Breaking News

Outdoors

Number of hunters on decline in Michigan and nationwide

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — Hunting keeps Alpena County resident Allen Shaw connected to family, as well as the great outdoors. Shaw has been hunting for the last 16 years and remembers hunting with his father and grandfather. Throughout the years, Shaw has hunted deer, bear, turkey, and small game. But, Shaw said, for him, a successful hunt isn't necessarily one where an animal has been harvested. It's more about time spent with his family. "My favorite part about hunting is family time," Shaw told The Alpena News. "Before I was old enough to actually hunt, I remember hanging out with ...

Funds to build new Colorado state park in limbo

DENVER (AP) — The deal went down on a picnic table in Broomfield on April 1. “The quietest acquisition of a $25 million property no one ever heard of,” GOCO boss Chris Castilian said. With a notary public standing 6 feet away, a flurry of signatures transferred southern Colorado’s 30 square-mile Fishers Peak to the state of Colorado. The undeveloped, wildlife-rich parcel is set to become Colorado’s 42nd state park. But while the acquisition is complete — the deal was formally announced earlier this month— funding for the development of the park remains in limbo as ...

Region office, shooting ranges to open in new counties falling in ‘yellow’ phase

From staff reports The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced Wednesday that it will reopen to the public its Southwest Region Office, and reopen shooting ranges on additional state game lands in counties to be upgraded to the yellow phase in the state’s three-phase matrix to ease COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, May 15. Those counties include: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland. Within those counties, any rifle, shotgun, pistol and archery ranges on state game lands will be reopened ...

Boat safety tips from the BoatUS Foundation

From staff reports National Safe Boating Week, which begins this Saturday, May 16, and runs through Friday, May 22, is the traditional early boating season reminder to help recreational boaters embrace safety all season long. However, the important National Safe Boating week recommendation urging life jacket wear is now joined by an equally important boating safety message — how to stay safe during the time of COVID-19. “While we’re learning new things about the virus almost every day, we don’t anticipate additional safety challenges on the water this year,” said BoatUS ...

Bird-watching soars as Americans head outdoors

Conner Brown, a 25-year-old law student at Stanford University, spent the early days of the pandemic following his brother as he spotted and collected characters in the Pokemon Go mobile game. Then, Brown noticed the birds. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I take up birding?’ It’s like real-life Pokemon Go. It’s super addicting because you can start logging them and you get a little collection. It’s really cool,” Brown said. He paused, then added, “They should really game-ify it.” Brown, who’s living near Annapolis, Maryland, can now identify 30 different bird species. ...

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — Tim Wirtz Jr. slowly spun the reel, tracking the retrieval of a plastic worm, when two shapes moved into his peripheral vision. The teen’s eyes gleamed as he peered through the crystal clear water at a pair of beefy rainbow trout cruising parallel to the shore. Wirtz sped his spin, moved around a strand of trees and gently flicked the lure just beyond the lunkers, hoping to entice a strike. No luck. The trout, familiar perhaps with the fishermen and their assortment of faux fish and frogs, swam right past the imitation earthworm with barely a glance. A ...