Category: Hunting

The Gladiator from Rutted-Up Blinds Is Built for Hunting All Season Long

Cantril, IA – The Gladiator from Rutted-Up Blinds is equipped with industry-leading technology to help hunters fill their tags.

Featuring a 7-foot by 7-foot footprint, the Gladiator is built for comfortably hunting all season long in any conditions. The blind’s 11 windows can lock out in any position and are fully smoked while still providing a clear view for firing or filming, even in low-light conditions.

Engineered to withstand heavy loads of snow and last a lifetime, the airtight Gladiator’s roof measures 2-3 inches thick with rigid insulating foam, while the floor measures 4 inches thick with crossmember plywood and half-inch plywood above and below the rigid insulating foam. Fork pockets, which attach to the floor of every blind, are integrated into the base for safe and easy setup. The Gladiator’s steel exterior is finished in Mossy Oak Bottomland with 20-year fade resistance.

The fully insulated interior walls are 1.5” thick comprised of an outer steel layer, rigid insulating foam, and plywood finished off with premium automotive grade sound deadening carpet. The blind’s ceiling features inch-thick sound-absorbing foam, and shelves are constructed of formed steel, powder-coated, and finished with a layer of foam. Read more

Hunting

Win a Fully Guided Hunt Plus 3 Tags

Act Now: Raffle Closes Aug. 14

Remember to buy your tickets for a raffle package that includes seven days of guided hunt services with Dieringer Outfitters (including meals and lodging) plus three hunt permit-tags — one each for black bear, mountain lion and javelina.

Raffle tickets are $15 each. There is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase.

Buy your tickets today!

Details:

  • The deadline to purchase tickets is 9 p.m. on Aug. 14.
  • The winner can hunt all three species for 365 days (Aug. 15, 2024, to Aug. 14, 2025).
  • Raffle tickets must be purchased online, and the buyer must be in Arizona at the time of purchase.

Every dollar raised through the raffle is returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department and managed by the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee. With input from local habitat partners across the state and sponsoring organizations involved in the fundraising, project priorities are determined that provide the most benefit to each species.

In the 18-year history of the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle, more than $11 million have been raised for wildlife and wildlife management in Arizona.

Hunting

Sportsmen’s Alliance Sues CDC on Dog-Import Rule

New CDC Rule Will Dismantle Sporting Dog Breeders Throughout Canada and Europe

The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind a new rule restricting the importation of dogs into the United States. Although the agency’s stated reason for the action is to prevent the spread of rabies, the new rule applies to dogs coming from any country – including Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and many others which the CDC itself classifies as “low risk” or “free” of dog rabies.

“We aren’t going to stand by while CDC cancels sporting dog breeders and hunting or trialing across the border without a fight,” said Dr. Todd Adkins, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “CDC has one speed, and that’s to over-regulate to the point of ruin, so let’s see what a federal judge has to say about this agency running roughshod over the American people once again.”

The CDC rule includes new paperwork requirements and microchips for those who want to enter the United States with a dog and goes on to prohibit any dog under the age of six months from entering the U.S. at all. Health certificates or vaccination records for puppies are irrelevant – puppies are totally banned under the rule.

The new requirements and puppy ban include U.S. citizens who are attempting to re-enter the country after visiting Canada with their dog for hunting, trialing or for any other purpose. There are no exceptions for personally owned dogs. The puppy prohibition also has no exceptions, and this ban will completely crater a thriving community of long-established Canadian sporting dog breeders who send puppies to customers throughout the United States. Similar breeding programs for sporting breeds like Drahthaar (Germany) and Bracco Italiano (Italy) also stand to be decimated.

“CDC either doesn’t know or doesn’t care how destructive this rule is for our members who hunt or trial across the border or get puppies from Canadian or European breeders,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel at the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “Regardless of whether this was done out of ignorance or maliciousness, we are going to protect our community.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Hunting License Sales Remain Steady in 2022-2023

The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) in collaboration with Southwick Associates, has released its annual report on hunting license sales, revealing a relatively steady trend for the 2022-2023 license year. According to the report, over 80% of participating states experienced a change of 5% or less in hunting license sales from the previous year.

In early 2021, the Council conducted a comprehensive survey of state wildlife agencies, which showed an overall increase in hunting license sales by 4.9% from 2019 to 2020. This rise was attributed to the surge in outdoor recreation during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the pandemic extended into its second year, 2021 saw a dip of 1.9% in overall sales, despite the continued high demand for outdoor activities, particularly among nonresident hunters.

The Council revisited the study in early 2023 to track trends in hunting license sales for the 2022-2023 license year. The findings indicated a 3.1% decline in sales compared to 2020-2021 license year. However, the latest report for 2022-2023 showed a much smaller decrease of just 0.3% across the 47 states that participated in the Council’s study, suggesting a stabilization in participation rates.

“The 2022-2023 hunting license sales indicate that participation is likely relatively stable at the national level,” said Swanny Evans, Director of Research and Partnerships for the Council. “This is a positive sign for the hunting and conservation community.”

Key findings from the 2022-2023 report include: Read more

Hunting

Nebraska Commissioners to Consider Bighorn Sheep Season

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider recommendations for a 2025 bighorn sheep hunting season at its Aug. 16 meeting at Fort Robinson State Park.

The meeting begins at 8 a.m. Mountain Time at the park’s Buffalo Soldiers Barracks, 3200 U.S. 20, Crawford.

Staff will recommend authorizing one lottery and one auction permit for the bighorn season, which, if approved, would be Dec. 2-22, 2025.

The commissioners also will consider changing park regulations that would: Read more

Hunting

Hardcore Waterfowl’s New Rugged Series Full Body Mallard

Any waterfowler who has experienced a fluttering wall of mallards descend into a field set will immediately be hooked. There is something about a big flock of ducks swooping in over the decoys that stir the soul – the image is enduring and the stuff of dreams.

Mallards may be the most common duck species on Earth, but don’t expect all of them to be unsophisticated. In recent decades, hunting pressure has increased commensurate with season length and generous bag limits – not to mention better decoy options. It’s likely the old hen out in front of the flock has seen lots of shabby decoys before, and she’s more than willing to sound the alarm for another “go around” – or four – before fading over the horizon.

While field hunting ducks is often a collateral benefit of goose hunting, expecting mallards to center up and finish perfectly in the “hole” over nothing but goose decoys – which was standard operating procedure for decades – isn’t a certainty. While full-body mallard decoys have become a standard item in many goose trailers, there remained plenty of room for improvement, and that’s just what Hardcore Waterfowl has pulled-off with their new Rugged Series Full Body Mallard. Read more

Hunting

Michigan Bear Forum, Furtaker User Group meetings set for August in St. Ignace

Hunting and trapping are an undeniable part of Michigan’s outdoor traditions. New and veteran hunters and trappers and anyone interested in how the Michigan Department of Natural Resources manages wildlife populations are invited to two upcoming opportunities in St. Ignace: the Michigan Furtaker User Group meeting (Aug. 23) and the Michigan Bear Forum (Aug. 24). Keep reading for details about each event, including links to surveys to collect recommendations that will help shape the discussions.

Hunting

Montana Releases 2023 Wolf Report; Population Strong After Increased Harvest

The wolf population in Montana remains healthy, according to the 2023 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report. Increased harvest during the 2023 wolf season has not yet resulted in an estimated decline to the statewide total. However, FWP biologists expect to see a moderate decline in wolf numbers next year resulting from the increased harvest in early 2024.

“We are committed to following the law to reduce wolf numbers to a sustainable level, which means ensuring Montana has a healthy state managed population,” said Quentin Kujala, FWP Chief of Conservation Policy. “The statewide wolf population estimate for calendar year 2023 is approximately 1,100 wolves, similar to 2022. However, we are seeing declines in the estimated number of wolves and wolf packs in Regions 3 and 4, which suggests the combination of hunting, trapping, and conflict management removals can effectively reduce wolf numbers.”

An example of this moderate decline is in FWP Region 3, where wolf population estimates have gradually declined from 214 in 2020, to 178 in 2023. Statewide, wolf harvest from Jan. 1 through March 15 was 176 wolves in 2024, compared to 144 over the same period in 2023. Both trends indicate a moderate decline in wolf numbers FWP biologists expect to be illustrated in the 2024 wolf report that will come out during the summer of 2025.

The estimated statewide wolf population for 2023 was 1,096, just one less than the 2022 estimated population and slightly below the 10-year average of 1,140 wolves but well above recovery thresholds. The number of wolf packs was 181, spread over 66,000 square miles. Total wolf harvest for the 2023-2024 wolf season was 286 wolves, which was an increase from 258 taken during the 2022-23 season.

Livestock conflicts, confirmed livestock losses and wolf removals were all down considerably in 2023, according to the report. Wildlife Services confirmed the loss of 32 livestock to wolves, including 23 cattle and eight sheep; one livestock guard dog was also killed by wolves. This total was lower than numbers from 2012 to 2022. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Apply for Michigan reserved waterfowl hunts Aug. 1-28

Toss your name in the hat for an opportunity to kick off your waterfowl season with a reserved hunt!

Applications are $5, and hunters may apply only once. Apply online at eLicense, on the DNR Hunt Fish app or anywhere DNR licenses are sold. Drawing results will be available Sept. 16.

Reserved hunts will be held in the morning and afternoon on:

  • Oct. 5 and 6 at Fish Point (Tuscola County) and Nayanquing Point (Bay County) state wildlife areas.
  • Oct. 12 and 13 at the Harsens Island Unit of the St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area (St. Clair County) and Pointe Mouillee (Monroe and Wayne counties) and Shiawassee River (Saginaw County) state game areas.

To learn more about dates, locations and bag limits, see the 2024 Reserved hunt drawing information.

Questions about applying or hunting waterfowl? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.

Hunting

Be Heard on Expanding Hunting and Fishing Opportunities on Wildlife Refuges

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued the latest Hunt-Fish Rule in a decades-long process of expanding hunting and fishing opportunities on wildlife refuges and a few fish hatchery lands. The 2024 Hunt–Fish Rule proposes 53 new distinct hunting and sport fishing opportunities on approximately 211,000 acres nationwide in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The final rule will be published in the Federal Register soon and be available at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket Number: FWS-HQ-NWRS-2024-0034

“National Wildlife Refuges are central to the successful U.S. strategy of restoring and maintaining wildlife,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “What makes the strategy successful is the opportunity to harvest wildlife under scientifically determined limits and practices. By promoting this connection between people and wildlife, hunting sustains public support for conservation and pays for the necessary work of maintaining and improving habitat.”

Hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities contributed more than $394 billion in economic expenditures in communities across the United States in 2022, with hunters and anglers accounting for over $144 billion in expenditures, according to the Service’s National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The survey also found that, in 2021, an estimated 39.9 million Americans over the age of 16 fished and 14.4 million hunted. Read more

Fishing, Hunting
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