Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
CONROE, TX – The innovators of LED hunting technology have announced that they are giving away TWO free brand new 7.5″ Driving Light Bars to one lucky Facebook fan!
To enter go to: www.facebook.com/elusivewildlife/
Winner will be announced Friday July 28th at 12pm CST. Read more
The GO HUNT GIVEAWAY is for the avid hunter looking to “up” his arsenal and gear selection. This prize package is guaranteed to make all your buddies jealous next hunting season – so don’t miss your chance to enter! Whether it be extending your hunting season with a new muzzleloader or outfitting your bow with the accessories; this is sure to take hunting to another level.
Included in the total package giveaway is a Rock River Arms LAR-15 Lightweight Mountain Rifle. Read more
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Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Mike Evink and Ben Shively, center, receive the department’s Lifesaving Award on July 13 for their respective actions that enabled two victims to survive serious accidents in the Upper Peninsula and Oceana County earlier this year. Presenting the awards are DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler, far right, and Assistant Chief Dean Molnar, far left.
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Contact: Lt. Skip Hagy (Upper Peninsula), 906-293-5131 or Sgt. Mark Bomay (Lower Peninsula), 231-775-9727
DNR Conservation Officers Mike Evink, Ben Shively cited for lifesaving actions
Victims of U.P., Oceana County accidents survive thanks to officers’ quick reactions
Two Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers were recognized Thursday for saving the lives of accident victims in the Upper Peninsula and Oceana County earlier this year.
Conservation Officers Mike Evink and Ben Shively received the DNR’s Lifesaving Award for their respective actions in the separate incidents. The awards were presented during the regular meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Lansing.
“Conservation Officers Evink and Shively are perfect examples of the type of law enforcement professionals we train our officers to be,” said Gary Hagler, DNR Law Enforcement Division chief, who presented the awards. “Because of their rigorous training and professional demeanors, both officers immediately responded to their respective situations and were able to save lives. The DNR is proud to have Mike Evink and Ben Shively in its ranks.”
In January, Evink’s training was put to the test when he was dispatched to a home in the Upper Peninsula’s Schoolcraft County. A propane deliveryman found Inwood Township homeowner Ronald Haug on the garage floor, unresponsive after being overwhelmed by carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, toxic gas. After attempting CPR, the deliveryman made an emergency phone call before being overcome by the gas as well.
Evink, who was 15 miles away when the call came in, went to the home, maneuvering his four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle through nearly 6 miles of unplowed roads. Both the homeowner and deliveryman were unresponsive when Evink arrived. Evink found Haug had no pulse and that the deliveryman was barely alive.
Evink opened the garage door to provide the victim with fresh air and continued performing lifesaving measures. An ambulance arrived about 15 minutes later and transported the deliveryman to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique, where he recovered. Unfortunately, Haug did not survive. Read more
The redesigned XT Cab package, available with either the Rotax HD10 or HD8 engines, was optimized for enhanced quality and to create a true, fully enclosed Cab system. Along with full-seal cab, the onboard, factory-installed XT Cab kit includes an integrated heat management system was improved to better separate hot air and cool air. The kit also includes new front arched A-arms and sway bar to enhance handling. Along with a true 11-in. (28 cm) ground clearance, the new A-arms also add more overall width.
– NEW Full glass tilt up windshield with wiper and washer kit
The full, high-grade glass windshield is durable and highly scratch resistant. It also includes a wiper and washer kit with a 0.4-Gal. (1.9 L) reservoir for improved visibility in wet weather or muddy conditions. The windshield can also be tilted up (three positions) and outward to increase airflow to the occupants during mild conditions. The switch allowing for opening and tilting the front window was enhanced for increased reliability.
– NEW Full doors with electric opening windows
The Can-am Defender XT Cab features full doors to enclose the occupants within the cab. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
With the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears having grown from a threatening low number of 136 bears in 1975 to a present estimate of 700, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, has announced that federal protections are to be removed. Accordingly, management of the magnificent beasts is to return to the affected states and tribes. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) consists of portions of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho. Grizzly bear populations outside of this DPS in the lower 48 states will be treated separately under the ESA and will continue to be protected.
Success? Not so fast, says the largest anti-hunting organization in the world, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Its lawyers have lined up in advance of the next round of nonsensical court battles between scientific game management and its emotionally charged rhetoric. It matters not that grizzly bears have more than doubled their range since the mid-1970s, now occupying more than 22,500 square miles. Once again, the fight is over hunting.
One thing we’ve learned over the years is that sustainability of any species of game animal is guaranteed, if hunting is permitted. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, it works every time it is employed. Just like so many other North American success stories including whitetail deer, wild turkeys, elk, antelope – you name it. They are all thriving under management plans that use hunting as a primary tool to manage the balance between a growing human population and habitat resources.
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear population was determined to be recovered because multiple factors indicate it is healthy and will be sustained into the future. These factors include not only the number and distribution of bears throughout the ecosystem, but also the quantity and quality of the habitat available and the states’ commitments to manage the population from now on in a manner that maintains its healthy and secure status.
The GYE population of grizzly bears has surpassed recovery goals in both population benchmarks and duration of time meeting those goals, proving that the population is not just recovered, but stable and growing. Moreover, more than 100 grizzly bears have been killed for depredation of livestock or attacks on humans in the last two years – a significant number indicative of the population having reached social tolerance levels within the available habitat.
However, Wayne Pacelle of HSUS states in his blog, “ Specifically, the delisting rule ignores the ongoing existential threat posed to these bears by habitat loss, disappearance of staple foods like whitebark pine and cutthroat trout…”
What is ironic about this statement is that if these essential elements of the bears’ existence actually remain in jeopardy, then why would any group supporting the animals’ welfare take taxpayer dollars for lawsuit expenses earmarked for the very habitat improvements it says are lacking?
Simply stated, it’s to pad its annual $130 million budget and fund its hefty retirement accounts, to stop all hunting, and to put us all on strict diets of vegan shoots and sprouts.
In observation of the Independence Day holiday Thinking Afield will be publishing minimumly on July 3 or July 4 and will resume regular publishing on Wednesday, July 5, 2017.
By fusing HID and LED technology, Lightforce Performance Lighting has developed the ultimate driving light with the HTX Hybrid.
This hybrid light combines 20 LEDs with 80 watts of output to provide an instant flood beam, with a 70 watt HID (high-intensity discharge) bulb within a 170 mm reflector for long distance viewing. Together the two systems provide 8,400 effective lumens of visibility for driving in all conditions.
“By combining HID and LED technology, we are able to provide a combined flood and long-distance light for drivers in a single, durable unit,” said Tarnia Conti, Lightforce Chief Operating Officer. “This eliminates the need for additional light bars and spotlights beyond a single set of HTX Hybrids.”
The HTX comes in a lightweight, fiberglass-reinforced nylon housing, with an extruded 6063 aluminum heat sink to make the LEDs run more efficiently. It is IP69k rated to keep out moisture and contaminants, and features a hard-coated, impact-resistant polycarbonate lens. It also has a genuine Gore®
waterproof membrane, a high-current waterproof connector and thermal overload protection, as well as over, under and reverse voltage protection. Read more
DETROIT — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 17 people during two separate cases on Lake St. Clair, Friday.
Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, the Coast Guard Sector Detroit command center received a call, via VHF Marine Radio Channel 16, from the owner and operator of a 39-foot vessel with 15 people aboard stating that they were taking on water approximately four and one-half miles offshore from the Grosse Point Yacht Club.
The command center watchstander issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, launched a rescue crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Coast Guard Station St. Clair Shores and diverted an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit that was in the area returning from another case.
The crew from Station St. Clair Shores arrived on scene within 10 minutes and began dewatering the boat using a dewatering pump. A vessel from Tow Boat US also arrived on scene and began dewatering with two additional pumps.
The Coast Guard crew then began removing the individuals, all adults, and transferred them back to the Coast Guard Station in three separate trips, which was completed in about 40 minutes. All of the persons were wearing life jackets. Read more
