Hello from the first edition of The Hunting Wire, from my new home in Culpeper, Va. Wendy and I are incredibly grateful to have moved into our forever home on 18 acres of hardwoods in Culpeper County, Va.

As we unpack, one of the first boxes I'm reaching for is my turkey gear. Spring turkey hunting is my wife's favorite type of hunt. We came close to bagging her first Tom last season, and we will finally put it all together this year. She loves her Mossberg Silver Reserve O/U and won't hunt with anything else. Small, fast, and armed with two barrels and two chokes, the O/U shotgun is an underrated tool for even the most savvy turkey hunter.

With The Hunting Wire now a weekly edition, you'll notice a few changes weekly. For example, there's no Voice of Leadership Panel or Keep Talkin column from Chad Belding in this issue. Expect those two tag-team partners to run together next week. This week, we have a new column I dubbed Around the Country. It highlights wildlife news from one of our 50 states, and since I'm the editor, I pulled rank and started with my home state —Virginia.

In the next few weeks, I'll tell you exciting news about another voice I'll add to The Hunting Wire family. Chances are you know them well and probably owe much, if not all, of your shooting and hunting beginnings to them in one form or another. I know I do.

Stay tuned to learn more ...

Jay

A column dedicated to focusing on news and information from state agencies.

This week's focus agency is Virginia, who talks to us about what to do if we suspect we will find a bear den.

As temperatures fall and food sources become less abundant, many bears in Virginia will enter a winter den. Other bears will greatly reduce their movements during but may remain active throughout the season. Movements and denning behavior vary greatly across regions of the state depending on weather and available food resources. With the abundant hard mast crop (acorns) across much of the state, many bears will likely delay den entry this year until few acorns can be found.

Winning artwork advances to national contest

By USFWS

Sacramento, Calif. — A colored pencil painting of Mallard ducklings is California’s entry in the 2024 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program art contest. Olga Sergienko, age 16, of Sacramento, California, won Best of Show with her work titled, "Sunshine Ducklings”. Sergienko’s sponsor is Margarita Chaplinska Art Studio instructor Margarita Chaplinska.

Students entering the contest also submit a conservation message with their artwork. Lorie Wu, age 14, from Saratoga, California, wrote the winning message — “Yesterday, nature was a miracle. Today, it is a gift. Without conservation, tomorrow it will be a memory.” Fan’s sponsor is Visionary Arts’ instructor Helen Yang.

This year’s virtual competition received approximately 210 entries from students throughout the state. Eight judges from various organizations including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), San Diego Audubon, Santa Rosa Junior College, Arte Hasta la Muerte, and more worked together to select this year’s winners. Segienko’s painting and Wu’s conservation message will represent California in the National Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest taking place on April 19, 2024. The national winner’s design will be made into the annual Federal Junior Duck Stamp.

Administered by the Service, the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic art and science-based curriculum designed to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The annual program provides resources to educators to help students learn about the outdoor world and their connection to waterfowl, wetlands, and habitat conservation. In California, the Refuges’ Visitor Services team at the Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Office in Sacramento facilitates the program.

The Junior Duck Stamp is sold by national wildlife refuges, the U.S. Postal Service and the Amplex Corporation for $5. All proceeds are used to fund environmental education programs, reward students for their work, and expand the program. More information on the federal program can be found at https://www.fws.gov/program/junior-duck-stamp.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, visit www.fws.gov and connect with us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube.

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