'Alligator Capital of Texas' Hit Hard by Storm Ike
from The Associated Press
In this town on the edge of the Trinity Bay, alligators normally outnumber people three to one, and the annual Texas GatorFest draws 30,000 people — more than 10 times the town's population. But not this year, not with Hurricane Ike. The storm forced the cancellation of the festival and made the 20-day gator hunting season a shadow of its normal self. Wildlife officials say the gators' habitat and food sources also took a significant hit and it may take time for the population to recover. But the official "Alligator Capital of Texas" will rise again, vows Mayor Guy Robert Jackson. More

Hunting, Fishing a $14.4 Billion Industry in Texas
from Jasper Newsboy
How does a $14.4 billion Texas-based industry go unnoticed? Easy when you consider most of its participants go about their business cloaked in camouflage or tucked in some secluded backwater hideaway. Despite not appearing on the stock market rolls, hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers in Texas collectively are a major economic force, according to new findings by the Southwick Associates, a Florida-based research firm specializing in economic and business statistics related to fish and wildlife resources. More

The Warthog Curse and Other South African Adventures
from American Hunter
When I first traveled to Africa I wanted a warthog as much as any of the other plains game. That first trip, with back to back safaris in South Africa and Zimbabwe, was a success in every way, except it ended warthog free. Warthogs are supposed to be the easy game, all but guaranteed, the “gimme” critter of any safari, but somebody forgot to tell the warthogs. More

Texas Youth Get First Shot During Special Hunting Seasons
from Buckmasters
Young hunters will be taking the first shots of the 2008-09 Texas hunting seasons during upcoming special youth-only seasons and state wildlife officials say range conditions and wildlife populations are ripe for success in the field. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has set aside the weekend of Oct. 25-26, as special youth-only seasons for white-tailed deer, Rio Grande turkey and waterfowl in the North and South Duck Zones, to encourage adults to share the hunting experience with the next generation of hunters. More

Cheney Praises Hunters as Wildlife Habitat Champs
from the Mercury News
Vice President Dick Cheney praised several of the nation's largest hunting groups at a conference Friday for being the true champions of wildlife conservation, not elitists in Washington D.C. "The men and women in this room understand what conservation is all about," Cheney told about 500 people in a speech to the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy in Reno. "You've proven that the people who are closest to the land are usually the ones who do the most for the land," he said. More

Hunting Does Curb Deer Populations
from the Baltimore Sun
Once again, the Humane Society of the United States is attempting to disparage scientific deer biology and question deer control measures adopted by local officials for Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County, Md. The Humane Society is a leader in protection of animal rights, not natural resource conservation. Many animal rights supporters believe that hunting only increases the number of deer. Current scientific studies do not support this contention. More

Conservation Partners Raise Hunter Awareness
from The Willits News
As hunters, we take a lot for granted. We take for granted that we can hunt. We take for granted that when we hunt we'll likely find game. Sure, you can grumble about season dates, the cost of licenses, or that you didn't kill that 150-class buck this year. But at the end of the day we have it pretty good. In fact, what we have in America is a model for wildlife conservation and management unlike anything anywhere else in the world. More

Gray Wolves Decision Angers Some
from WCCO-TV
A northern Wisconsin farmer who has watched a growing pack of wolves harass his sheep and kill one can't believe the animals are back on the federal endangered species list. "All it means is the wolves win," said Merrill Rosenwinkel of Herbster, in far northern Bayfield County. "It is discouraging is what it is. It would be nice if we could go back to when there weren't any wolves here." Last week, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., overturned the Bush administration's decision to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the endangered list. More

Cheney: Bush Has Been Great for Wildlife
from the Los Angeles Times
President Bush was stuck in Washington last week, making last-minute calls in the effort to win congressional approval for a $700-billion financial rescue plan. So Vice President Dick Cheney was tapped to go to Reno in his place and address the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy. President Bush created the conference in 2007 via executive order, and charged it with drafting a plan to guide future wildlife conservation efforts to protect "the nation's hunting heritage." More

Falls Represent Often-overlooked Risk for Hunters
from the Dallas Morning News
The most dangerous thing about archery hunting is not the razor sharp blade attached to the end of a hunting arrow. It's not the wooden, fiberglass or metal bow that creates enormous torque when flexed to full draw. Gravity is the most dangerous thing about archery hunting. Falls from elevated stands constitute the majority of bowhunting injuries and likewise present a serious risk to all deer hunters when traditional Texas seasons open in November. More

Cabela's Plans to Open Smaller Stores
from The Associated Press via Yahoo! Finance
Executives at outdoor supercenter Cabela's Inc. told investors Tuesday that they plan to open slightly smaller retail locations in the future. Speaking at the Thomas Weisel Partners Consumer Conference in New York, Cabela's Chief Executive Dennis Highby said new stores being developed by the Sidney, Neb.-based chain will follow three size formats ranging from 80,000 square feet to 125,000 square feet. More