CONCORD, N.H. -- The annual drawing to select the lucky hunters who will be offered a permit to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall will be held on Friday, June 20, at 9:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, N.H. Fish and Game will issue 515 moose hunting permits this year. The public and interested media are invited to be on hand to watch the excitement as the names are drawn. Winners are selected through a computerized random drawing.

Radio personalities Peter St. James and Ken Cail will broadcast live from Fish and Game

That's the day the Division of Wildlife Resources will hold its first ever California condor viewing event. Dubbed "The Day of the Condor," the free event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lava Point near Kolob Reservoir in southwestern Utah.

Biologists from the DWR, the National Park Service and the Peregrine Fund will be available to answer your questions, distribute information and help you find the condors.

WASHINGTON - The government wants to know who's fishing for fun in federal ocean waters.

Recreational anglers and spearfishers would be required to be registered, starting next year, under a rule proposed Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA's Fisheries Service said it wants to get more accurate data on recreational fish catches. Commercial fishers already need licenses or permits and thus would not have to register again, the agency said.

ELKTON, MD - The operator of the 42- foot motor vessel involved in a boating accident that claimed the life of a Pennsylvania woman almost a year ago has been charged in connection with her death.

The victim, Kristy Lynn Szewczak, 21, of Philadelphia, Pa. was transported to Christiana Hospital where she was pronounced dead Saturday evening, July 21, 2007.

A Grand Jury convened by the Cecil County State's Attorney held a hearing on this investigation on 

DES MOINES — The Mississippi River has been closed to recreational boating from mile marker 169 to 482.9, an area from Rock Island, Ill., to St. Louis, by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Meanwhile, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is continuing to advise boaters, kayakers and canoeists to avoid boating on rivers and flood control reservoirs until water levels return to a more normal level.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) unanimously passed a resolution Thursday, expressing support for proposed Constitutional Amendment 4.

The amendment, to appear on the general election ballot in November, would create incentives for landowners to set aside land for conservation easements or practice proactive conservation to benefit wildlife. If 60 percent of voters approve the amendment, it will become part of the Florida State Constitution.

OLYMPIA - With summer approaching, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is reminding recreational boaters and paddlers that a new state law to protect orca whales goes into effect today (June 12).

The new law, approved during the last legislative session, establishes rules for boaters and paddlers, including a requirement that vessels stay at least 100 yards away from southern resident orca whales.

JEFFERSON CITY-Monday sometimes gets a bad rap. Everyone has heard of blue Monday, the day you go back to work. But this year blue Monday has a green side. Monday, June 30 marks the opening of Missouri's frogging season.

Because midnight marks the start of a new day, froggers who begin a hunt at sunset with no frogs in possession (including at home in the freezer) can take one limit of frogs before midnight, then bag another after the witching hour. To do this legally, however, the first eight frogs must be kept separate from those taken after midnight.
 

WATERBURY, VT – A Vermont fisherman has claimed a new state record for common carp, displacing the previous record that had held since 1981.   

Tyler Evans, 27, of Dummerston caught the huge fish when he went bow and arrow fishing with his 12-year old brother, Jimmy Evans, on May 28, at Retreat Meadows on the Connecticut River in Brattleboro.  

It was late in the evening when Tyler and his brother carefully approached the big fish in their boat.

Rough weather and high water put a damper on fishing in a number of areas during the first week of June, but anglers are expected to be out in force once conditions improve.

For one thing, catch rates for hatchery-reared salmon and steelhead - not to mention sturgeon and shad - have been picking up in a number of areas around the state. For another, popular fisheries for crab in Puget Sound and summer chinook in the Columbia River are set to kick off this month.

The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, has announced that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks’ Boating Education Program has been selected as a 2008/2009 National Recreation and Park Association Take Me Fishing™ Anchor Agency. As one of 30 Anchor Agencies selected, KDWP’s efforts will serve as the foundation for park and recreation agencies and youth serving organizations to take leadership roles and ensure that recreational boating and fishing are sustained across the state of Kansas.

KDWP’s Boating Education Program will receive a grant of $10,000 to enhance existing recreational 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announces that the Apalachicola Paddling Trail System, located in Franklin County in the Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area, is one of 24 trails designated by the Secretary of the Interior as a National Recreation Trail.

This network of paddling trails was developed by the FWC's Office of Recreation Services. It features approximately 100 miles of scenic waterways accessible to boaters, canoeists and kayakers with all levels of experience. The shortest trails are 2 miles long, while others are 4 to 16 

MADISON – The month of June has been proclaimed “Great Outdoors Month” in Wisconsin by Gov. Jim Doyle to encourage families to get out and celebrate and experience the many outdoor activities the state has to offer both residents and visitors.

“Wisconsin’s vast natural and cultural resources provide citizens and visitors opportunities to hike, bike, fish, camp, swim, learn about nature and enjoy numerous other outdoor activities on public and private lands,” Doyle noted in the proclamation.

WATERBURY, VT – A new fishing regulation designed to improve walleye fishing in Vermont will take effect in January of 2009. 

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board passed the statewide regulation based on recommendations from the public and state fisheries biologists with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.  The new fishing rules will apply to all waters of Vermont except Lake Carmi and Chittenden Reservoir. 

SPRINGFIELD, MO - Legendary handgun maker and rising star in hunting rifles and shotguns, Smith & Wesson has become the newest sponsor of National Hunting and Fishing Day.
The annual celebration of hunters, anglers and conservation is set for September 27, 2008.

Congress designated the fourth Saturday of every September as a formal reminder that good conservation depends on hunters, anglers and shooters. In fact, through licenses and excise taxes, these outdoor enthusiasts generate $100,000 every 30 minutes for fish, wildlife and habitat 

Each year the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) receives more than 100,000 applications for the big game hunting drawing. Hunters submit applications for premium deer, elk, antelope and sheep tags to the lottery-style drawing.

On June 2, several thousand applicants converged on the DFG main licensing office in Natomas to purchase or hand deliver their applications on the last day of the application period.  

“Typically, we receive approximately 50 percent of all applications during the final week before the
 

STRAWBERRY POINT - A two mile section of road in Backbone State Park will be closed until the end of July to repair washout damage and remove downed trees caused by heavy rains and storms over the past few weeks.  The park road is closed from the CCC museum spur near the west gate on through the park. 

The Six Pine Campground and CCC museum is open.  The north gate is open only to the auditorium.  The east gate is closed.  The South Lake Campground is scheduled to reopen on June 30. 

DECATUR, Alabama - With the odds stacked against him, Jeremy Starks of Charleston, West Virginia, outlasted perennial favorite and three-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam to take his first BASS victory Sunday with a four-day total of 78 pounds, 10 ounces, at the Southern Challenge presented by Advance Auto Parts.

Starks played the role of David to VanDam's Goliath at the seventh Elite tournament of the season. VanDam's considerable credentials include two Bassmaster Classic titles, 13 BASS wins and the title of all-time BASS career earnings leader. With the victory, Starks earned $100,000 and moved

CASPER, WY - Good news for Wyoming anglers. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced that waters scheduled to be stocked in 2008 should receive at least 90 percent of the original numbers requested despite finding whirling disease earlier this year at the Ten Sleep Fish Hatchery.

Fish culture personnel from all ten Game and Fish hatcheries and fish rearing stations were able to reallocate fish requests and adjust upcoming egg numbers to cover the majority of shortages.

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ATA and "Black's Archery & Bowhunting Annual Buyer's Directory" renew agreement for fifth straight year to provide ATA members industry contact information, which includes online directory access from www.archerytrade.org.

The Archery Trade Association has again selected "Black's Archery & Bowhunting Annual Buyer's Directory" as its official guide to the archery industry because the 144-page manual is comprehensive and easily navigated, according to Denise Jordan, ATA communications manager.

National Fishing and Boating Week 2008 will be highlighted by the 19th annual Free Fishing Weekend on June 7 and 8, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR). During these two days, residents and nonresidents can fish in West Virginia without a license. "It is a great opportunity to remind people of the fun of fishing, especially with family and friends. If you already have a license, take someone fishing. It may be your children, spouse, or co-worker and introduce them to a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment," said Jezioro.

The National Fishing and Boating Week concept began as a promotional activity sponsored by the sportfishing industry. With the hope of increasing tackle sales, the industry promoted fishing near 

COLUMBUS, OH - A Meigs County elementary recently became the first Ohio school to place first in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) championship tournament.

West Virginia Day, June 20, brings a variety of special programs to West Virginia State Parks and Forests. To celebrate the Mountain State’s birthday, these programs are open to the public and free of charge.

·         Three Rivers Avian Center presents birds of prey at Hawks Nest State Park at 3 p.m. in the lodge conference room. The presentation features live birds and, in particular, “Spirit,” a golden eagle, and other hawks and owls found in West Virginia.  “These birds are amazing and this program is a real opportunity to see and learn about raptors,” says Willa Grafton, Park

LITTLE ROCK - The first step in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s renewal process for a second year of the well-received alligator hunting season has begun.  For the past couple of weeks, AGFC field crews have been busy conducting spotlight surveys across south Arkansas.

The population data, a harvest report from the first alligator hunt, a summary of last year’s nuisance alligator activities and a report on Arkansas’ farm-raised alligators will all be compiled into a single report and submitted to the U. S Fish and Wildlife Service by July 1. The USFWS will have to review the information to determine if the conservative hunting season is having any