Don’t forget that Michigan residents and out-of-state visitors can explore DNR-designated routes and trails without purchasing an ORV license or trail permit Aug. 18-19. All other ORV rules and laws still apply, and the Recreation Passport is required where applicable.

Explore the thrill of the ride yourself or take time to introduce friends and family to Michigan’s 3,700 miles of off-road trails and/or the state’s five scramble areas (St. Helen’s Motorsport Area, Black Lake Scramble Area, Silver Lake State Park, Bull Gap and The Mounds).

If your Labor Day travel plans include crossing the Mackinac Bridge Monday, Sept. 3, please remember that the Mackinac Bridge Authority will close the bridge to vehicle traffic from 6:30 a.m. to noon.

The brief closure is for the safety and security of 2018 Annual Bridge Walk participants. The walk will begin at 7 a.m. in both St. Ignace and Mackinac City, but no busing will be available to transport walkers across the bridge. Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – Judge Brett Kavanaugh must be confirmed to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, which once again confirms the president’s determination to put qualified jurists on the bench who will interpret the Constitution rather than try to reinvent it, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

CCRKBA members, supporters and gun owners in 11 key states – Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin – must contact their senators and urge them to vote for confirmation. Information on senators in those and all other states may be found at www.senate.gov.

“One look at Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications should be enough to convince anyone, especially those sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to confirm his nomination,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Only those who wish to rewrite the Constitution, omitting the Second Amendment in the process, would oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation.”

Gottlieb said CCRKBA has done its homework on Kavanaugh. His dissent on an important case in the District of Columbia that recognized the ban on semiautomatic rifles and a broad registration requirement were not up to Constitutional muster shows that the judge understands and adheres to the individual right to keep and bear arms that is enshrined in the Second Amendment, he noted. Read more

The Department of Justice announced today that 3M Company (3M), headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, has agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold the dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) to the United States military without disclosing defects that hampered the effectiveness of the hearing protection device.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the men and women serving in the United States military from defective products and fraudulent conduct,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Department’s Civil Division.  “Government contractors who seek to profit at the expense of our military will face appropriate consequences.”

“Through rigorous enforcement of the False Claims Act, we protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” said U. S. Attorney Sherri Lydon for the District of South Carolina.  “And in this case in particular, we are proud to defend the integrity of our military programs and ensure that our men and women in uniform are adequately protected as they serve our country.” Read more

Quick actions of two Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers earlier this month resulted in a successful water rescue, saving a woman from drowning in the Manistee River.

CO Sam Koscinski and CO Scott MacNeill were conducting marine patrol on the river in Manistee County when they noticed a distressed female in fast-flowing water, located north of Tippy Dam. Elisabeth Aldridge, 22, of Montague, Michigan, was wrapped around a log being pulled by the current, her head barely above water.

Aldridge and her friends were swimming when the strong current took her further into the river. One of Aldridge’s friends was trying to reach the log where Aldridge was stuck, but struggled against the current. Officers Koscinski and MacNeill arrived on scene and advised the friend to return to shore. Read more

Mossy Oak GameKeepers is excited to announce the GK5 Giveaway.  This giveaway began at 8:00 AM Central Daylight Time (“CDT”) on July 25, 2018, and ends at 11:59 PM CDT on November 30, 2018.

To register for the giveaway, go to https://www.gkgiveaway.com/.  Registering for the GK5 Giveaway enters you in the Grand Prize Drawing and Weekly Prize Drawing.  See the complete line of GameKeeper products at your local Walmart.

The winner of the grand prize will drive off in a fully restored 1972 Custom GameKeeper Edition K5 Blazerpowered by Jasper Engines & Transmissions with a 3 year/100,000 Miles Parts & Labor Nationwide Warranty!

Additional prizes consist of WEEKLY giveaways of a GameKeeper prize package consisting of the following items:

• 1-GameKeeper T-Post Feeder
• 1-9 lb. Bag of BioLogic Perfect Plot Seed
• 1-GameKeeper 25lb Broadcast Seeder
• 1-GameKeeper Shadow Game Camera
• 1-Bag of Full Draw Ground Down Cracked Corn
• 1-Bag of Full Potential Mineral Supplement
• 1-Full Draw Supplement Block
• 1-MEEN Green Fertilizer
• 1-GameKeeper Membership – Logo Cap, Logo Decal
• 1-(.25) Acre Bag of BioLogic Non-Typical Clover
• 1-Year Subscription to GameKeepers Magazine. Read more

The Deer Private Land Assistance Network grant application period is now open, with applications due by Sept. 1.

The Deer PLAN, a cooperative grant program designed to support private-land deer habitat improvement projects in the northern Lower Peninsula, is funded by Deer Range Improvement Program dollars. In 2019, a total of $50,000 will be available through a competitive grant process. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

When food plot guru, Ed Spinazzola, suggested a dynamic combination of plants was worth a try, I listened.  Although I had never tried to plant soybeans and sugar beets

, I did so last year and the results were less than stunning.  But, with another bit of education from the School of Hard Knocks, I’m poised to give it a go, once again.

His advice was sound; it was the execution that was lacking last time around.  The quarter-acre plot had been disked, dragged, and cultipacked with fertilizer and lime added to the mix.  Before that, an application of glyphosate was sprayed to get weeds under control.  However, eliminating a single step in the recipe – a final herbicide application – was enough to spoil all the hard work and expense.  Up came my precious seed – right along with obnoxious weeds to spoil the entre’.  This time it will be different, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.

As bad as the results were, the choked-out beets were there and provided the wildlife some benefit, albeit a pitiful one.  So, a few weeks ago another small site was properly prepared and it became time to wait for the weeds to sprout before zapping them and planting.  Instead of soybeans and beets, brassicas were substituted in place of beans, as a means to hedge the bet.

The seed came from Deer Creek Seed Co. in Wisconsin (www.deercreekseed.com), which specializes in farming and wildlife seed.  The site provides plenty of planting options along with good instructions and a help line, if needed.  The sugar beets, beta vulgaris, are relatively expensive, so it makes sense to become educated before jumping in.  What follows is some of the information relative to sugar beets.

Sugar beets are not only a great crop for sugar production, but are also a fantastic dual-purpose food plot plant.

Deer enjoy the leafy tops for forage and will also dig up the sugary roots to eat in late fall and throughout the winter months. Sugar beets will reach a mature weight of 2-4 lbs. each and provide a solid food source for deer. Cooler weather promotes increased sugar content and makes them an extra attractive food source. To achieve best germination, Deer Creek Seed recommends planting sugar beets at least 1/2 to 1-inch deep.

Since I don’t have a grain drill, Deer Creek suggests broadcasting and to make sure to deeply rake the seed in. After planting, make sure the seed is covered in soil.  But, before that – and here’s where I went wrong last year – wait a week or two before planting so you can hit the second crop of weeds that will come up in the bed with another round of herbicide.  It is also highly recommended to use coated seed!  The coating on its seed is a clay polymer that protects the seed in the soil and helps with water uptake. The coated seed will feed better through any spreader, as well.

The final suggestion is not to over-seed, which is another tendency of the beginner.  More is not better, because crowded plants do not flourish.

With a heavy dose of patience and faith, there’s nothing left but to wait.