As the Nov. 15 firearm deer season opener nears, Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers encourage hunters to brush up on safety tips and hunting regulations to ensure a safe, enjoyable experience.

“Firearm deer season is a special time of year in Michigan,” Cpl. Dave Painter said. “It brings family and friends DEER 3 COPYtogether in celebration of our state’s great outdoor heritage. Staying safe, knowing the laws and being good stewards of our resources will help hunters have a memorable outing.”

Painter reminds hunters that a mandatory deer check is in place within certain areas of the state due to the confirmation of chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose. Hunters harvesting a deer in these CWD areas must bring it to a DNR check station within 72 hours. Visit mi.gov/deercheck for a map and list of check stations.

Regardless of where deer are harvested in Michigan, the DNR encourages all hunters to voluntarily take them to the nearest check station to help with disease surveillance. In addition, big-game hunters who travel outside of Michigan should be aware of new regulations restricting the importation of harvested cervids.

Painter also offered the following general safety tips:

• • Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
  • Keep your finger away from the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.
  • Keep the safety on until you are ready to fire.
  • Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
  • Be certain of your target, and what’s beyond it, before firing.
  • Know the identifying features of the game you hunt.
  • Make sure you have an adequate backstop. Don’t shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
  • Unload the firearm before running, climbing a fence or tree, or jumping a ditch.
  • Wear a safety harness when hunting from an elevated platform. Use a haul line to bring the unloaded firearm up and down the raised platform.
  • Avoid alcoholic beverages or behavior-altering medicines or drugs before or during a hunt.
  • Always wear a hat, cap, vest or jacket of hunter orange, visible from all sides, during daylight hunting hours, even if hunting on private land. The law also applies to archery hunters during firearm season.
  • Make sure at least 50 percent of any camouflage pattern being worn is in hunter orange.
  • Always let someone know where you are hunting and when you plan to return. This information helps conservation officers and others locate you if you become injured or lost.
  • Carry a cell phone into the woods. Not only does it let you call for help if necessary, but newer phones emit a signal that can help rescuers locate you. Also consider downloading a compass or flashlight app.
  • Program the DNR’s Report All Poaching (RAP) line (800-292-7800) in your phone contacts so you can alert conservation officers to any natural resources violations you may witness.

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Baldwin, WI- Introducing the Rebel from Lucky Duck Premium Decoys, a brand new electronic game call. The Rebel is the most recent release in Lucky Duck’s ground-breaking game call lineup. This remote controlled, economy priced e-caller features extreme volume, one-of-a-kind sound library, and motorized decoy. Read more

ICOtec has a new caller scheduled for delivery to the market place in January 2018. The much louder and larger product has been designed for predator hunters in wide open, windy or mountainous terrain. Adding this larger and more expensive product to our electronic game call line up was not an easy decision since our success has been built on a very low price point. Although the pricing for ICOtec calls and decoys is one of the industry’s lowest, our customers do not sacrifice on quality, performance or value.

The Outlaw will host the following features: 900 feet remote control range, large 10 watt PA speaker, ability to play two separate sounds at the same time, the ability to pause and restart either call sound separately, save up to 20 favorite sounds for instant recall for fast sound file access, large remote display screen with larger font, day and night display settings with brightness adjustment, display sleep mode settings, sound file spacing options for automatic sound delay, external speaker port for additional volume in extreme conditions, a free electronic decoy included, tripod mount and much more. Read more

The Defender 940 is a super compact surveillance camera that takes both nighttime images and videos using invisible IR illumination for the best concealment in any application. The Defender 940 also features Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity via the free Browning Trail Cameras mobile app that allows you to preview and download crisp 20MP images and full HD quality videos right to your mobile phone or tablet without disturbing your camera in the field. The free mobile app also allows users to adjust camera settings, and even view a live preview feed from the camera, right in the palm of your hand, up to a distance of approximately 60 yards.
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MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is heading to the sunny Southwest to hold its 2018 Elk Camp March 15-18 in Chandler, Arizona.”There is nothing like the energy and enthusiasm generated by our members and volunteers at Elk Camp,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “We are excited to get together in Arizona to celebrate our conservation mission and milestones.”

As of July 1, 2017, RMEF has conserved or enhanced more than 7.14 million acres of elk habitat and opened or improved access to 1.15 million acres for hunters, anglers, hikers and others to enjoy. RMEF recently eliminated alllong-term debt for the first time in its 33-year history and is also riding eight consecutive years of record membership growth. Read more