By Glen Wunderlich

Patterning a turkey gun is as important as any other element toward the goal of good wild turkey dinner. A hunter can pick up any number of valuable techniques from outdoor shows on television, at trade shows, or on DVD. And, while today’s hunter can gather new ideas from the pros from the comfort of his favorite easy chair, patterning is learned through experimentation. (Bow hunters, you’ve got your own issues. Good luck!)

Like most shotgun turkey hunters, I use a shotgun that’s not a designated gobbler getter; it has the standard-issue front-bead sight only. It would be nice to have a red dot or low-power scope mounted on it, but I’d rather not bother with taking it off and reinstalling it.

All good hunters know enough to pattern a given gun with a given load in order to understand how the shotgun and shell combination actually performs. There are several inherent drawbacks to a good practice session: Read more

This from the United States Sportsmen’s Association By Bill Horn, Director of Federal Affairs

For more than five years, the USSA has been fighting to remove the recovered wolf population in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin from the federal endangered species list.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to “delist” these wolves in 2007 but was stymied by a federal judge in Washington, DC in 2008-09. 

Last year we kept up the pressure by filing a new petition to delist the wolves.   The Service responded that it would grant the petition and declare the wolves recovered.  We expected formal action this spring.

Last week the Service announced its plans with a classic “give with one hand and take with the other” ploy.  The agency did declare gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the three states “recovered” and that a proposed delisting rule would be out shortly.  But they also declared the “discovery” of an entirely new wolf species – the Eastern gray wolf (Canis lycaon).  However the problem is, no one knows the population numbers or range of this new species, if it’s distinguishable from Canis lupus, or if delisting lupus (and returning management to the states) will impact lycaon.   Read more

By GlenWunderlich

The projects seem to have piled up and I needed to free up some garage space for an Allis Chalmers model IB in need of some tweaking.  A Mossberg model 152 carbine in .22 rimfire was in parts on the bench and definitely in the way.  It was time to make it happen.

With a final 400-grit sanding of the exquisite black walnut stock, it was ready for finish.  This little plinker would be fitted with a satin polyurethane skin.  A rattle can with Helmsman polyurethane was surprisingly like a low pressure quality spray rig.  The fan was even and fine.  Layer after layer was applied within the prescribed time frame of 90 minutes; the generous open time allowed for quick buildup in a short amount of time.

The barrel and receiver were stripped of original finish and any deeper dings were sanded smooth with 400-grit wet emery cloth.  The final sanding was with 600-grit paper, providing a foundation for  a deeper and sleeker blue metal finish. The action and bore were thoroughly cleaned before Outers cold blue was applied per instructions to the barrel and receiver; all original screws were carefully twisted back into in place.   Even the plastic buttstock was refurbished with a light sanding/polishing and new finish coat of paint specifically formulated for plastics.

The original rear peep sight was missing when purchased, so I took the easy route with a Bushnell .22 scope set to be parallax free at approximately 60 yards.  It was advertised to be parallax free at 50 yards, but it’s not.  When I sight it in with the new look, I’ll move the target to various yardages until I find there is no parallax.  If it’s within small-game reason, the parallax-free point would be optimal for sighting in.  

Here’s a look at some literature and photos of an original Mossberg model 152:  http://www.box54.com/kevin-152.jpg  The model depicted in the link has the plasic fold-down forend.  The walnut version is reportedly the earlier vintage.

With the folding front stock, this model is not only unique, but functional with the vertical grip.  I also learned that it makes a good monopod.

Looking forward to getting it sighted in with some standard velocity target ammo.

 

HumaneWatch.org Warns HSUS Donors: A Tiny Fraction of Contributions Go To Pet Shelters

Washington, DC – Today HumaneWatch.org, a project of the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), unveiled a new billboard in New York’s Times Square criticizing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for its deceptive fundraising practices. Despite most Americans’ belief to the contrary, HSUS is not a national umbrella group that represents community-based humane societies, and it shares less than one percent of its income with underfunded pet shelters at the local level.

The billboard is located at Seventh Avenue…for a photo of the sign and more, click here.

New York, NY– Outdoor Life magazine has released its fourth annual list of the “Top 200 Towns for Sportsmen,” an exhaustive list of the best places to live for those who love the outdoors. The magazine scored the cities using an extensive set of criteria-topping the list were access to abundant fishing and hunting opportunities, a high quality of life and suitability for families. The magazine also gave greater consideration to towns that boast low unemployment rates, high household incomes and low cost of living. The list appears in the May issue of Outdoor Life, on newsstands now.

The city of Bend, Oregon, population 80,000, leads the list as the country’s top town for sportsmen. Rising in rank from number 6 on last year’s list, Bend nabbed the top spot for attributes including access to millions of acres of Forest Service land, grassland and wetland, as well as its hundreds of miles of fishable streams and rivers. The area’s unique landscape presents a bounty of both upland and big game hunting, and legendary waterways provide anglers with year-round opportunities. The city’s 300 days of sunshine per year also helped boost its ranking, as did a thriving economy that has pushed household income up 30 percent over the past decade. In total, 13 Oregon cities made this year’s Top Towns list.

Read more

PETA has offered to sponsor a Virginia rest area and name it the ‘Fishing Hurts’ rest area.  According to reports, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is going to sell rights to 42 rest stops and welcome centers as a way to increase revenue. 

PETA, true to form, jumped at the idea of sponsoring the Troutville Safety Rest Area with the idea of using the rest area to promote their anti fishing agenda. According to the letter PETA sent the VDOT, the rest area “would feature displays about fish intelligence, the pain caused by fishing, and the harm done to water birds and other aquatic life.”  Also included in the letter was the plan to sell stuffed “Sea Kitten” toys (PETA’s attempt at renaming fish) for children and vegan snacks.   

The final note of the letter was a request for VDOT to consider a reduced non profit rate for the fee to sponsor the rest stop.  No word on if VDOT will take PETA up on their offer.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Opinion pieces opposing a proposal before the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to allow for a limited harvest of sandhill cranes have appeared in several newspapers and on the Internet in recent months. Here are the facts about the proposal.

The Eastern Population of sandhill cranes migrates through and winters in portions of Kentucky. Sandhill cranes are the most abundant crane species on the planet, with more than 700,000 spending part of their year in North America. The Eastern Population is the world’s second largest sandhill crane population, numbering between 60,000 and 100,000 birds.

This population continues to grow and has become increasingly visible in Kentucky in recent years. Peak counts in Kentucky now approach 20,000 cranes in the Barren River Lake area.

Sandhill cranes are classified as a game species by Congress under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. They are hunted in 13 other states, three Canadian provinces and Mexico. Read more