By CJ Lotz

Wisconsin is moving closer to allowing hunters to use crossbows during archery deer hunting season. One of the top deer-hunting states, Wisconsin has also been one of the strictest against crossbow hunting.

The state Legislature is reviewing a bill that would create a crossbow license and allow hunters to pursue deer with the weapon. Proponents of Assembly Bill 194 say crossbows recruit new hunters and retain older hunters because they are easy to use.

By Gary Garth

Sen. Mitch McConnell, right, fishing the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, Kentucky with the crew of the Kentucky Afield television show.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday he planned to introduce legislation that would place a two-year moratorium on the Corps of Engineers’ plan to restrict boating and fishing access below its 10 dams on the Cumberland River system in Tennessee and Kentucky.

McConnell, the Senate minority leader, expects the bill to get Senate approval by voice vote today (May 16) and then move quickly through the House by way of the suspension calendar, a fast track legislative tool for non-controversial bills. He also predicts quick and uncontested presidential signage.

In a telephone interview with McConnell Wednesday evening, the veteran lawmaker said the moratorium would quickly halt what he and other legislators see as blatant government overreach. Co-sponsors of the bill and outspoken critics of the Corps’ plan include Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) is also a co-sponsor.

Whitfield initiated legislative action to stop the Corps by introducing the Freedom to Fish Act in February.

By CJ Lotz

The fossilized bones of an ancient bison were found at a highway construction site in San Diego's North County. Experts at the San Diego Natural History Museum say the animal, which lived during the last Ice Age, is the first bison fossil found in Southern California.

By CJ Lotz

Gator hunting is booming in the Sunshine State. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expecting this year's demand for gator tags to greatly outweigh the number of hunting permits it can award.

“We expect to have between two and three times more applicants than we do permits,” one official said. “It’s very popular.”

The FWC will award just 5,000 permits for the Aug. 15 to Nov. 1 season. Gators need to be 18 inches or longer for harvest, but most harvested are between 6 and 7 feet long. Permits for state residents are priced at $272 with two tags.