Category: Hunting

Winchester Varmint X Shotshells

By Glen Wunderlich

If you are up for a challenge, hunting coyotes in Michigan is hard to beat.  Although many of the canines are killed during deer season as opportunistic targets, it is quite another matter to actually call them into range and to make that perfect shot.  However, Michigan hunting regulations have changed over the past few years and now give predator hunters some options that can prove to be effective.

 

Hunting from elevated platforms or blinds is now legal but certain restrictions apply for night hunting; it is best to check the game laws before heading afield.  However, shotgun hunting is legal any time of the day or night and can be used in stands above ground.

 

Most people think of shotguns and suitable loads as being a rather short-range proposition and that’s true in a relative sense.  Compared to centerfire calibers or even rimfires, shotguns minimize any chance of ricochets or otherwise errant shots that could be problematic – especially when one cannot see what lies beyond the range of a lighted firearm.  Defining a target at long range in the dark – even with modern LED lights can be difficult.  For this reason, among others, shotguns may be a viable option.

 

A couple of years ago at a media event, I got a first-hand look at a patterning target shot at 60 yards with Winchester’s then-new shotshell offering in its Long Beard XR product and couldn’t believe the size of the tight pattern.  Naturally, when Winchester unveiled its new “Varmint X” line of shotshells, I had to see how these new shells patterned.  The results were impressive.

 

Winchester’s Varmint X® Line now includes a 12-gauge shotshell with Shot-Lok® Technology.  For hunters that hunt in heavy cover, such as is common in Michigan, shotguns can be an ideal choice as either a primary firearm or a close-in option when hunting with a partner outfitted with a rifle.

 

Shot-Lok Technology includes a liquid gel that surrounds the pellets in the shot cup and then hardens. When fired, the shot launches from the barrel nearly perfectly round as the hardened resin fractures and disperses like any shotshell buffer. The result is extremely tight, long-range patterns.

 

Hunters have been able to achieve reliable patterns much farther out than standard shotshell loads of the same gauge and shot size.  In fact, an ardent varmint hunter in Arizona that I know has taken one coyote as far as 90 yards with this ammo, although a follow up shot was required to dispatch the varmint.

 

The new Varmint X shotshell load is available in a 3-inch offering loaded with 1½ ounces of plated BBs that leave the muzzle at 1,300 fps. At 40 yards and beyond, hunters can expect to deliver up to 12 inches of penetration combined with enough devastating knockdown power to handle the largest coyotes, foxes and more.  Current pricing at www.Midwayusa.com puts the ammo at about $14 per 10-round box – far less than other high-tech offerings.

 

In testing at 40 yards with my Browning Silver shotgun and factory Browning turkey choke, the load put 72 pellets in a 30-inch circle out of the total of 73 pellets in the load! 

Patterning Target Winchester Varmint X Shotshells 12 Gauge BBs

In addition, 9 pellets hit the 5 ½-inch bull’s eye.  At 50 yards, this load printed 65 pellets in the 30-inch circle, while still placing 8 of them in the 5 ½-inch bull’s eye.  For reference, BB lead shot is .18″ diameter with a pellet weight of 8.75 grains and to date Winchester’s only option in the new configuration. 

 

A coyote on the move can present a difficult challenge to any shooter, but toting that shotgun afield can be a great equalizer.

Hunting

Amy Trotter Becomes Executive Director of MUCC

Yesterday, Michigan United Conservation Clubs Executive Board named MUCC Deputy Director Amy Trotter the next executive director of the organization. Dan Eichinger submitted his resignation and was appointed as the new director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources by Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer, effective January 1st. He served as MUCC executive director since 2014.

“We are honored to have one of our own be selected to such a prestigious position like DNR director,” said MUCC President George Lindquist. “Dan’s passion for policy and conservation is something we are sure he will carry to his new appointment, and we look forward to working closely with him in his new post.”

Lindquist said the transition from Eichinger to Trotter as executive director will run smoothly because of Trotter’s institutional knowledge and policy background with the organization.

“Amy has dedicated most of her professional career to conservation and Michigan United Conservation Clubs,” Lindquist said. “The board is confident Amy will continue to build on the foundation Eichinger built and help to make MUCC a 21st-century conservation leader.”

Trotter said it is always hard to lose someone as passionate as Eichinger, but she looks forward to working with him in his new position to help promote and enhance MUCC’s position regionally and nationally.

“I look forward to leading the organization I have been dedicated to for the last 11 years,” Trotter said. “Dan and I have known each other for at least a decade, and we are both committed to ensuring that the agency and conservation and hunting, fishing and trapping groups are working together to conserve our natural resources and protect our outdoor heritage.”

Trotter started with MUCC in 2007 as a resource policy specialist, then policy manager and has served as deputy director since 2015. Prior to joining MUCC, Trotter was a consultant for natural resources at Public Sector Consultants, a non-partisan public policy research firm in Lansing.

Trotter earned a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University in Lyman Briggs School-Environmental Science and Management and an additional Bachelor of Science in Resource Development-Environmental Studies and Applications. She also completed the Natural Resources Leadership Project and the Michigan Society of Association Executives’ Academy of Association Management.

Trotter is from Cheboygan, Michigan and resides in Haslett with her husband Marc and two daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family in the outdoors, including camping, waterfowl hunting and is dabbling in native plants and periennial gardening. She is also a longtime member and volunteer for Ducks Unlimited.

Since 1937, MUCC has been committed to protecting the rights of hunters, angler and trappers in Michigan.

Fishing, Hunting

Lame Duck Politics in Michigan

Legislative Roundup from MUCC

  • SB 1035 – Property tax exemption for charitable sportsmen’s clubs — Unfortunately, this was our biggest loss this session. When everything shook out, townships, municipalities and school districts were able to swing votes their way citing the unknown, potential loss of revenue. MUCC learned on Thursday morning that we were not going to have the votes in the House to get this to Gov. Snyder. This issue will continue to be a top priority for MUCC in 2019 as we look to rework the bill and make it feasible for all those involved. It will require reintroduction with a new bill number and must go through the process all over again.
  • HB 5321 – Moratorium on the sterilization of game species in Michigan — Gov. Snyder signed Rep. Cole’s bill into law earlier this week, and it was a bill that Michigan United Conservation Clubs helped to craft and get across the finish line. HB 5321 did meet resistance, but the compromise language provides a four-year moratorium preventing the DNR from issuing “research permits” that allow the sterilization of game species. After four years, it will be up to the DNR, NRC and stakeholders to decide if sterilization is an effective method of managing game species using the “research” outcomes gained in Ann Arbor during the city’s ongoing sterilization project. MUCC is optimistic that scientific research will not validate sterilization as an effective tool for the management of game species, and that hunters will continually be the primary managers of Michigan’s game species.
  • Michigan Pheasant Hunter Initiative — MUCC was informed early this morning that our request for supplemental funding did make it into the final budget bill, SB 601. The supplemental appropriations bill will now head to Gov. Snyder who will have the ability to sign, or line-item veto certain parts of the the legislation. This initiative was a 2017 MUCC resolution that passed unanimously through our Annual Convention. The initiative looks to create more pheasant hunting opportunities on state lands in Michigan.
  • SB 1211 —  Dubbed Casperson’s “wetland destruction act” — Initially, MUCC was opposed to this bill along with numerous other conservation groups throughout Michigan. In its final form after midnight today, MUCC, along with many of our partners who have worked tirelessly on this bill, stands neutral. Most of the language weakening wetland protections that raised flags throughout the environmental and conservation communities has been removed. MUCC Deputy Director Amy Trotter said, “Sportsmen and environmental organizations teamed up together on direct and grassroots advocacy to drain the ‘wetland destructions act.'” Currently, this bill is awaiting Gov. Snyder’s decision.
  • HB 5854-5855—Voluntary Wetland Restoration Program. Not to be confused with the above, this proactive legislation spearheaded by Ducks Unlimited, sponsored by Reps. Howell and Bellino and supported by MUCC heads to the Governor to create a program to streamline permits for voluntary wetland restoration work done by an agency or non-governmental organization.
  • SB 1145 — This bill would have allowed the harvest of lake trout by commercial fishermen, which has been prohibited since the 1960s. This Sen. Casperson bill, if passed, could have had serious ramifications for not only lake trout, but also could interfere with the upcoming tribal negotiations on the Great Lakes Consent Decree beginning next year. MUCC stood with the charter boat industry, Trout Unlimited, the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association, and Hammond Bay Area Anglers in opposition and stopped this bill from coming out of committee. We look forward to working together in 2019 on comprehensive updates to the commercial fishing law.
  • SB 1258-1259 — Unfortunately, the recreation passport opt-out was a late-introduced bill that never got legs in the House, after passing the Senate last week. This legislation would have every vehicle automatically pay for the recreation passport unless the owner opted out, potentially raising more funding for state and local parks operations and maintenance. MUCC will continue to look for long-term funding opportunities to ensure our parks and recreation infrastructure can be maintained into the future.
  • SJR O, SB 763, SB 931-932 — This package introduced by Sens. Casperson, Hansen and Booher, in its final version, was widely supported by the conservation and recreation community and made changes to capture the next rollover of the oil and gas revenues, currently going into the State Parks Endowment Fund (SPEF), to put them back into the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund once SPEF reaches is cap. SJR O will be a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot to increase the flexibility of the funding to invest in both land acquisition and recreational development projects.
  • HB 6123— After yet another battle earlier this year over potentially dangerous changes to our water withdrawal law, this bill led by Michigan Trout Unlimited seeks to reauthorize the water use advisory council to make recommendations to the state on improvements that can be made on the use of data and models, and to the process for using the water withdrawal assessment tool. MUCC supports this legislation that was sent to the Governor this morning.
Fishing, Hunting

QuietKat 2019

For 2019 QuietKat bikes have a new frame design and upgraded battery system! The new frame features a new battery which loads from the side, and an updated battery management system which provides more efficient power to the motor. The frame has been redesigned to allow for a lower stand-over height, and increased handling performance. This new frame is available in the Apex, Warrior, Predator, and Ambush models. A hub-drive version is available for the Ranger and Rover models. Also for 2019, an all-new 17” frame is available for riders 5’3-6’ tall. This frame features the same quality and dependability you expect from QuietKat, but in a smaller frame design for the Denali, Canyon, Sequoia and Zion models. Colors for 2019 include Charcoal and QuietKat Camo. Our folding bikes get a big upgrade, with the addition of the Ultra-Drive motor on the Voyager, now available in 1000w and 750w versions! The re-designed Bandit model now features a hub-drive system at a great price!

Hunting

Michigan deer cooperator patch always a keeper; help create design for 2019

Since the early 1970s, the Michigan Deer Management Cooperator Patch – with a new look and design every year – has been a collector’s item for many hunters around the state. The DNR again is asking the public’s help in designing the next patch.

“We had a great response last year with over 200 submissions,” said DNR outreach assistant Emilie O’Grady. “We’re expecting this year’s contest to bring in even more creative designs.”

The DNR provides the patch as a thank-you to hunters who bring their deer to check stations during hunting seasons. At check stations, DNR staff members collect valuable data about the state’s deer population for a given season – things like the age and sex of the deer taken, locations where hunters have been successful, and an overall look at herd health.

The contest is open to everyone. Those interested in participating in this year’s contest should submit their designs by Feb. 1. Patch designs may be done in any medium, but must be hand-drawn or printed and include a maximum of seven colors. Read more

Hunting

Paying Dues Pays Off in Late Season Deer Hunt

By Glen Wunderlich

A self-imposed, one-buck limit meant my friend, Joe, and I were finished for the season in search of antlered whitetails.  Joe had taken a fine 8-point buck during archery season and I had the same good fortune with only two days remaining in regular firearms season.  Those successes would have us afield for some late-season antlerless venison.

The first Saturday of muzzleloader season – the season in which hunters no longer are required to use muzzleloaders in the southern zone of Michigan – Joe and I sat together in a blind overlooking a 6-acre field of clover with a half acre of brassicas in a small food plot.  The bright sun was directly in our faces and was about a half hour before sunset, when we observed several deer entering the field somewhat over 100 yards from us.  Neither of us was interested in attempting long shots, so we were content to watch the show.

To our amazement, a heavily antlered buck with headgear stretching beyond its ears in both directions began feeding with the does.  For some 20 minutes the large buck mingled peacefully with the other feeding deer and both of us could only hope that the brute would survive through what was left of the deer hunting seasons.  As entertaining as it was to witness such a spectacular animal as it fed in the open, we had other plans and antlers were not part of them.

As the sun sank, it became more problematic for us and kept us toward the back of the blind, where we maintained our vigil.  Before long Joe whispered, “Don’t move.  There’s one right in front of us.”  In short order within 60 yards, one deer after another appeared from behind a stand of spruce trees.  Neither of us was in position to shoot and there was no way we could move a muscle without being detected by one particular doe that was tuned in to our position.  It stood right there and kept us pinned down, while the rest of the group fed.  The seasoned doe kept an eye on us and without notice, decided that our presence could no longer be tolerated and led the entire group away from us into cover. 

The following day, Joe brought a lady companion with him for a chance to see that big buck from the same blind we hunted the day before.  I would hunt from a portable blind some 150 yards from them – one that faced the south, and therefore, not directly toward the sunshine.  We wished each other luck, as I ducked into the hideout and they continued to theirs.

I zipped the shelter closed and sat on a bucket preparing for the afternoon hunt.  With the zippered windows closed, I opened my backpack and got my gear ready.  The sling was removed from my .450 Bushmaster rifle, the two-way radio’s earpiece was placed in my ear, my camo head net was positioned, a set of hard-shell ear muffs was put into place to soften the ear-piercing muzzle blast and a rangefinder was removed from the pack. 

All of this commotion was totally hidden in the relative darkness of the blind and finally it was time to unzip the canvas window openings.  A small side window was first and then a large two-zippered window in the front was next.  Zip, zip.  I rolled the material upward and there, not more than 45 yards, were two deer in front of me.

I did my best to line up the mature doe, but it was staring right at me.  I held my motionless position waiting for the suspecting animal to look away.  I finally got my chance to level the crosshairs on the deer but two factors kept me off the trigger:  I didn’t want a frontal shot and the uncontrollable adrenaline rush had my heart beating like I was on a treadmill.

I had to settle the crosshairs down and the doe had to turn for the proper, broadside opportunity.  A good hold and smooth trigger squeeze were the ingredients for an ethical take of another Michigan whitetail.  I had paid my hunting dues, and just like that, another deer hunting season had ended

Hunting

“A Sapir Sampler” Features Articles from Glenn Sapir

Handsome, new book is a treasure trove from an award-winning writer

Putnam Valley, NY—The first collection of articles —167 of them—by veteran and prize-winning author Glenn Sapir has been thoughtfully selected and published in a new, leatherette-bound volume, “A Sapir Sampler: Favorites by an Outdoor Writer.” Sapir has enjoyed a long and storied career, not only having written for a wide variety of publications, but also having been the first person to serve on the editorial staffs of what was considered “The Big Three” of outdoor magazines—Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield. His writing has been recognized with an impressive list of awards, including lifetime excellence in craft honors from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. He has been inducted into the New York Outdoorsman’s Hall of Fame.

“Having retired from full-time work in 2014, after first beginning my career in 1970, I had amassed a tremendous collection of feature articles and columns I’d written for a variety of magazines and newspapers,” Sapir said. “I wanted to select some of my favorites from 1970 until, as it turned out, 2018, and share them with family, friends and interested readers.”

What was originally envisioned to be a small collection grew to a 480-page book. The articles are divided into four categories—Family and Friends, Destinations and Adventures, Interesting People and Mixed Bag—and the articles range from fishing for char in an Arctic Ocean tributary to angling for peacock bass in the Amazon basis. The hunting articles vary from pursuing caribou and moose in remote Newfoundland to stalking mule deer in Montana’s Missouri Breaks. Mixed with those many far-flung adventures are accounts of outings close to home in the author’s beloved Hudson Valley in New York. Read more

Hunting

Summit Unveils Flagship in New Line of Ground Blinds

BIRMINGHAM, AL — For nearly four decades, Summit has proudly provided hunters with the industry’s safest, most innovative, and most comfortable treestands. For 2019, the company’s passion for putting hunters in a position to succeed is on display once more in an all-new series of state-of-the-art ground blinds. Comprising four different models, Summit ground blinds deliver the premium design characteristics and exceptional manufacturing for which the brand is known—and at truly affordable prices.

The flagship blind in the series—the Viper—is available in 3- and 4-person versions. The Viper combines numerous proprietary technologies designed to give you every advantage when hunting from the ground. Its Hush Silent Hatch hinged doorway system enables stealthy entry/exit without using a zipper. The windows feature TruViewTM panels, which perfectly match the blind’s camouflage exterior, but allow for an unobstructed, near-360-degree view from the inside. The panels silently adjust up and down the integrated tracks of the Split Silent Slide system for easy concealment customization and for when shot opportunities present themselves.

Gone are the days of wrestling your ground blind back into its carry bag. The Viper features the innovative yet super-simple Snap WrapTM carry system—a durable nylon sheet that securely holds the folded blind during transport and doubles as an in-blind gear organizer during the hunt. The Snap WrapTM features five large pockets for all of your hunting accessories. Read more

Hunting

The Super Goose Flapper HDi from Lucky Duck

Once again Lucky Duck sets the bar high for motion decoys. The new Super Goose Flapper HDi is going to change the way you hunt and the way you flag birds.

With an innovative and patent pending design, the Super Goose Flapper has an increased range of motion that is as natural as it gets. This is the first goose flapper to operate on a lithium-ion battery, which means it can withstand any weather and provide consistent power. The battery and remote receiver are stored in a completely sealed battery box that keeps weather out. Module has external charging, on/off operation, and remote program. This flapping wing decoy is designed to be used similar to a flag by keeping the focus away from the hunter and blind. The magnetic wings are reversible, with life-like wing print on one side and solid black on the other for long range visibility. Made of durable EVA plastic that will withstand years of punishment, flocked head for added realism, and 5 speed settings that are controlled by the HD remote. The Super Goose Flapper has a wing span of 50” and the head is 25” off the ground. Shop now on Lucky Duck’s website: Super Goose Flapper HDi. Also available in Snow Goose and Specklebelly Goose. Read more

Hunting

Michigan: late antlerless firearm deer hunt in southern Alpena County planned for January 2019

Option to donate your deer to help others

A late antlerless firearm hunt on private land in southern Alpena County will be held Jan. 3-6 and 10-13. The Department of Natural Resources is offering this season to provide an opportunity for deer management at a localized scale in the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) area. The hunt area is private land south of Highway M-32 in Alpena County. Read more

Hunting
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