Here are five safety suggestions from the BoatUS Foundation for Safety and Clean Water. They appropriately enough were entitled “5 Things You Can Do to Take ‘Search’ Out of Search and Rescue”

1. File a float plan. Tell family members where you’re going, how long you expect to be out, and when you plan to return. If you’re leaving a vehicle/trailer at the boat ramp, you might want to leave a note on your vehicle’s dash with the same information. Either -or both – let people start looking for you if you fail to return by your appointed time.
2. Have a VHF radio aboard – but not just any VHF radio. Have a radio with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) – it does all the things a “regular” VHF radio does, plus it has a one-button “Mayday” feature that gives rescuers your boat’s location. The handheld DSC VHF units are great for small boats. And I know from experience they can save a lot of time when you have a problem.
3. Label your SUP, canoe or kayak…might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised. Adding your contact information with a waterproof marker could help the Coast Guard or first responders spend less time chasing false alarms. Marking your paddle craft, FYI, might also mean you get it back when it blows down the lake. If/when that happens, you also need to let authorities know your paddlcraft has gone missing.
4. Do not leave shore without a fully-charged phone. Smartphones are integral parts of our lives. But they’re not much use to a boater if the battery’s dead or there’s no cell signal. And for most phones, water is not a friend. If you are using a personal watercraft, put your phone in a waterproof pouch or case. That’s also not a bad idea for larger craft. And here’s a bit of insight for both -if you have a lanyard, attach it to something on your craft. Otherwise, it will be the last thing you see as your phone- safe in its waterproof case- descends into the inky depths.
5. Register your EPRIB or PLB. Having either an Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacon (EPRIB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is a great idea, but the Coast Guard receives hundreds of false alerts from them each year. You need to register your device and if you haven’t the highlighted link will take you where you can.

June 12-13, residents and out-of-state visitors can fish, ride Michigan’s off-road trails or visit state parks and state-managed boating access sites – all for free.
Grab your fishing rod and cast a line! Twice a year, you can enjoy two days of fishing without a license. All other regulations still apply.

Ride 3,800 miles of designated routes and trails and the state’s six scramble areas without purchasing an ORV license or trail permit.

Make state parks and boating access sites the background for your fishing trip. The Recreation Passport requirement is waived.

DNR COVID-19 RESPONSE: For details on affected DNR facilities and services, visit this webpage. Follow state actions and guidelines at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers assisted in a multi-agency search and rescue that concluded Tuesday for an angler who was reported missing Monday.

Conservation Officer Cole VanOosten received a call from the Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac Counties Central Dispatch at 9:40 p.m., Monday, reporting a 64-year-old angler, from Free Soil, located near Manistee failed to meet up with his fishing partner earlier in the day.

The man, who is not being identified by the DNR, was reported missing at 8 p.m. by his fishing partner.

VanOosten and Conservation Officer Colton Gelinas reported to the Luce County Sheriff’s Office Incident Command Post that was established near the angler’s last known location, near the intersection of Luce County Road 421 and the Tahquamenon River.

VanOosten and Gelinas kayaked the river until the search was postponed at 1 a.m. Tuesday. At 7:30 a.m., Conservation Officers Mark Zitnik and Cpl. Kevin Postma, Luce County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Border Patrol agents joined VanOosten and Gelinas to continue searching the river. Read more

Atlanta, GA – May 12, 2021 – Hybrid Light, a solar-powered, mobile lighting, and charging flashlight company has launched their newest product, now available to buyers––Atlas Fire.

The Atlas Fire lantern is adjustable from 25 to 600 lumens, and on one full charge, it will give you 100 hours of light––similar to its companion, the Atlas 600 Camping Lantern. The major difference between the two is in Atlas Fire’s special LED lighting that simulates the look of a campfire light Read more

Catering to the requests of shooting enthusiasts and FN brand fans alike, FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of new flat dark earth (FDE) offerings in both its FN Five-seveN® and FN 503® line-ups, available at authorized retailers soon.

“Today’s gun buyer is looking for variety and options, not just with accessories but with color variants that stand out in unique and noticeable ways,” said Chris Cole, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for FN America, LLC. “FN’s all-FDE models certainly stand out and we feel that these new releases in our signature color give consumers greater options to further customize, and personalize, their gun and gear setups.”

FN Five-seveN FDE

The original FN Five-seveN®, often imitated but hardly duplicated, has two decades of trusted service with allied armies, global law enforcement and civilians.

Extending its groundbreaking design is a new, all flat dark earth frame and slide. With improved range and accuracy over common pistol cartridges, the NATO-standardized 5.7x28mm, developed by FN, is fired from the chrome-lined cold hammer-forged barrel. Read more

COLUMBUS, GA — ? The compact M-FAK Mini First Aid Kits in Realtree Camo empowers sportsmen with the most requested point-of-wounding equipment in the smallest cube space possible so it can be easily packed along with hunting or fishing gear.

The Sportsman version of North American Rescue’s M-FAK Mini First Aid Kit was designed to be the most compact, multi-use IFAK for delivering immediate critical care for penetrating or other traumatic injuries encountered in the field. At half the size of North American Rescue’s popular T.O.R.K. platform, this M-FAK is currently the smallest platform available in its product offering. Despite its reduced size, this kit comes fully loaded with the critical medical equipment most requested by first responders operating in the line of duty. Read more