Federal Kubota Sweepstakes

ANOKA, Minnesota – – Whether it be deer or ducks, bulls or bears, scouting or sighting in: Federal Season is always in full swing. That is why Federal teamed with Kubota to give away a SideKick UTV that gets you, your gear and Federal Premium ammunition to the range, the field, and everywhere in between.

“We are very excited about this Sweepstakes, as it is one of the biggest prize packages Federal has ever done,” said Federal’s Sr. Brand Manager Brian Anderson. “Kubota is a great company with high quality products, and we are proud our brands have engaged together for this valuable giveaway.”

The SideKick UTV grand prize package also includes a big Federal-branded merchandise package including a shirt, hat, gun case, campfire ring and much more. Those entering can also opt-in to receive periodic emails about new products and special offers from Federal and Kubota.

The 2020 Federal Kubota Sweepstakes is open and offered only to current legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and District of Columbia, who are at least 18 years of age or older (or 19 for residents of Alabama and Nebraska) at the time of entry. The Sweepstakes started April 14, 2020 and ends on July 31, 2020. The Random Drawing will take place on or about August 5, 2020. No purchase necessary. Limit one entry per entrant.

For details on how to enter, complete eligibility requirements, prizes, odds of winning, and full official rules, visit www.FederalKubotaSweeps.com. Read more

Most National Parks, Wildlife Refuges Remain Open

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt

America’s public lands belong to the American people. In normal times, many of us regularly visit national parks, wildlife refuges, and other recreational sites spread out across more than 500 million acres of land managed by the Department of the Interior.

The nation’s public lands range from urban parks with roller-skating pavilions to iconic and popular venues for hiking, sightseeing, biking, hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.

But these are certainly not normal times.

President Trump has led and coordinated an “All-of-America” strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic and slow the spread of the virus. Read more

AFTCO Buy-One, Give-One Fishing Mask Program

Santa Ana, CA – After the CDC updated their guidance recommending that all citizens wear a non-medical cloth face covering, AFTCO received an avalanche of requests for our fishing face masks. This opened our eyes to the far-reaching need for masks of any type. We also realized there will be a lot of masks that end up in the trash bin when this is all over.

We are in a unique position to address the urgent need for masks while keeping waste at a minimum. Our reusable fishing face masks perform double duty as CDC recommended cloth face coverings and functional UPF 40+ sun masks. In addition to selling our masks online at reduced prices in order to get them in hands of the public ASAP, we wanted to go one step further. After looking at many successful 1:1 give-back models, we felt compelled to create AFTCO’s own Buy 1, Give 1 Fishing Face Mask Program. Each mask purchased results in a donation to a community member in need. Read more

Face Masks Available from Fishing and Hunting Gear Manufacturers

Minneapolis, MN – The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on Friday new guidance to Americans regarding the use of cloth face coverings to reduce the spread of coronavirus. An excerpt of the CDC’s specific guidance appears below:

We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

Fish Monkey Performance Face Guard (Note: turn vented mouth feature to the side in this application)
Many anglers and hunters may already have a variety of suitable, cloth face coverings on hand in the form of scent-control facemasks, neck gaiters and multi-functional headwear designed for hunting and fishing. Some of these products offer the added benefits of being antimicrobial, odor adsorbing or moisture wicking.

Many of the companies that make these products are reminding their customers that their face covers provide an effective and economical way to comply with the recent CDC guidelines, while reserving N-95 masks for medical workers and first responders on the frontlines battling this insidious virus.

ScentLok makes a variety facemasks. The Savanna Lightweight Multi-Paneled Gaiter offers Spandex binding and insets for a comfortable, next-to-skin fit; three panels with an articulated nose tab, wicking treatment and Carbon AlloyTM technology for maximum odor adsorption.
Many of the companies Traditions Media represents offer such products, including ScentLokGillFish MonkeySt. Croix Rod, and Hobie. Of course, there are others. Read more

Can We Be Protected from Ourselves Too Much?

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media

As each day passes amid these trying days of mandated isolation, we all expect our freedoms to return eventually.  Each of us has fashioned his or her personal means to deal with unprecedented restrictions on mobility and gatherings.  Accordingly, sportsmen and women would seem to have escaped the stranglehold to a lesser extent, because nobody had suggested infringements on simple pleasures such as hunting or fishing.  The noose has since tightened.

Effective at midnight this past Friday, the use of motorized boats in Michigan will be prohibited per an Executive Order (EO) from the governor. This order extends to fishing from a boat with a gas or electric (trolling) motor affixed to it.

A press release from Michigan United Conservation Clubs explains the rationale for the drastic measures, as follows:  In the announcement from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the DNR has written “[It] has received many reports about the heavy use of boat launches across the state and the subsequent congregation of people at these launches in violation of social distancing requirements and in a manner that threatens public health.”

Any hunter knows the most effective way to hit a moving target with a shotgun is to fill the air with pellets and hope for the best.  However, the wise hunter understands there is a certain amount of skill and discretion necessary to hit the intended target without spraying pellets in the line of game that is to be spared.

Take turkey hunting for example.  If a gunner takes aim at a legal gobbler, he must be certain that any shot does not take out adjacent birds, because in Michigan only one bird is legal to kill.  Carelessness can cost a hunter plenty, including fines and the loss of hunting rights in the future.

However, when our governor pulled the trigger on yet another EO, this stroke of the pen contradicted common sense and now prohibits the very type of respite free Michigan could enjoy and were encouraged to participate in by the very same governor.  Outdoor recreation was touted as our safe haven and necessary relief from physical restraints and the mental deterioration related to cabin fever.

While no communication was received in advance of this notice nor does EO 2020-42 specifically address this issue, the DNR states that “Non-motorized boating, such as canoeing, kayaking and sailing, falls within the outdoor activities permitted under the ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ Executive Order. However, the use of a motorboat, jet ski or similar watercraft is not permitted for the duration of the Executive Order, which is currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. [on] April 30.”

Imagine the lives that could be saved if the same approach were to be used to combat traffic fatalities.  For the year 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that 37,461 people were killed for an average of 102 per day.  The simple solution to eliminate all of these related deaths would be to ban driving – a sure cure to save innocent lives.  Horses and mule teams would put a certain end to such accidental casualties.  Ludicrous, you say?

Instead, we applaud the efforts of law enforcement to nab the speeders and reckless drivers.  We take them off the roads; we confiscate their vehicles and driving licenses; it’s called targeted enforcement and is widely accepted as our best tool to minimize risk for us all.

Currently, it is illegal to congregate with any individuals that do not reside within one’s household, and non-compliance is punishable by a civil fine of $1,000.   But, now we cannot fish with a motor on a boat – either electric or gasoline powered – because some folks didn’t obey the stringent mandate.

Although the shotgun approach is meant to save us all, there are sure to be unintended consequences.  And, the only question remaining is how much muscle government will feel compelled to exercise and how much law-abiding citizens will tolerate.

Michigan: DNR Waives Reduced-Stay Fees for Majority of 2020 Camping Season

As we navigate the ever-changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and to help campers feel confident about keeping their summer plans in the books, the DNR is waiving reduced-stay fees through Oct. 31, 2020.

Reduced-stay fees generally are assessed when customers cancel or modify a camping reservation at Michigan state parks and recreation areas and the four state forest campgrounds that accept reservations. The fees are incremental and determined by the length of time a reservation has been held and the number of eligible nights canceled, based on a sliding modification/cancellation formula. Read more

Crop and Livestock Prices Plunge Under Weight of COVID-19 Uncertainty

WASHINGTON – Updated analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation shows crop and livestock prices falling to levels that threaten the livelihoods of many U.S. farmers and ranchers. Shuttered schools, universities, restaurants, bars and cafeterias are no longer buying milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and other food, causing a downward spiral in crop and livestock prices.

Nearby futures prices for nearly all the major crops have dropped by double-digit percentages. Pushed down by a 40% plunge in ethanol prices, corn prices have fallen 15%. Soybean prices are down 10%, while the price for cotton, which is heavily dependent on foreign manufacturing capacity, sank nearly 30%. Buoyed by demand in the U.S. and China, wheat prices have declined only 3%.

On the livestock front, since the beginning of the year, both beef and pork futures prices have declined more than 30%. Milk futures prices have also fallen sharply, with the price for milk used to make cheese down 28% and the price for milk used to make nonfat dry milk falling by 34%. Read more

Michigan: Park and Boating Facilities Open but Social Distancing a Must

LANSING, MICH. To help slow the spread of the coronavirus and in accordance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order, the Department of Natural Resources continues to monitor visitation and adherence to social-distancing requirements at DNR-managed facilities. This means continually assessing needed adjustments to services and closures that best protect visitors, staff and the local communities.

A vast majority of state parks and recreation areas, state-managed trails and boating access sites remain open to provide local opportunities to get outdoors; however, all locations have modified services and/or closed amenities.

Recently, Tippy Dam Recreation Area in Manistee County was closed until further notice due to high numbers of visitors, lack of improper social distancing and people traveling long distances to reach the park.

“Throughout the stay-at-home order, we’ve seen an influx of visitors at state parks, boating access sites and trails,” said Ron Olson, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “In order to continue to keep state parks and trails open, we expect everyone to follow effective social distancing practices, to not litter and not travel long distances to enjoy the outdoors. Read more

NRA Urges Governors to Keep Public Lands Open

Fairfax, VA– The National Rifle Association, along with other pro-hunting organizations, sent a letter to governors of all 50 states on Friday urging them to keep public lands open for hunting and fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, families need access to hunting and fishing grounds so they can put food on the table for their families,” said Jason Oumet, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. “There is no reason why people should be prohibited from spending time alone in America’s wide-open spaces. At its core, hunting is the original social distancing.”

The NRA teamed with the Dallas Safari Club, Hunter Nation and Safari Club International in the effort. The letter outlines the reasons why keeping public lands is crucial during this period while strongly supporting efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing.

In part, the letter reads:

“Closing these areas significantly limits the ability of our nation’s millions of sportsmen and women who take to our woods, waters, and wild lands every year to pursue their passion for the outdoors — an activity that is, at its core, America’s most tradtitional form of “social distancing.” Further, given the economic effects of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to allow hunters and anglers access to healthy and inexpensive sources of food to support their families.”

The letter was sent to governors of all 50 states Friday morning.

Read more

Time on our Hands

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Canceled, postponed, delayed, shut down, and rescheduled are all words we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few weeks.  We’ve added phrases such as “social distancing” to our modern lexicon and continue to wonder how the “new normal” will have evolved.  At the same time many of us have found a strange commodity on our hands and it’s not those latex gloves:  It is time.

All of humankind faces a new dilemma:  work or daytime television.  We can sit there watching a blow-by-blow description of how this maddening virus is affecting people around the globe, all the while hoping it stays away.  It seems as if the virus doesn’t consume us, our thoughts just may, as we sit back and do nothing.  And, being a spectator of daytime television is doing nothing.

As mentioned, work is another option that typically doesn’t make it to the top of the list of things to do.  How many times have we passed by that fence that needs to be repaired or painted?  We no longer have an excuse for not having time even though we are all given the same amount of it.

All those “some-day” projects that never seem to have made it to any daily agenda could easily be part of anyone’s new normal now that we all have time.  Just the other day, I was passing a standing dead red pine that serves no purpose other than to offer perches to local birds.  It suddenly became time to re-purpose that seasoned wood, and even though red pine is not the best source of fuel for my outdoor furnace, it’s fuel nonetheless and has found its way to the wood pile.

If you are anything like me, you many have a firearm that’s been good at collecting dust.  For whatever reason, it doesn’t get used; it could need a good cleaning or maybe some gunsmithing work or a better optic.

A vintage Remington rimfire model 550-1 rifle of mine fits that description has done a fine job of taking up space.  It’s a semi-automatic plinker that has the ability to fire short, long, or long rifle cartridges, but because of a poor choice in optics, hasn’t been used.  The inexpensive red-dot aiming device was meant to improve my ability to compete in speed shooting games, but my old eyes need more assistance than that.  With a few computer clicks, a brand new variable power rimfire scope is on the way.  How exciting!

We may find that the trouble with our current time is that the future is not what it used to be, but this time we have the opportunity to revise it.

Pick a project – any project.  Put it on a list, get it done and then take time to cross it off the list.  Don’t delete it; cross it off.  It feels good!

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