STATE AGENCIES

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched IHEA PathPerks, becoming the second state agency to offer newly certified hunters pro-level gear pricing from over 200 outdoor brands including Hornady, Swarovski Optik, Weatherby, and Vortex Optics. Co-developed by the International Hunter Education Association and Guidefitter, the no-cost program reaches Alabama's approximately 500,000 hunters at no expense to the state or students.

The Montana State Shooting Facilities and Improvements Development and Oversight Task Force will meet May 15 in Great Falls to discuss preliminary survey information. The public is invited to attend and participate in the feedback session.

Target shooting will be prohibited at Dogwood Wildlife Management Area from April 1 to June 31, 2026, due to early season intensive grazing that provides wildlife habitat benefits. Recreational users are encouraged to use the Kearney Outdoor Education Complex during this closure period.

Montana's State Shooting Facilities and Improvements Development and Oversight Task Force will meet March 11 via Zoom. Created by House Bill 899, the task force must develop recommendations for state shooting facility development by June 30, 2027. The public is invited to attend and participate in the feedback session.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources launched IHEA PathPerks, a first-of-its-kind program co-developed by the International Hunter Education Association and Guidefitter that rewards newly certified hunters with pro-level gear pricing from over 200 brands including Swarovski Optik, Hornady, Weatherby, and Vortex Optics during their critical first year at no cost to the state.

It’s time to pull the trigger, so to speak, on something for that special outdoors person. Here are five ideas, most of which can be purchased online 24/7 from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (www.azgfd.gov).

The Montana State Shooting Facilities and Improvements Development and Oversight Task Force will hold its first meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will be held at Montana WILD in Helena; it will also be streamed live on Zoom.

Deadline alert. Idaho Fish and Game is seeking a volunteer representative to serve on the Citizen Shooting Range Advisory Committee (CAC). This is a two-year term, with potential reappointment at the discretion of the Fish and Game Director.

The Board of Trustees of the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust will hold its fourth quarterly meeting of 2025 on Thursday, November 6, at the new Event Center located at the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area, 1132 County Road 73, Greensboro, Alabama, 36744 (GPS coordinates: 32.629173, -87.685561). The meeting will take place at 10 a.m.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting applications for its next class of game warden cadets. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30.

Commissioner Amanda Beal today announced the appointment of Jo D. Saffeir as Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF).

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is conducting a public scoping effort on a proposal to build a shooting range on state trust lands near Logan.

Indiana Conservation Officers remind Hoosiers to be careful as they begin to partake in activities such as ice fishing, ice skating, or snowmobiling. Remember to put safety first.

Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry named Riley Peck as the new director for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, effective Monday, Jan. 13.

Partnership support for wildlife management areas, shooting ranges and hunter education efforts were notable topics of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting last Monday. During the meeting, the Commission accepted a $25,000 donation from the NRA for construction of the shooting range planned for Copan Wildlife Management Area.

Anyone from the Magic Valley and Upper Snake Regions of Idaho has until Oct. 31 to apply to serve on a Citizens Shooting Range Advisory Committee that recommends to Fish and Game which public shooting ranges should receive a total of about $500,000 annually in grant funds.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will meet Friday, Sept. 20 at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters. This meeting is one day only and will begin at 1 p.m.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has appointed Tom Finley as the new director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The appointment came in a unanimous 5-0 vote at the Commission’s Sept. 5 meeting in Prescott.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is hiring up to eight warden positions around the state. The deadline to apply is Aug. 15. Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree — or will receive their degree by Jan. 6, 2025 — in wildlife management, range management, biology, zoology, ichthyology or other closely-related fields.

Guests at four state recreation areas will be allowed to touch off fireworks on the Fourth of July, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Those visitors should use caution when lighting fireworks.