The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a final rule to eliminate its special regulation authorizing the breeding, management and free trade of three endangered African antelope species ? the scimitar-horned oryx, addax and dama gazelle.

Here are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert in 2011.  With what will be a critically important 2012, we must increase our efforts to ensure we're prepared to meet the great opportunities and challenges we will face next year.  We will continue to provide you with information in future Alerts to ensure our mutual success.

Talk to any wildlife biologist in the southern United States about wild pigs, and you’re likely to hear something akin to at least one of the following, “They’re the four-legged equivalent of fire ants;” “If the average litter is six, typically eight survive;” “Only a fence that will hold water will hold feral hogs.”

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has released all remaining portions of Maverick and Dimmit Counties from the temporary preventative quarantine zone, effective May 27. In August, 2007, the TAHC determined that fever ticks were present on multiple premises in those counties and a total of over 600,000 acres were placed under a temporary preventative quarantine. The original quarantine zone also included a portion of Webb County .

Governor Rick Perry designated protecting private property from eminent domain abuse as an emergency item, which allows lawmakers to fast track consideration of legislation pertaining to the emergency issue. 

Nine of the top bass anglers in the country will sign autographs for fans at three Houston-area Academy Sports + Outdoors Stores, Tuesday, September 28, as part of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. Fishing legend Kevin VanDam will appear at the Conroe store. Greg Hackney, Mark Davis, Scott Suggs and Ron Shuffield will appear at the Humble store. Mike McClelland, John Crews, Bryan Thrift and Gary Klein will appear at the Tomball location. All appearances will take place on Sept. 28 from 7 - 9 p.m.

An Austin wildlife management consulting firm will begin counting the deer population in the Northwest Hills area, a first step in what could possibly lead to the thinning of herds meaning deer would be trapped and taken to a processing plant, and the meat would be donated to a food pantry.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be holding a combination Project WILD/Growing Up WILD workshop in Spanish for the first time in the program’s 24-year history.

Before hunting season began, Don "Dink" Benton set up a motion sensor camera on his east Texas ranch to learn what kind of deer roamed his land along the Oklahoma border. What he saw as he went through the pictures was a shock: a black bear exploring a feeder, then investigating the camera.