SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS STUDYING WILDLIFE, NATURAL RESOURCES

Sundown - February 24, 2010 - Kansas City (Photo credit: CoolValley)

Interested applicants have until June 10 to apply

PRATT ­– The Willis Scholarship Foundation, in conjunction with the Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt, invites students currently enrolled in a Kansas regent’s institution pursuing a degree relating to wildlife, natural resources, and/or natural resource management to apply for a scholarship. The application period is open now through June 10, 2014.

Created in memory of Wayne Willis, a long time supporter of the Governor’s One Shot Spring Turkey  Hunt and renowned wildlife artist from the Wichita area, the scholarship foundation started in 1996 when the Past Shooters & Guides Association  offered two $1000 scholarships. Since then, approximately $400,000 has been awarded to Kansas students.

Successful applicants can be awarded $500 - $1,250 per semester, based on grade point average and the following criteria:

     - desire to pursue a career in wildlife or natural resources

     - maintain at least a2.5 GPA, pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher

     - Commit to attending the Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt, providing assistance where necessary

The 28th annual Kansas Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt will be held April 10, 11and 12, 2014 in El Dorado. Hunters from across the U.S. are participating this year, including Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.

Passing on the hunting heritage to the next generation remains a continued focus for the event. Twenty-three Kansas youth applied for a chance to participate in the Kansas Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt Youth Program 2014. Riley Brown of El Dorado, Allison Dix of Stockton, Joseph Heimann of Hays, Avery Lewellen of Wellington, Ethan Shaw of Logan and Jenna Smithson of Osage City are the six chosen this year.

For information on the Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt, visit www.ksgovsturkeyhunt.com, or contact Janet Post atjanet_turkeyhunt@live.com or (316) 321-3835.

For more information on the Willis Scholarship Foundation, Inc., and to receive an application, visit www.centralkansascf.org/non-profit-organizations/scholarships/.

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WILDLIFE CHECKPOINT PLANNED IN NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS

Vehicles will be stopped and checked for wildlife

TOPEKA – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) law enforcement officers

will conduct a wildlife checkpoint in northcentral Kansas in mid-November. With upland bird, turkey, deer and waterfowl seasons underway, the checkpoint is intended to help enforce state and federal wildlife laws.

Officers will ask vehicle occupants if they have been hunting or are transporting wildlife. If they answer yes in either case, drivers will be directed to a check lane where natural resource officers will check for required licenses and permits, count the game and gather biological, harvest, and hunter success information. If violations of wildlife laws or other state laws are found, appropriate enforcement actions will be taken. Travelers should not expect major delays from this checkpoint.

Additional wildlife checkpoints will occur around the state during the fall and winter hunting seasons.

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UNDERAGE DRINKERS TARGETED ON PUBLIC LANDS

KDOT grant to help keep public land users safe

PRATT — Through a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation, natural resource officers with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism are targeting underage drinkers at Osage and Lyon state fishing lakes and Melvern and Pomona reservoirs this spring. The issue is especially problematic in late spring, when minors gather after prom and graduation festivities for parties on their own.

Similar operations in the past have netted arrests for minors possessing or consuming alcohol, as well as drugs and drug paraphernalia. Numerous cases of beer and other alcoholic beverages were seized and citations were issued. Parents or guardians were notified and required to come to the lakes to pick up their sons and daughters. Additionally, officers arrested and charged several adults with furnishing intoxicants to minors.

Natural resource officers are conducting similar efforts in other parts of the state to keep natural areas safe and clean and to help prevent tragedies that too often occur as a result of alcohol and drug abuse.

For more information, phone the KDWPT Pratt Operations Office, Law Enforcement Division, at 620-672-5911.

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TOLL-FREE PHONE HOTLINE PUTS POACHERS ON HOT SEAT

Dec. 8, 2011
1-877-426-3843 makes reporting wildlife crime easy
PRATT — Each year, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) natural resource officers (NROs) check tens of thousands of hunters in the field, and about 96 percent of them are found to be law-abiding. Unfortunately, many non-hunters sometimes associate these ethical hunters with that small percentage who are not. KDWPT has 73 NROs to cover the entire state, so they need the help of hunters — and anyone else who enjoys the outdoors — to watch out for those who don't take wildlife crime seriously. Whether it’s trespassing, shooting from a vehicle on the road, any other activity that appears to be a violation of the law, KDWPT officers need your help.
The easiest way to fight wildlife crime is by phoning KDWPT's Operation Game Thief hotline, 1-877-426-3843. Using this toll-free number, concerned hunters and landowners can quickly turn in wildlife criminals simply by picking up the phone. All calls received through the Operation Game Thief line are immediately relayed to the natural resource officer nearest the violation. The line is available anytime of day or night, every day of the year, and callers may remain anonymous.
Nothing can spoil a good hunt more than poachers, who should not be considered “hunters.” Although they may seldom describe themselves as poachers, wildlife thieves are just that. These are the people who trespass, road hunt, litter, take more than their bag limit, drink while they hunt, use illegal equipment, take game out of season, take wildlife for which there is no season, or vandalize. Poachers not only damage the natural resources they should be committed to conserving, they reflect poorly on hunters in the eyes of the general public.
Operation Game Thief calls have resulted in arrests and convictions on violations ranging from public lands vandalism to deer poaching. In many cases, poachers have been arrested within minutes of the call. Even drug operations have been uncovered by alert hunters using this number.
But remember these two important reporting rules:

• never confront suspects; and
• provide as much specific information as possible, such as vehicle descriptions and license tag numbers, descriptions of people involved, locations, and the time and location the incident occurred.

Remember, when you see someone violating wildlife laws, they are stealing from you and damaging the image of legal hunters. Help bring them to justice by phoning 1-877-426-3843.

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PERMISSION REQUIRED TO HUNT ANY PRIVATE LAND

Dec. 1, 2001
Land does not have to be posted
PRATT — The Kansas firearm deer season began Nov. 30, and many other hunting season are currently open, as well. With this in mind, officials with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) are reminding all hunters that it is illegal to hunt on private land, posted or not, without the owner's permission. Whether someone actually enters private land without permission or shoots onto it from another landowner's property without permission, it is illegal.

Not only is trespassing illegal, but hunting from public roads requires permission of the landowner adjoining the side of the road being hunted, the center of the road defining who should grant permission. Railroad rights-of-way require permission from the railroad. In addition, writtenpermission is required to enter land posted with hunting and/or trapping "By Written Permission Only" signs or bordered by trees or fence posts painted purple.

In any situation, shooting from a vehicle is illegal unless the hunter has a disability permit on land where permission has been granted. Shooting from a road is also extremely dangerous, threatening landowners, other hunters, livestock, and equipment.

According to KDWPT’s Law Enforcement Division, Kansas convicted 285 poachers for trespassing-related violations in 2010. Whether trespassing is accidental or intentional, it damages the hunting heritage. Because trespassing harms landowner-hunter relations — and because the penalties for trespassing can be severe — hunters should be aware of the following:

• landowner permission should be obtained before pursuing wounded game onto private property. If the landowner cannot be found, contact a local natural resource officer or sheriff's office;
• hunting from roads or railways without legal permission is a form of trespassing called criminal hunting;
• conviction of trespass or criminal hunting may prevent the convicted person from enjoying hunting privileges in other states. KDWPT is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, to which 34 other states currently belong. Under this compact, anyone who has had hunting, fishing, or furharvesting privileges revoked or suspended in a member state cannot hunt, trap, or fish in other member states;
• conviction of simple criminal hunting can result in a maximum fine of $500, plus court costs, and one month in jail on the first conviction. Additionally, the court can suspend or revoke license privileges for up to a year. A second conviction requires at least a one-year suspension of privileges in addition to any fines or jail time;
• if big game or turkey hunting is involved, the penalties get stiffer. Upon first conviction, the law states that the violator "shall not be fined less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months, or both." The law requires fifth and subsequent conviction penalties of a minimum $1,000 fine and minimum 90 days in jail;
• refusing to leave property when told is a form of criminal trespassing;
• it is illegal to hunt on land requiring written permission without having written permission on one's person;
• in any of these cases, hunting privileges may be revoked; and
• by law, all hunters should have permission whether the land is posted or not.

Hunters can address this problem by always asking for permission courteously and accepting denial in the same manner. Hunters can also help by reporting trespassers. Take down the license tag number and all other details of the violation before phoning a local natural resource officer, sheriff's office, or KDWPT's Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline, 1-877-426-3843. Do not confront the violator. A list of phone numbers for all natural resource officers and other KDPWT staff, listed by counties they cover, can be found online at www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/Locations/County-Information.

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KDWP ISSUES MUSSEL SALVAGE ORDER FOR TORONTO RESERVOIR

Free salvage permit required; salvage allowed from Jan. 15-Feb. 15
TOPKEA — Before leaving office Jan. 11, former Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Secretary (KDWP) Mike Hayden issued a mussel salvage order for Toronto Reservoir due to low water conditions. The lake is currently 2.5 feet low, and many mussels have been stranded along the exposed banks of the reservoir. The order will be in force from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15.

To salvage mussels, people must apply for a free salvage permit from the KDWP Pratt Operations Office; phone 620-672-5911 and ask for the Fisheries Division. Only dead shells of mapleleaf, bleufer, threeridge, and three-horn wary-back mussels on the exposed banks of the reservoir may be collected. After collections are completed, individuals will be required to obtain a holding permit from their local natural resource officer. A commercial harvest permit will be required if they wish to later sell the shells.

A list of natural resource officers by county may be found in the 2011 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary, available at the KDWP website,www.kdwp.state.ks.us, or wherever fishing licenses are sold.