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| Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to conduct Wingshooting clinics for youth PRATT - As part of Pass It On, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks' hunter recruitment program, wingshooting training is being offered to new and prospective hunters. NRA certified shotgun skills instructor Jim Kellenberger is available to provide wingshooting instruction for youth programs sponsored by sportsmen's groups and organizations. Any group interested in conducting a youth hunting or shooting event can contact Kellenberger for a full-day or half-day clinic. Youth model semi-automatic shotguns, shells, targets, and ear and eye protection are provided. Clinics include shotgun handling safety training in addition to shooting instruction. Teaching methods almost guarantee that students will be breaking targets by the end of the session. Contact Jim Kellenberger at (620) 357-6226 or Mike Miller at KDWP's Pratt office, (620) 672-5911, for more information. The Pass It On program is designed to increase the percentage of Kansans who hunt. As the population has become more urban, the number of hunters has declined, along with the number of youngsters who are introduced the thrill of hunting each fall. Hunting is a treasured heritage in Kansas, and license and permit fees have always paid for all wildlife management. Teaching a youngster about hunting and the outdoors requires quality, one-on-one attention and is a great way to spend time with children. Hunting also teaches many life lessons, including responsibility, conservation, ethics, and more. But it takes a hunter to make a hunter, so get a kid outdoors this fall and "Pass It On." Minnesota Spring duck populations decline in Minnesota Breeding duck populations declined while Canada goose populations were similar to last year, according to results from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource's annual waterfowl surveys. "Numbers were lower than last year for most duck species in the state, in part due to the early spring this year," said Jeff Lawrence, DNR Wetland Wildlife Populations and Research Group leader. "Last year, there were many ducks counted in Minnesota that were still moving north during our May survey. The late spring had delayed the migration." Each year in May, a DNR waterfowl biologist and conservation officer pilot use a low-flying airplane to count waterfowl and wetlands along set routes. To correct for birds missed by the air crew, a U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service ground crew counts waterfowl along a portion of the routes. The survey was designed to estimate breeding duck numbers in the 40 percent of Minnesota that includes much of the best duck breeding habitat. The mallard breeding population in Minnesota this spring was estimated at 281,000, which is 23 percent less than last year. "This was the first year since 1991 that mallard populations in Minnesota have been below 300,000, but populations remain 29 percent above the average since the current waterfowl survey began in 1968," Lawrence said. May pond numbers were down 4 percent from last year and down 12 percent from the 10-year average. "Overall, while we expected lower duck populations this year, the magnitude of the decline was greater than expected, especially given that pond counts were similar to the previous year," Lawrence said. |
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