MISSOULA, Mont.–Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) accepted a $25,000 donation from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation this week to assist with its state wolf management efforts.
The focus of the funding is to expand FWP’s wolf collaring program in areas where the impact on elk, deer and other ungulates is particularly severe. Placing more collars on wolves will allow FWP to better expand the science of wolves by furthering the understanding of their territory, home range, the number of wolves in a pack, and helping to implement Montana’s approved wolf management plan.
“This is a part of a continuing commitment by RMEF to support the ultimate goal of state management, which is to sustain all species on balance with the available habitat and local communities where people live,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. ”
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks appreciates the partnership it has with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation,” said department director Jeff Hagener. “This donation is another example of RMEF’s long-time commitment to wildlife conservation in Montana.”
In keeping with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, RMEF supports state-regulated hunting and trapping as the preferred tools of wolf management. RMEF staunchly supports management to balance and control wolf populations.
“The more collars we can get on wolves, the better understanding we’ll have on how many wolves are really out there, where they go on the landscape, and help to ensure the future of elk and all wildlife,” added Allen.
RMEF also remains committed to learning more about wolves through research efforts. Since 1989, RMEF invested more than $400,000 in research grants to advance scientific understanding of wolves, wolf interactions with other species, and overall wolf management. The total includes more than $200,000 in science grants in just the past five years, more than any other five-year period in RMEF history. Most of the contributions paid for independent research by leading universities, state and federal wildlife conservation agencies and tribes.
Earlier this month, RMEF furthered its commitment to elk and elk country in Montana by announcing grants that total $276,195 that will fund more than 20 habitat projects that will positively affect more than 20,000 acres of habitat in 15 different counties.

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We’ve been reporting very regularly on ridiculous cases involving over-zealous school officials misinterpreting and wrongly enforcing “zero-tolerance” rules.

In March, we reported on an outrageous case of a seven-year-old Baltimore, Md. student who, according to a March 2, Daily Caller article, was suspended for two days for the nefarious act of shaping a breakfast pastry into what his teacher thought looked like a gun.  Yes, a breakfast pastry.

According to the young student, he was eating the strawberry pastry during snack time and was biting off pieces in an attempt to shape it into a mountain.  Apparently, the teacher thought the student’s handiwork instead looked like a gun, and escorted him to the principal’s office for prompt disciplinary action.

In a recent follow-up story, the Daily Caller reported on more bad news for the young victim of over-zealous school administrators.

According to the article, this week, a lawyer for the family received a letter from school administrators who officially denied an appeal to have the suspension expunged from the second-grader’s permanent record, thus ensuring an equally permanent blot on the child’s record.  How unreasonable and unnecessary can you get?

The story’s unhappy ending serves as yet another reminder of the pitfalls encountered when “zero-tolerance” rules are applied without exercising even the smallest measure of sound judgment or basic common sense.  Presumably, even the most ardent gun control advocate doesn’t believe that a child could actually shoot someone with a breakfast pastry.

As we now note on a seemingly weekly basis, all of us agree that we want our children to be safe at school, and that reasonable safety measures should be followed.  But this continued unreasonable, zero-common-sense enforcement of “zero tolerance” policies not only encroaches on our freedom, but places an extreme and unfair burden on innocent children and their families.

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Check out the petition and/or sign it here…  and good luck getting a response.

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AMERISTEP®, an industry leader in innovative hunting gear and accessories, announces the addition of the Gun Hunter and Snow Hunter 3D Chair and 3D Cover Systems to their 2013 line-up.
Sometimes the best chance you have for getting a trophy animal in range is a full-blown ground blind or high tree stand. And sometimes your surroundings require you to use the simplest set-up possible. Based on the lightweight, portable and extremely popular line-up of Ameristep tent chair blinds,the new Gun Hunter 3-D Chair and 3-D Cover System (Model #: 10154) and Snow Hunter 3D Chair and 3D Cover System (Model #: 10155) give you an even simpler way to achieve mobility, concealment and stealth in the field.
The Gun Hunter combines the newest Realtree Xtra® Green camo pattern and 3D leafy mesh cover, while the Snow Hunter sports the latest Realtree AP Snow camo pattern and the same 3D leafy mesh cover-so you can blend seamlessly into any tree-line, woodlot or hedgerow, in any season. The lightweight, one piece chair-and-cover construction is easy to carry and sets up quickly, making it easy to get yourself into position and get the shot you’ve been after.
Gun Hunter 3D Chair and 3D Cover System product benefits:
* New Reatree Xtra® Green camo pattern * Steel construction rated for up to 200 lbs. * 3D leaf and mesh exterior blends into any area * Cover conveniently stows in back pouch of chair * Leafy cover attached to chair-no assembly required
MSRP: $79.99

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The rifle will not fire unless the trigger is pulled. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are taking this action to recall the rifles so that the firearm can be inspected by our technicians to ensure that the safety lever functions as designed.
This recall applies to all ICON, VENTURE and DIMENSION rifles manufactured by Thompson/Center Arms prior to June 13, 2013.
STOP USING YOUR RIFLE AND RETURN IT TO THOMPSON/CENTER AT ONCE.
Because the safety of our customers is our utmost concern, we ask that you stop using your rifle until we have an opportunity to inspect the safety lever to ensure its proper function.
To facilitate the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your rifle safety lever, please contact Thompson/Center’s customer service department to receive instructions and a pre-paid shipping label for the return of your rifle to Thompson/Center.

Thompson/Center will repair the rifle at no cost to you, and return it to you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Additional information will be available shortly on our website at www.tcarms.com. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this recall, please contact Thompson/Center at (800) 713-0355.

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EGELAND, N.D. — What a show! Viewers of the Delta Duck Cam, a live-streaming web feed of a wild nesting duck on the prairie of North Dakota, were treated to the dramatic hatch of seven ducklings late Saturday night.

Pintail 004, a hen northern pintail that chose a Conservation Reserve Program field near Egeland, N.D., as a nest site, successfully incubated her eggs for 23 days, all while being watched live by web viewers from around the world. About 14 hours after the hatch was complete, the hen led her brood to a nearby pothole, where the ducklings will forage for food and grow throughout the summer.

Delta wildlife technicians had found the nesting pintail on May 13. The camera, transmitter and receiver were put in place to monitor the nest a few days later. Duck nests found by Delta technicians are named by the species of hen and order discovered, so as the fourth nest found in the field, our Delta Duck Cam star took the name “Pintail 004.”

In many ways, the hatch on a live streaming camera was a remarkable event. Many areas of prairie are teeming with nest predators such as red foxes, skunks and raccoons, so only about one in 10 nesting attempts results in a successful brood of ducklings.

“Every duck nest in that field has a chance, but she defied the odds and hatched the nest,” said Joel Brice, vice president of conservation for Delta Waterfowl.

While the viewing opportunities of Pintail 004 were excellent, the live feed would freeze at times. To address those technical issues, Delta has secured a new transmitter and receiver.

The new Delta Duck Cam star is Gadwall 016. Located about 350 yards south of Pintail 004’s nest site, the gadwall hen had eight eggs as of June 11, and appears to be late in the laying stage. Ducks lay one egg per day, and only start incubating after the entire clutch is deposited in the nest.

Delta Duck Cam, which is possible in part through a sponsorship from outdoor apparel maker Sitka Gear, will remain on the air throughout the nesting season, which could stretch to mid-July. Technicians will move the camera as often as necessary to an active nest.

In addition to streaming the real-time movements of a nesting duck, the Delta Duck Cam page features highlight clips from the 2012 nesting season, as well as of Pintail 004 from this spring. Viewers can check in at www.deltawaterfowl.org/duckcam to see the progress of the hen, and also catch daily updates on Delta Waterfowl’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more information, contact Joel Brice at jbrice@deltawaterfowl.org; 701-222-8857 ext. 225, or visit www.deltawaterfowl.org/duckcam for updates.
Delta Waterfowl Foundation is a leading North American conservation organization, tracing its origins to the birth of the wildlife conservation movement in 1911. The Foundation supports research, provides leadership and offers science-based solutions to efficiently conserve waterfowl and secure the future of waterfowl hunting. Delta Waterfowl is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Bismarck, N.D.

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Officers entered his home without his consent and seized his three guns and FOID card. When Arthur Lovi asked if they had a warrant, he was told “they could go get a warrant and if he insisted they do that, they would come back and tear the (expletive) out of his house,” according to the suit.  Details here…

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