Dove and deer hunters are advised to start looking now for seasons that open in September and might have to adjust expectations about finding their favorite brand and cartridge. CDFW Photo
Published: Jun 15, 2022, 12:29 PM
Nontoxic ammo
Q: Many sporting goods stores ran out of copper and steel ammo at the beginning of the pandemic. How can hunters continue to use the correct ammo?
A: It is true that finding nontoxic hunting ammunition as required by law in California has been a real challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several factors contributed to the ammo shortage during the past couple years including global supply chain issues, a lack of raw materials such as steel, bismuth, nickel and copper, and a huge demand among consumers who were buying – and often hoarding – ammo of all types and kinds.
The bird flu outbreak that led to the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys in the U.S. in 2022 appears to finally be waning.(Preston Keres / USDA / FPAC)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A bird flu outbreak in the U.S. that led to the deaths of more than 40 million chickens and turkeys and contributed to a spike in egg and meat prices appears to be waning, but experts caution the virus hasn’t disappeared and worry another surge could take hold this fall.
The number of birds culled to limit its spread dropped from a peak of almost 21 million in March to less than 800,000 in May. However, more than 2 million birds have been killed already this month after infections were discovered at two large farms in Colorado.
“The numbers in the dashboard do tell a story, but we are not ready to say the outbreak is winding down,” said Richard Coker, a spokesman for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division of the Department of Agriculture. “We remain vigilant and encourage producers to continue to practice strong biosecurity.”
Some state and industry officials are optimistic that the outbreak is ending, although no one is quite ready to relax.
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Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said the virus still poses a risk because more cases are being reported, but that “it really does feel like we’re on the tail end of it for this year.”
When a case of the highly pathogenic virus is found, officials kill the entire flock to limit its spread. The virus doesn’t discriminate between backyard flocks and massive egg farms; flocks of all sizes have been infected.
Iowa, the nation’s leader in egg production, was by far the hardest hit state with 13.4 million birds lost. No cases have been reported in the state since May 4, likely because migrating wild birds, which are blamed for spreading the virus, have moved out of Iowa.
Nebraska lost nearly 4.9 million birds, Pennsylvania lost 4.2 million and Colorado saw 3.6 million birds killed. Minnesota and Wisconsin each lost about 3 million.
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An outbreak in 2015, when 50 million turkeys and chickens were killed, remains the most expensive animal health disaster in U.S. history. The government spent nearly $1 billion then to deal with infected birds, clean up barns and compensate farmers. The USDA has so far approved $793 million to cover costs this year.
National Turkey Federation spokeswoman Beth Breeding said the government payments “keep those losses from being catastrophic,” but they don’t cover everything. For example, farmers lose income because they can’t raise birds while their properties are being disinfected.
Food prices have increased 10% overall this year, exceeding the 8.6% inflation reported last month. Egg prices soared the most, jumping 32%, while poultry prices are up nearly 17%. But agricultural economists say that while the bird flu outbreak contributed, spikes in the cost of feed, fuel and labor are much bigger factors.
It didn’t help that outbreak peaked just as demand for eggs was highest around Easter, driving prices higher.
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But a relatively small proportion of the nationwide flock was affected. The 40 million birds killed represent only 6% of the chickens raised to produce eggs, 2.5% of turkeys and less than 1% of the chickens raised for meat.
Economists expect egg and meat prices to ease this summer as farms are able build back their flocks.
“I think that there is going to start being some relief,” said Jada Thompson, an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas.
The summer heat should help kill off the disease, but experts worry that the latest version of the virus may be hardy enough to survive the season, leading to a new outbreak when wild birds migrate later in the year.
“We may have an even bigger peak this year in the fall, who knows?” University of Georgia researcher David Stallknecht said. “The honest answer is that we do not know what the future holds, but the reporting decline in commercial poultry cases is encouraging.”
The prospects for a bird flu vaccine are uncertain; foreign markets are reluctant to import meat from inoculated birds, and vaccination can hide the presence of the virus meaning farmers would have to spend more to increase testing of their flocks. And vaccinated birds can still fall sick, just like vaccinated humans.
“I personally do not see vaccine as something that’s going to be used in the United States,” said John Clifford, the former U.S. chief veterinary officer who oversaw the USDA response to the 2015 outbreak. “Countries that don’t export may feel different. We can’t afford to lose those markets.”
Emily Metz, CEO of the American Egg Board trade group, said some farmers have invested heavily in combatting the virus, including upgrading ventilation systems and installing laser light systems to ward off wild birds.
“If it does linger or come back, we’re prepared. We’re not letting our guard down,” Metz said. “The improvements our producers have made in terms of biosecurity are part of their everyday business.”
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Associated Press reporter David Pitt contributed to this report from Des Moines, Iowa.
Two Boise-area men were sentenced to probation and banned from hunting after pleading guilty to killing a protected bird of prey at a conservation site near Boise.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, 20-year-old Colten R. Ferdinand, of Boise, and 23-year-old Wyatt G. Noe, of Eagle, pleaded guilty to the crime on March 24 of killing a golden eagle in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
The birds have been federally protected since 1940 alongside bald eagles after both species neared extinction. U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale sentenced both men to two years of probation, as well as two-year hunting and firearm possession bans.
EXPLAINERSExplainer: Can climate change and biodiversity loss be tackled together?
A wildfire racing across a hillside has become emblematic of climate change. And for good reason: a quarter of the world’s natural landscapes now face longer fire seasons as a result of warming and shifts to rainfall, according to arecent landmark climate report.
But there is another global threat that worsens the risk of fire.Scientists have shownthat degraded ecosystems – those that have seen their unique blend of species diluted by human disturbance – are more likely to succumb to blazes.
How global warming and biodiversity loss can conspire to drive more deadly wildfires is just one example of the numerous interlinks between these two global challenges.
As both problems escalate, scientists are racing to understand all of the ways that climate change and biodiversity loss are already compounding one…
In Gironde, officials said public events, including some of the official 18 June Resistance celebrations, will be prohibited from Friday at 14:00 (12:00 GMT) “until the end of the heat wave”. Indoor events at venues without air-conditioning are also banned.
On June 9, 2022, a copy of a promotional book entitled “The Canada Jay as Canada’s National Bird?” has been given to each and every one of Canada’s 338 federal Members of Parliament, including The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, and The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. The prime message in the classy-looking colourful book of 80 pages is to encourage the federal government to take steps to adopt a National Bird for Canada, and hopefully to take it a step further — to make that bird the Canada Jay!
Why does Canada even need a National Bird, you may well ask? One in five Canadians spends an average a third of their year watching, feeding, and/or photographing birds, representing big bucks for our economy! Birds also eat pests, pollinate our plants and crops, disperse seeds; their eggs and meat (yes, chickens are birds!) feed us and their feathers keep us warm. Birds save human lives by globally warning us of environmental health hazards such as carcinogenic pesticides and industrial by-products. As for their intrinsic value, how many great writers, artists, film makers, and even aviators and astronauts have been inspired by the beauty, the song and the flight of these amazing unique creatures?! Wikipedia’s List of National Birds indicates that 106 of the world’s 195 countries have official birds. For example, the U.S. takes a lot of national pride in their National Bird — the Bald Eagle. But Canada is not in the list — we do not have one! Yet our country does have national symbols – the beaver, the maple tree, two sports and even a national horse! But alas — no official bird.
For a National Bird for Canada, one could not find a more Canadian bird than the aptly named Canada Jay! This very smart corvid breeds in every province and territory and its range almost mirrors our country’s borders. It is extremely friendly, often landing on an outstretched palm and it is extremely hardy – often incubating eggs at -20 degrees C, resides year-round in our country, and is found in all provinces! Its French name is le mésangeai du Canada and its popular name, whiskyjack, is derived from one of the largest indigenous language groups in Canada. Canada Jays have played a prominent role in both Indigenous culture and our country’s history. Importantly, unlike the Common Loon (Ontario) and the Snowy Owl (Quebec), Canada Jays are not the bird of any province!
An electronic copy of the book is included with this press release (password is “canada”), but hard copies can be provided. PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE!! All profits from its sales are going to non-profit bird conservation organizations. Web site: <http://www.canadajay.org> http://www.canadajay.org
Do humans and carbon dioxide have no effect on climate change? Is science being weaponized, and are scientists comparable to Nazi propagandists?
That’s what one politician told the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association during its annual convention in Wichita last week.Sen. Mike Thompson, a Republican from Shawnee, is the chair of the Senate utilities committee. He is also a retired meteorologist.
Following are eight claims Thompson made during a seminar on “The Weaponization of Climate Science”— and what the climate experts at the University of Kansas contacted by The Topeka…
The Wildlife NewsWolves in the West are collateral damage of human selfishnessMaximilian WernerJun 16 Agricultural interests bend the language to blame wolves for things they didn’t do.Whenever my life seems difficult, all I have to do is think about the challenges that predators face here in the American West and suddenly I don’t feel so bad anymore.Thanks in part to what Idaho Fish and Game describes as the state’s “liberalized wolf hunting and trapping season,” Idaho is currently vying for the title of Most Barbaricwhen it comes to its treatment of wolves. The state has no bag limit or season for wolves on public land, which means that hunters can kill as many wolves as they want, provided they have tags for them. And what is the life of a wolf worth in the great state of Idaho? $13.50.The situation is even worse on private lands, where “hunters” can…
Russian state television has again pushed the idea that the war in Ukraine could escalate, with one guest warning that the world should be prepared for a “colossal” conflict involving NATO.
Programs on the channel Russia-1 have repeatedly promoted the prospect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine spreadingbeyond the country’s borders. On Wednesday, the host ofEvening with Vladimir Solovyevrevisited the theme, starting his show with a monologue in which he said he had a “feeling that we don’t fully understand the gravity of this moment.”
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