MDWFA 2011 Gun Dog Championship

The MARYLAND WATERFOWLERS ASSOCIATION is pleased to announce the results of 2011 MARYLAND RETRIEVER GUNDOG CHAMPIONSHIP. This stake was open to all canine breeds and handlers and you did not have to be a member of MDWFA to particiapte. This stake determined the best gundog in  Maryland for 2011. The winner was Quinn, owned by Butch Chambers and Walter Britt and handled by Butch. For more on this contest and additional pictures please Click Here.

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MDWFA Annual Revenue and Expenditures

We would like to provide our membership and other interested parties with the following information regarding our organization's revenue and expediture allocations:

Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System

Click here to explore the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Bouy System from NOAA. This system allow you to explore current information from varuious information buoys located throught the Chesapeake Bay. the deliver such information as water temperature, wind speed and direction, mean and current wave height, water salinity among other various statistics to help you plan for a safe informed waterfowl outing on the Chesapeake bnay watershed. Once you click on a bouy of interest a popup window will appear showing general data; click on more information for all the available data sets available.

Crop Failure and Manipulation: The Natural Resource Police have received the following guidance from USFWS LE.

The question has recently come up as to what can be hunted over a field that has been manipulated due to crop failure (i.e. for an insurance claim).

50 CFR 20.21(h)(i)(1)(i) allows the taking of migratory game bird, including waterfowl, on or over... lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, post-harvest manipulation or normal soil stabilization practice.

Using M.J. Farms vs. USFWS (Western District of Louisiana ruling dated 12/15/2008) for guidance, the shredding and discing of a standing crop, failed or not, is not a normal agricultural harvesting. Thus the area would be considered baited for the purpose of waterfowl hunting.

As a reminder, 50 CFR 20.21(h)(i)(2) allows for the taking of migratory game bird, except waterfowl, coots and cranes, on or over lands or areas... where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered solely as the result of manipulation of an agricultural crop or other feed in the land where grown. So a shredded and disced field would not be considered baited for hunting dove.

MDWFA News Items:

• 2011 MDWFA MD Gundog Results
• Thank you note from Youth Hunter
• Order Your MDWFA Shirt Today!
• More MDWFA news...