Southwest habitat work, an iconic owl and a weasel on the prowl

In this episode of the Wildtalk Podcast, we talk to Pete Kailing about all things habitat in the Southwest Lower Peninsula region of the state, fly away with a discussion about the great horned owl, and we wrap up the episode with a lengthy chat about Michigan short-tailed weasel. 

Episode Hosts: Rachel Lincoln and Eric Hilliard
Producer/editor: Eric Hilliard

• All things habitat
  • Hemlock wooly adelgid
  • Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development email
  • Prescribed burns
• All things feathers
  • Great horned owl
  • Christmas bird count
• All things fur
  • Short-tailed weasel

Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.

Transcript

Eric/Announcer:

The Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app is your digital connection to all things hunting and fishing in Michigan. Buy, store, and display your hunting and fishing licenses. Check your points and chances for elk and bear. Apply for the draw and view drawing results. Access all the hunting and fishing regulations. View your hunter safety certificate and report your harvest all from within the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Just click the app banner at the top of the page for download instructions, @michigan.gov/hunting. You know what that sound means? It's time for the Michigan DNR'S WildTalk podcast. Welcome to the WildTalk podcast, where representatives from the DNR'S Wildlife Division chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat, feathers, and fur. With insights interviews and your questions answered on the air, you'll get a better picture of what's happening in the world of wildlife here in the great state of Michigan.

Rachel:

Welcome to the WildTalk podcast. This is your host Rachel Lincoln and back with me in this recording studio is Eric Hilliard to wrap up the last episode of season seven.

Eric/Announcer:

It's crazy, isn't it? Hopefully my voice will last through this final episode of the season.

Rachel:

You've had a bit of a hoarse voice lately.

Eric/Announcer:

Yeah, it kind of comes and goes, so we'll see. Fingers crossed it lasts.

Rachel:

It sounded silky smooth right now, so I hope it lasts too.

Eric/Announcer:

So Rachel, what do we have lined up for today?

Rachel:

Well, to wrap up our last episode of the season, we'll have Pete Kailing back on the show to bring us the December hunting and trapping opportunities and the updates from the Southwest region where he is currently the acting field operations manager. Then we'll explore the color changing magic of the Short-Tailed Weasel and why we might start to hear more Great Horned Owls hooting next month. But before we dive into the podcast, let's hear a word from our forest.

Announcer 2:

Trees provide for the wellbeing of our state. That's why we work so hard to keep our forest healthy and abundant so wildlife has a home and so do people so that there's clean air and water for everyone. And so Michigan's economy can be as strong as the trees that support it because every branch of forestry ensures that future generations will always have a tree for life and forests for a lifetime. To learn how sustainable forestry benefits your life, visit michigan.gov/forestsforalifetime.

Rachel:

Welcome back to the WildTalk podcast. Today we have Pete Kailling, a senior wildlife biologist and acting field operations manager for the Wildlife Division's Southwest region. Welcome to the podcast, Pete. Well, I should say welcome back to the podcast, Pete. We are happy to have you on. Thanks for joining us today.

Pete:

Thank you Rachel. Glad to be here. And thank you Eric too for the invitation.

Rachel:

Well, what kind of projects is the Southwest Wildlife staff up to this time of year?

Pete:

Well, we're in the middle of deer season and doing a lot of wrap up work. We have a couple of specific projects I'd like to tell you about, but first I just want to remind your listeners that the Southwest region is 22 counties in the Southwest part of Michigan from the Indiana border up to Pentwater east of Shiawassee and it makes up our work area. It's a lot of landscape. We have two projects to discuss. I put some thought into this and discussed with our leadership and even some of our field staff because I work in Paris, which is the northern edge of the kingdom here of the Southwest. So I got up to speed and a couple of projects kind of surfaced for us and one of them is how we're treating a new infestation in West Michigan called hemlock woolly adelgid, HWA for short.

Listeners probably have heard of it if they live in the southwest, but if you don't, it's a nasty bug. A aphid, which is a little sap sucking critter, very small and a dozen will fit on your fingernail. They showed up in Michigan in 2017 in the Southwest and spread from Ottawa to Oceana County and Muskegon County and were identified on our game area, the Pentwater State Game Area about 2018 or 19. And so it started on the east coast back in the sixties actually, and has spread down the eastern seaboard into Virginia killing virtually 99% of all hemlocks. And it is specific just to that evergreen eastern hemlock. It doesn't hurt pine trees or spruce, but now it's in Michigan and it's making its way north. It's already been found by Traverse City and Antrim County and we hope it doesn't get into the U.P. where Hemlock is probably the most important conifer left.

So we identified it in a lot of areas and we are working with many partners who really were the lead on it. MDARD Michigan Department of Agriculture and Forest Management Division identified and treated it in private land and then came to us to work on the Pentwater State Game Area. So, we saw this as a disease of infestation, not a disease that is going to spread and is very fatal and that's bad because hemlocks are awesome trees and provide, for example, shade on trout streams and stabilize steep slopes that lead down to the creeks and makes nice thermal winter cover for deer and other wildlife. So it's an important tree for wildlife. So how do we address this in our 22 counties wherever Hemlock may show up. So we decided to be proactive and organize the team in three of our game area offices, Paris and Muskegon and Allegan, and have designated staff who have been through special training with the help with our forester Jesse.

And we spent the money for special equipment and got the training and certifications because each tree needs to be injected to fight HWA. So believe it or not, each tree has to be measured. Then you inject a very expensive insecticide into each of these holes. Each hole is about two inches apart, and then the tree absorbs the pesticide over many months and spreads to every little last leaf and twig, and then the aphids come along in the spring and try and bite the tree and suck the juice. Instead, they suck the insecticide cocktail and they are a goner and an injection will last up to five years. Then you got to come back and retreat. So of course these trees grow on steep slopes, thick cover. It's a lot of work to even treat a single tree. And our three offices are working together in continuity with the CISMA organizations, which are local groups that are a cooperative for invasive species management in the local conservation districts.

And we're doing our best to partner with everyone who cares about saving hemlocks. So then you have to identify each tree with a little aluminum label and record its location and put it in a spreadsheet. And this all takes time. And we have over 2000 hemlock trees just in Pentwater State Game Area. Each has its own little ID tag. Can you imagine? So when you have thousands and thousands of acres of trees, you can't possibly do that to everyone. So that puts us in a triage situation where we are determining the most important stands of hemlock to try and help. And what is our capacity to treat in a given year. So we've done all that work and have a plan and we're going to keep treating trees and documenting it and tracking the results so we can go back in five years and ten years and by then this disease will maybe have run its course. Cold is the only thing that will stop it from going north into the U.P.

It doesn't like it cold, so we could use some cold winters to help us with this. So that was a big project for us this summer. A lot of coordination, a lot of money and time, and most importantly, leveraging our partners so we can work effectively across the big landscape. So the Southwest does a good job of networking and we work hard at it. And if you think of networks as a spider web of activity, and we're doing a public and private lands, and when I say spider web, don't think of like a little strand that feels like a loose hair in your face. We're trying to make a spider web that knocks your hat off. Big fat networks that are persistent over time and make us effective. That's the hemlock woolly adelgid update.

Rachel:

Well, the hemlock woolly adelgid project is certainly critical and multifaceted and lot of staff and partner agencies are working on that. But are there any projects that you are particularly excited about?

Pete:

Well, Rachel, we do a lot of prescribed burns in our region, and we did several two, at least to Paris here, but a lot more across the entire region. And each burn is practically a circus of events in order to be effective. What's a prescribed burn, one might ask? Well, it's basically a forest fire or a grass fire across fen, field, forest, rare habitats. I like to think of the prescribed burns as a spa treatment for the landscape instead of glowing skin and a youthful look, you're going to get different outcomes like killing undesirable woody plants and removing dead grass and buildup, helping regrowth of desirable plants, increase populations of wildflowers, reduce fuel buildups. So smokey the bear can sleep at night, promote growth of fire dependent plants like lupin, which only feeds the Karner blue butterfly larva. You don't have lupin, you don't have the rare butterfly.

So there's a lot of advantages. And one of the great things about prescribed burns is you get a lot of bang for the buck because when you do at a large scale, say 10, 20, 30 acres, it may be over in a couple of hours, but you've treated landscape that will show the effect for many years to come. So in the Southwest, each burn is an amazing coordination. You have to have a list of the burns you want to do and prioritize them, which isn't easy when you have a dozen or more offices and everyone's clamoring for attention and thinks their project is more important than the next one. So we sift through that and then you have to have the fire officers and all the trained staff to execute a burn. We've been through many specialized trainings and safety and communication and equipment operation, and each person has multiple levels of certifications to be on a fire to run drip torch, to drive a truck, to work the radio, to interact with other agencies and so forth.

So if you're out and you see a burn and all the people in yellow, those are safety suits. Nomex, just remember all the coordination and every burn, there's a burn plan, there's a burn coordinator, there's a weather person who's watching it every minute to make sure things aren't going bad. And we've notified the police department, the local fire department, any municipality, everybody who lives close to it might see the flame or smoke. We let them know. And all of this is dependent on the weather. So you may have a big burn with 30 people on a phone chat group, Hey, we got to be there at 8:00 AM and everyone's there at eight in the wind shifts and it's up close, done, go home. We'll let you know if it changes. So you're really dependent on changing environmental conditions for anyone who's worked in a bureaucracy to change something like that,

in the spur of the moment is usually a disaster, but for our wildlife staff and forest staff who do prescribed burns, it's a way of life, adjusting. So we try to do a lot. Last year we did several dozen in the Southwest and Southeast combined and statewide, I think they had over 10,000 acres planned for prescribed burns in the whole state. So if you can get one and every office has a list they would like, and usually every office gets a few burned every year, but depends, depends on the weather, depends on the season. And so prescribed burns are exciting, they're potentially dangerous if they're not done well. And we have a lot of specially trained staff, dedicated staff who work weekends at nights and long hours to make sure they're done safely. And we see the benefits species like the Grasshopper Sparrow, the Karner Blue Butterfly, they all benefit from these prescribed burns. And if we didn't do 'em, they would be fading from our landscape, some of them permanently.

Rachel:

Most high maintenance, well organized, perfectly curated spa treatment. That is an excellent way to phrase that, Pete, thank you for that imagery. What would you say is the biggest accomplishment your region has tackled this quarter?

Pete:

Well, the HWA coordination was a huge effort for us and it was one of a kind, we haven't coordinated like that before with a intentional design to use it as a model going forward for the next invasive species. So that is novel for us to think that far in advance and to plan to use the model for other invasive species. So often agencies are in a reactive mode where you find out about it usually too late to get in front of it, and the response takes months or years to mount this effort with hemlock woolly adelgid we hope will give us a template for future invasive species treatment.

Rachel:

Now I have to imagine there's a lot of hemlock trees that are on private land. There's a lot of private land in Southwest Michigan. So for anyone who does have hemlock trees on their property, is this something they should be concerned about? Should they be working with you to report their trees? Do they have access to treatments?

Pete:

If citizens see hemlock trees that are dead or dying in private land or public, it's best to contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to let them know.

Rachel:

Yeah, and we can put that contact information in our show notes. Well, Pete, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. We always appreciate having you on.

Pete:

Thank you Rachel. Thank you Eric. It's always good to be here.

Rachel:

Alright folks, you'll want to stick around because all things feathers is coming up next.

Eric/Announcer:

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Rachel:

Let's talk about a bird you're likely to start hearing next month or perhaps see while you're in the woods this winter. One of Michigan's most formidable birds of prey, the Great Horned Owl. With its long ear like tufts and its piercing yellow eyes and signature deep hooting call this owl is the iconic imagery that most of us picture when we think of owls. Now you start to hear Great Horned Owls next month when their breeding season begins, and owls can be heard hooting at dusk and dawn in January and February to establish their nesting territories and to find a mate. Now, despite the female's larger size, the male has a deeper voice and if you listen closely, you may be able to catch a pair calling together in a duet of different pitches. Now, the gray horned owl has a unique body type that has made it a lethal predator. They're a large bird and stand about 18 to 24 inches tall with a wingspan of three to four feet wide. Their feathers come in various colors of modeled gray and brown with reddish brown faces and a neat white patch on their throat. Now one feature that remains consistent in their appearance is their horn, like ear tufts on the top of their heads. And trivia question for you, Eric, do you remember what the technical term is for those ear tufts?

Eric/Announcer:

Yes, if you give me one second here, that would be, we've talked about it recently, plumicorns. Oh, you've got it. plumicorns. It took me a second, I had to dig deep.

Rachel:

You're absolutely correct. If you've been listening along in the last couple of episodes, you know that the technical term for those little horn like appendages on the top of the Great Horned Owl's head are called plumicorns. Now these plumicorns are tufts of elongated feathers found on the head of owl species such as the Great Horned Owl and also the Eastern Screech Owl. And these feathers give the illusion of horns or ears, but they're actually just protruding feathers. But that is one of the many features of the Great Horned Owl that make them such spectacular predators. Now first, the ears of the Great Horned Owls are hidden beneath a lot of feathers. They're not the protruding feathers at the top of their head, they're actually tucked in on the sides of their head under a lot of feathers, and those ears are asymmetrically set so that they can basically triangulate the location of prey based on the sound that the prey is making. And cooler yet,

these owls have specialized facial discs. So the feathers that are surrounding their eyes actually is shaped in a way to help guide sound to their ears almost like a satellite dish. And they have this extraordinary ability to hear as you would need if you were a nocturnal critter that hunts at night. Now proportionally to their body, owls have enormous eyes and in fact, they take up 5% of the owls body weight. And I was going to attempt to calculate what percentage of human eyeballs weigh in compared to our bodies. But fortunately, the American Bird Conservancy already has done the math for us. So it turns out that our eyeballs are about 0.0003% of our total body weight. So in comparison, owl eyes are just enormous and they are so important to how they sustain their life. It's how they catch their food. Now owls need these gigantic eyes to hunt at night, the large surface area combined with the specialized inner workings of their eye, let them take in more light and then bounce the light around to see better in the dark.

Additionally, those eyes are forward facing very much like human eyes. They're on the front of their faces and they face straightforward, which is perfect for tracking prey. Owls like humans and other predators have overlapping fields of view from their two eyes, which give them like a 3D or a binocular type vision that allows them to have depth perception to accurately judge the distance and the precise timing of their strikes. Now when you have these big old owl eyes, you also have to have this big old bone structure to keep them in place. Owls have these special bony structures called sclerotic rings to support these huge eyes and to hold them in place. These rigid rings prevent owls from being able to move their eyes where you and I can move our eyes left to right and up and down. Owls cannot. They are fixed in one place and they only point straight ahead, but their ability to swivel their heads almost all the way around make up for their fixed eye sockets.

Now because they have these features to be so adept at hunting at night, there are some misconceptions that they can't see during the day. They certainly can and can be active during daylight as well. The pupil of each eye can expand and contract as ours do, which can help them limit the amount of light that enters the eye. And this is true for most owls, not just the Great Horned Owl. These owls are some of the most adaptable birds in North America and not just for those super cool features that help them navigate the night. They also live in a variety of different habitats, whether it's deserts, wetlands, forest, grasslands, or even backyards and cities. These owls are really thriving in different kinds of environments, including right here in Michigan where they stay here year round and though their stealth and stillness helps to keep them undetected, they are around and prevalent across the state.

Their soft insulating feathers not only keep them warm in Michigan's winter chill, but also allows them to fly silently, making them stealthy nighttime hunters. Now another predatory trait of the Great Horned Owl is their talons. Their talons are incredibly strong, which they used to deliver lethal grip onto prey. And in fact, they're so strong they require a force of 28 pounds to unclench and they're capable of taking down other top of the food chain predators, including other birds of prey like Ospreys or even Peregrine falcons. Their diet is pretty versatile spanning from frogs and fish to mice, voles and moles, even ducks, loons, and all the way up to medium sized carnivores such as the Striped Skunk. In fact, the Great Horned owl is one of the few predators of the Striped Skunk. Now, although they're usually nocturnal hunters, Great Horned Owls sometimes hunt in broad daylight after spotting their prey from a perch

they'll pursue it on wing but have also been observed walking along the ground to stalk small prey around bushes or other obstacles. While owls can be nearly impossible to spot because of their camouflaged feathers and stillness, other birds can alert you to when owls are in the area. And if you have ever heard a noisy mob of calling crows, chances are they're harassing a Great Horned Owl. These owls are the crow's most dangerous predators, and the crows know it. And so they will be loud and they will mob the owl and try to scare it out of the area by pointing it out to all of their friends. And I'll say the only time I have ever seen a Great Horned Owl, it was because it was queued by crows calling and just causing a ruckus and just being an absolute menace.

Eric/Announcer:

Yeah, for me, it wasn't a Great Horned Owl, but it was a Barred Owl. For me, it was Blue Jays that were causing a ruckus. And I heard the Blue Jays going crazy, it was 5:30, 6o'clock in the morning, nobody's been out here yet. That's got to be an owl and I'm going to get to go see it. And I just followed the sound of the Blue Jays going nuts, and sure enough, there is this Barred Owl and I got some really good photos of it.

Rachel:

Yeah, it's so awesome. When you start to pay attention to those kinds of sounds in nature, it can lead to some truly spectacular sites and observations. Speaking of bird observations, as the holiday season approaches, bird enthusiasts are gearing up from the Christmas bird count hosted by Audubon. Now this annual tradition brings together bird watchers across the Western Hemisphere to track and conserve bird populations. And if you want to be a part of this super awesome community science event, this is your month to participate. The Christmas bird count began on Christmas day in 1900, so it is well over a hundred years old, and this event runs from December 14th to January 5th and will involve thousands of volunteers who identify and count birds. Now, volunteers are assigned one day within that date range. So this is only a one day commitment where they count every bird they see or hear within this designated 15 mile circle.

So here's how it works. Each circle is coordinated by a compiler who organizes routes and groups and birders of all skill levels can join with beginners, often paired with experienced observers. So it's a super fun event to participate in because you can meet fellow birders in your community. If your home falls within a circle, you can even participate by counting birds at your bird feeder. So it's like the easiest way to participate in community science. It's awesome. So if you are interested, just be sure to register in advance with the local compiler that you can get all of the logistics in place before your assigned date. And why is this important? Well, it generates a lot of data on bird populations and distribution trends which help scientists identify species in decline and helps them to assess their overall conservation strategies. Plus, it is a fantastic way to plug into your local nature and your local communities. It is a free event. It is free to participate. You'll only need to have your own gear, so you'll want things like binoculars and warm clothing because you're probably going to spend time outside. If you'd like to join this meaningful event, check out Audubon's Christmas bird count page to find a circle near you and to learn more. You want to get out there and start counting because your observations could be part of a century old conservation effort.

Eric/Announcer:

Are they only interested in Partridges in a pear tree?

Rachel:

Or two turtle doves? I think they're interested in that as well.

Eric/Announcer:

Okay, so two different species there, or maybe some swans swimming or geese a-laying.

Rachel:

Certainly all birds need to be counted. While you're on your Christmas bird count, you might even see the Great Horned Owl, which is truly a quintessential symbol of wilderness and adaptability and embodies the beauty and the balance of nature. If you're lucky enough to spot one or hear it's haunting hoots at night over the next couple of months, you've encountered one of the most incredible predators that we have in Michigan skies. Stick around folks because all things fur is coming up next.

Eric/Announcer:

Are you looking for some last minute gifts or stocking stuffers for those special hunters in your life? Do you want to see smiles wider than the rack of a monster elk on Christmas morning? Then buy them some entries for the DNR's Pure Michigan Hunt and let visions of a hunting prize package and hunting licenses for elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer, and first pick at a managed waterfowl hunt area dance to their heads. Forget about the sugar plums and visit mi.gov/pmh or your local hunting license retailer to buy.

Transition Music:

Rachel:

Now let's shine our wildlife spotlight onto another voracious predator. Measuring six inches in length and weighing in at 100 grams is the fierce Short-Tailed Weasel. This dainty, but mighty predator can be found throughout much of Michigan, and it often goes by various names such as the Short-Tailed Weasel or Ermine or Stoat or Stout, depending on if you live in the U.K. There are multiple ways to pronounce that word. These agile creatures are of the Mustelidae family, which also includes otters, minks, martens, fishers, badgers, and all the other critters that have a certain type of musk to them. The Short-Tailed Weasels are built for versatility. They're slender, hot dog sized bodies allow them to pursue prey and underground holes and burrows and their seasonal fur changes, which is a remarkable adaptation to their environment. During the summer, they have a brown coat with a white underside which blends seamlessly into the forest floor, and then in the winter their coat becomes completely white except for a black tipped tail, which is perfect camouflage for snowy landscapes.

Eric/Announcer:

You know, I would actually be curious to see if; I know some of the Snowshoe Hair habitat has been drifting further and further north as we've had less and less snowfall. I'd be curious to know if the Short-Tailed Weasel population has had similar issues as we've had less snowfall. If they've succumbed to more predation from animals that can suddenly see them much better.

Rachel:

Yes, I would be so interested to know that as well, because off the cuff it certainly seems very likely right, they've become this bright white glowing symbol of food item in these drab gray landscapes, so it certainly cannot help them survive these snowless winter times. It would be interesting. I don't know of any ongoing research, I'd be curious to know if there is any. Now Short-Tailed Weasel are quite small and their body lengths are between six and tweleve inches long. They do have the typical weasel form, so they have a long body, short legs, a long neck that supports a triangular shaped head, slightly protruding round ears, jet black eyes, and long whiskers. These small mammals are both predator and prey in the ecosystem. The Short-tailed Weasel primarily feeds on other small mammals or birds and even insects when food is scarce. Their hunting strategy is driven by agility and speed making them formidable hunters,

despite their small size. They can even take down prey much larger than themselves, including rabbits. Weasels can make for good neighbors for humans though as they're excellent mousers, unless you have chickens or other penned poultry, then finding a weasel in your hen house could be very problematic for you and your chickens, and you may want to consider how to keep weasels out of your chicken coop. Now, to prevent having issues with weasels, especially in your chicken coop, you want to ensure that all openings to your chicken coop are securely covered with hardware cloth no larger than a quarter of an inch mesh because weasels are small and they can squeeze through very small gaps. So inspect the coop regularly for any holes or weak spots and reinforce doors or windows with sturdy locks. You also can elevate the coop off of the ground, and that will prevent easy access because again, they're only six inches.

If they can't reach the coop, it's probably not going to be an issue for your chickens. But if they can reach your coop and they can get into your chickens, they're voracious and might be the end of your chickens. If an issue persists with these weasels, they can be harvested year round using all legal hunting and trapping methods for the species. And that can be done on private property when they are doing or physically present where they could imminently cause damage. Now weasels are well equipped to handle winter. They can run easily on the top of snow and they hunt in a zigzag pattern and they move with a series of leaps that can be up to 50 centimeters each. So they can leap about 19 inches, which is one to two times the length of their bodies. So they're very agile and they can move long distances very quickly.

But now back to their color changing abilities. So it turns out that Short-Tailed Weasels, like the Snowshoe Hares can change color because of a physical reaction to the photo period or the number of daylight hours. So for these animals, decreasing amounts of daylight in the late fall will trigger hormone reactions that causes changes in the production of natural pigments in their body. So reduced daylight leads to decreased levels of dark melanin containing pigments in their fur, and that's why they turn white in the wintertime as the new fur grows in a white coat gradually replaces the brown one, and in the spring the reverse happens. Increased daylight hours cause dark pigment levels to rise, meaning the brown fur begins to regrow again. Now, temperature shifts may also play a role, but the amount of daylight hours is the key to this amazing color transformation.

The white hair, which will come in during the winter months, is much longer and denser and replaces the brown hair over a period of three to five weeks. And that color change starts from the belly and will spread upwards and only the tip of the tail, which is black, will remain unchanged. And as I was reading about this, I found really cool videos on YouTube where people tracked the daily paths of these weasels and were able to document through film the changing of the weasels color from brown to white, and it took about 40 days and it was completely transformed. It's just a really interesting and neat adaptation to watch something so quickly change.

Eric/Announcer:

I thought you were going to say for a second that the people were tracking these weasels on film simply by the little black speck of their tail as they ran through the snow or something like that.

Rachel:

Well, that sounds adorable, but no, I did not find any of those videos. That sounds like a fun winter project for us to set out on.

Eric/Announcer:

Could you imagine having to go out and scout for weasel sign to be able to even set up a camera to try it? And I would imagine in the wintertime they're probably underneath the snow most of the time anyways, right? Or are they running on top of it?

Rachel:

They're on top of it so you can see them and they're very active, so they leave tracks behind, right? So you can go out and look for these very, very small tracks to try to find where they're moving. And people do, they're a popular species to trap because of their fur. People find them both historically, when fur trades were really big in Michigan, but still currently Short-tailed Weasels would be trapped in their white fur and they would be used to trim the collars and the cuffs of ladies coats. Now in areas that have consistent levels of snow on the ground, the weasel is well camouflaged, but as we mentioned, there's a lot less snow accumulation that is occurring in the winter months in recent years. So these poor critters do stick out like a sore thumb as a bright white target in these drab brown snowless forests.

And for the weasel, living fast is the way of life. Females may survive for at least two breeding seasons, while males generally do not even survive that long. Their lifespan is about 12 to 18 months. Now, if you wanted to find a weasel, where might you look? Short-Tailed Weasels prefer riparian woodlands. So this is like a river that winds through a forest. Weasels may in late spring to early summer, and females have one litter of babies per year. Those young are born in April or May after an average gestational period of 280 days, which is a long time for a little critter, but that includes an eight to nine month period of developmental delay. So they get pregnant, but then it pauses in progressing in the pregnancy until spring resumes. So the longer days beginning in March trigger the continuation of fetal development. Now, those litter sizes can range from 3 to 18 offspring, but on average, most Short-tailed Weasels have four to nine babies.

Those young are born blind and helpless and covered with this very fine white hair, but the young will grow very quickly and are able to hunt with their mother by the eighth week. The Short-Tailed Weasel with its remarkable adaptability and fierce hunting prowess is a testament to the resilience of Michigan's wildlife. From its seasonal camouflage and its zigzagging hunts in the snow to its ability to thrive in diverse habitats. This small but mighty predator plays a vital role in our ecosystems. This winter, go out and take a walk in the forest and keep an eye out because you might just spot this dynamic little critter in action.

Pete:

A poem by Robert Frost, called 'Dust of Snow.' "The way a crow shook down on me, the dust of snow from a hemlock tree, has given my heart a change of mood and saved some part of a day I had rued."

Hi, I am Pete Kailing, DNR Wildlife biologist, bringing you the December calendar for outdoor sporting action. Regular firearm deer season wraps up November 30th, 2024. And muzzleloading season opens in zones one, two, and three and runs from December 6th through the 15th. Late antlerless firearm deer season runs from December 16 to January 1st, 2025 on private and most public lands in the Lower Peninsula. A new extended late antlerless firearm season runs from January 2nd through 12th 2025 in much of southern Michigan. See the Deer Hunting regulation summary for details. A discounted antlerless license for this extended late season will be available for $5 per license. Unused tags like DMAPs,

your combo tag, or universal antlerless tags are eligible to be used. And the bag limit for the late antlerless season is 10 deer. Bobcat trapping season resumes in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower starting December 1st and starts in the Lower Peninsula on December 10. Marten and Fisher trapping season starts December 6th through December 15th. In the U.P. only see the fur bearer harvest regs summary for details. In the bird hunting world, Ruffed Grouse hunting resumes December 1st through January 1 and many late waterfowl hunting opportunities continue into December 2. Check the 2024 waterfowl regs summary for details. December is the holiday season, so share your outdoor expertise with a family member or friend. Share some venison, salami, or tell a tall tale of the big one that's got away. That's a wrap for our December outdoor action. If you're an auto winter fan, please know that winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, falls on December 21st this year, and the days will already be longer when Christmas and New Year roll around. Get some snow on your boots this December. Invite a friend, but for Pete's sake, try to keep the snow off the carpet or at least blame the dog if you have one. Till next time.

Eric/Announcer:

Michigan.gov/dnrtrails is your destination for trail maps, trail etiquette, and trail closure information. Trail information for biking, cross country skiing, horseback riding, hiking, off-road vehicle riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and even water trails for kayaking and canoeing are available. While you're there, remember to check out information about pet-friendly recreation, track chairs, and the Iron Bell Trail, all available @michigan.gov/dnrtrails.

Rachel:

Now is your opportunity to win a WildTalk podcast mug. As a thank you to our listeners, we'll be giving away a mug or two every episode. Our November mug winners are Patrick Southworth and Don Tinson II. Check your email as we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the question; Ducks have a specialized adaptation in their bills to help them filter out food from water. What is this called? The lamellae. To be entered into the drawing this month, test your wildlife knowledge and answer our wildlife quiz question. Our question this month is, how many eyelids does a Great Horned Owl have? Email your name and answer to us at DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov to be entered for a chance to win a mug, Be sure to include the subject line as 'mug me' and submit your answers by January 15th. We'll announce winners and the answers on next month's podcast. So be sure to listen in to see if you've won and for the next quiz question, good luck everyone.

Eric/Announcer:

Michigan Conservation Officers are working hard to protect and keep the outdoors safe for current and future generations. If you witness a natural resources violation, you can call or text the report, all poaching hotline, 24 hours a day at 1-800-292-7800, or fill out the complaint form available @michigan.gov/RAP. If you would like more information on becoming a conservation officer, click on become a CO at michigan.gov/conservationofficers.

Rachel:

And now is the time to show our appreciation for those who have donated to the Non-Game Wildlife Fund. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Michigan's Endangered Species law. This month, an enormous thank you to Robert Irwin who donated to the fund. A big thanks to those of you who have donated. We have raised over $800 since September 1st for the Non-Game Wildlife Fund. Your support truly makes a difference in conserving our state's most vulnerable species. So remember, if you want to hear your name on air, but more so if you want to help conserve Michigan's rare species, simply visit michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the link to donate. We look forward to adding more names to this list over the course of our next year. Well, thank you all for joining this December edition and the last episode of the WildTalk podcast this season. We certainly hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed recording it. Remember, if you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call 517-284-9453 or email us at DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov. We will see you back here next year.

Eric/Announcer:

This has been the WildTalk Podcast, your monthly podcast airing the first of each month in offering insights into the world of wildlife across the state of Michigan. You can reach the Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 or DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov.