS, which would ensure that all lynx in the contiguous United States are protected under the ESA. It identifies areas proposed for critical habitat based on where the best science indicates the habitat could support lynx populations over time. The service determined that areas occupied by lynx populations currently and at the time lynx were listed under the ESA are sufficient to conserve the DPS; therefore, the proposed designation does not include areas not currently occupied by lynx populations.
"Lynx are such mobile and far-ranging predators that they frequently traverse great distances and inhospitable habitats in search of prey. Determining where protections are essential is critical to the effective long-term conservation of this charismatic cat," said Michael Thabault, assistant regional director for ecological services in the Mountain-Prairie Region.
The lynx was protected under the ESA in 2000, when it was listed as threatened throughout its range in the contiguous United States, due to the inadequacy, at that time, of existing regulatory mechanisms. The service designated critical habitat for the species in 2006 and revised the designation in 2009 to include habitat in six northern states. The current proposal includes most of the areas designated in 2009, as well as additional private timber lands in northern Maine, and Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service lands in northwestern Wyoming.
According to the DEA, incremental costs resulting from the critical habitat designation are unlikely to reach $100 million in a given year based on the number of anticipated consultations and per-consultation administrative and project modification costs. Because all proposed critical habitat is occupied by lynx populations and most has been designated as lynx critical habitat since 2009, incremental costs are expected to be minimal and largely administrative.
New Outdoor Artifact Television
Is the firearm replica or real? Is that western painting an original or a fake? "Treasures & Traditions TV" on Destination America will answer those questions when it premieres at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22 at 9:00 a.m. The new series aims to share the sporting heritage by discovering and appraising pieces of Americana.
Longtime advocate for the outdoors, collector and avid sportsman Bob Delfay is the host who seeks out valuable sporting art, decoys, antique firearms, vintage outboards and tackle, books and other outdoor collectibles to answer owners' burning question of "What is it worth?" "Without exaggeration, there are millions of decades-old tackle boxes and half-filled ammunition boxes in the closets, attics and cellars of veteran fishermen and hunters that are worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars," Delfay said. "Treasures and Traditions TV offered outdoor enthusiasts a free appraisal of their vintage items, including firearms, decoys, bows, arrows, knives artwork, you-name-it. And we are sharing the most interesting items in our premiere episodes."
Filming at two popular outdoor trade shows in Cincinnati and Hartford, Conn., the team of Treasures & Traditions TV, which also includes TV producer Steve Pennez and well-known outdoor TV host, Bill Miller, made a few unique discoveries that warranted "Appraisers Choice" at each show.
A 1951 Colt Navy Revolver that was thought to be a replica but turned out to be the real deal was named the "Appraiser's Choice" at the Northeast Fishing and Hunting Show at Hartford, Conn. The appeal of the gun, according to the appraisers, was not so much its rarity, or its value, but the fact that the owner had brought it to the event believing it was a reproduction. In his words, "I traded it to a friend for one of the first digital watches ever made and it came in one of those glitzy boxes with red velvet lining that reproductions often come in. However, all four of the firearms appraisers on hand at the event confirmed that it was the genuine article-and a nice example at that." The revolver was appraised at approximately $2,000.
Detroit Minnow Cage and Detroit Minnow Tube lures from 1914-15 in nearly new condition were named "Appraiser's Choice" at the Cincinnati Hunting & Fishing Show. "I couldn't tell if the owner of the lures or our appraiser was more excited about the appraisal of these two extraordinary vintage lures," commented Steve Pennaz, executive producer. "The lures were among four that were in a cigar box purchased at an auction for $10.00. The owner had no idea of the potential value of the lures, which was estimated at between $6,500 and $7,000.