Drought, lack of food, forcing central Idaho bears out of woods

Drought, lack of food, forcing central Idaho bears out of woods. By Todd Adams. Challis Messenger. Another story about this years “wayward” bears. This time it is not from a larger newspaper, but the Challis Messenger in Challis, pop. 1000.

Photo of the cub in the story above.

Interview with Jon Way on the Eastern Coyote

Dr. Jon Way, who often posts here, has his book out, Suburban Howls, and there is a good interview with him on the radio. “The Point: Coyotes.“

Pittman-Robertson Act: 70 years of conservation dollars

This tax on hunting equipment has provided $5-billion for conservation over the last 75 years. It has done a lot of good, but it also ties the USFWS to”game” wildlife rather than wildlife in general. Regardless of your view, every conservationist should know about Pittman-Robertson and the related Dingell-Johnson Act (Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act) which is funded by a tax on sports fisheries equipment.

Story. Pittman-Robertson Act: 70 years of conservation dollars. Since 1939, taxes on archery, shooting and hunting equipment have meant nearly $5 billion for conservation. By Jeff Dute. Outdoors Editor. Press Register (Huntsville)

The “one-shot” antelope hunt

This is a major event each year in Wyoming, with a limited number of contestants trying to shoot an pronghorn with just one shot.

Tradition Brings Hunters to Wyo. Event. By Ben Neary. Associated Press Writer.

Governor Freudenthal is a great shooter, apparently loves hunting, worries about the decline of the sport; but doesn’t worry much about the decline of habitat.

The article also discusses the decline of hunting as the United States becomes more urban, but I think there is more going on than this by far. We have a general problem.

The country is aging and getting fat and children increasing stay indoors and are often encouraged to stay there by parents who have become unduly worried about the dangers of outside.   It heard this slogan the other day. I like it “no child left inside!”

The rapid melting north polar ice has already changed the climate there

There have been a lot of article about this summer’s all time low ice pack, but this article from the Scientific American tells even more.