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

GRAND LAKE STREAM, Maine – A 62-year-old retired firefighter from Quincy, Mass., died Monday night while fishing at his favorite fishing spot of 25 years on Grand Lake Stream.

Chester Aniolowski and a fishing buddy, Joe Verlicco, also a retired firefighter from Quincy, were fishing on the water’s edge near the Grand Lake Stream Fish Hatchery when Mr. Aniolowski fell into the deep water, began staggering and gasping for air, and floated across the stream, according to Maine Warden Service Game Warden Brad Richard.

Anglers will fish for free June 7, when the Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) will waive the license requirement for citizens 16 or older. Free Fishing Day, the first of two offered by DFG this year, allows people the opportunity to fish on all freshwater and ocean waters in California.

“The Department of Fish and Game encourages experienced anglers to become instructors and to approach the event as a ‘share the sport’
day,” said Joe Ferreira, coordinator of the Sacramento area Fishing in the City program. “It is a
 

EAU CLAIRE, WI. - One good way for enlightened adults to save the planet is to lure children away from their digital devices, get them outdoors and show them the wonders of the natural world.

As it happens, there’s no better time than right now, June being an axtraordinarily beautiful month in Wisconsin. And one of the best -- almost-guaranteed -- ways to work this magic is to take a youngster “giggle fishing.”

That’s what Dave Bell of Amherst called it many years ago when he taught a novice (clumsy) fly fisherman how to catch bluegills in June. It’s so easy and so much fun, he argued, you can’t help

In the homestretch of the 2008 season, the Bassmaster Elite Series makes its eighth stop in Gilbertsville, Ky., for the Bluegrass Brawl presented by DieHard Platinum Marine Batteries®, June 12-15 on Kentucky Lake.

The Bassmaster Elite Series made its last stop at Kentucky Lake in June 2006, when the top seven pros caught more than 60 pounds through four days. Winner Morizo Shimizu of Japan weighed in 66 pounds, 9 ounces.

NANTICOKE RIVER - Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary John A. Hughes met on the Delmarva Peninsula today to sign an agreement supporting a bi-state effort to ensure long-term stewardship of the Nanticoke River.

"Working together with the state of Delaware, we are forging an exciting new partnership to protect the unique, rare ecological resources and agricultural economy of the Nanticoke River watershed," said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. "I'd like to recognize Governor Minner for her 

A coyote that attacked a toddler in Lake Arrowhead May 6 is no longer a threat to the community. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced today that conclusive DNA evidence proves that the coyote shot by a DFG game warden on May 8 was the one responsible for attacking the child two days earlier.
 
“By matching the DNA from the coyote carcass with the DNA found in the coyote saliva on the victim’s clothing, we and our collaborating lab at UCLA were able to confirm the DNA match,” said Jeff Rodzen, Ph.D., Senior Wildlife Forensic Specialist with the DFG Wildlife Forensic Laboratory.

 

Trenton, NJ - If it’s been a while since you’ve gone fishing in New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection has a special message for you: We want you back.

That’s the upshot of a newly launched direct-mail and radio-advertising campaign that invites anglers to rediscover the pleasures of freshwater fishing and reminds them that fishing in New Jersey is time and money well spent.

“New Jersey’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams and more than 4,000 reservoirs, lakes

The breeding population of mallards decreased 24 percent, from 388,300 in 2007 to 297,100 this year. The total population of all duck species decreased from 627,600 to 554,000, which is a 12 percent decrease.
Mallards, the most abundant duck in the survey, are 20 percent below their long-term average of 370,300. The status of breeding waterfowl in California is one consideration in the establishment of the annual waterfowl hunting regulations.

“Production of ducklings in 2007 was below average, so DFG expected to see a decrease in the
 

AUGUSTA, Maine – On Sunday, June 8, legislators from around the state won’t be casting votes, but casting fishing lines to raise money for charity.

The 12th Annual Governor’s Cup Charity Bass Tournament will take place at the Birches Family Campground on Cobbossee Lake in Litchfield. Senators, representatives, and the legislative staff have been invited to attend.

GADSDEN, ALABAMA - Two lures she nicknamed "Randall" and "Bobby" helped Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., to a winning overall weight of 36 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday at the second stop of the 2008 Women's Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.

"Randall is a friend of mine who taught me how to swim a jig, so a 'Randall' is a jig, and Bobby is my sister, and she taught me how to use a weightless Wave Worms Tiki Stik, which I used to catch all my biggest fish Thursday, so that's a 'Bobby,' " said Martin-Wells,

The Upper Colorado River and the San Juan River endangered fish recovery programs recently received Cooperative Conservation awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI).

The two programs, which were submitted together for the award, were selected from a field of 700 nominees. The USDI awarded 21 Cooperative Conservation awards this year.