Winter Wildlife Management

The winter can be a great time to take a look back on how your season has gone and make a checklist of things you would like to improve in the coming year. Call it a new year’s resolution for wildlife management purposes.

To ensure you can grow the best food possible for all the critters you are trying to manage, late winter can be a great time to soil test. Getting the areas that you plan to plant in food plots or mast producing trees tested and properly amended with the recommended lime and fertilizer will be the best money you can spend. I encourage land managers to get their lime spread in the late winter for a couple of reasons. Ag lime can take months to begin to break down and neutralize the acidity of your soil, the finer the mesh that the lime is screened through at the quarry, the sooner it will break down. If you usually use the local co-op to spread your lime or rent equipment from them to do it yourself, late winter is a good time to get it done before the row crop farmers begin their planting season. Getting your plots amended with the proper amount of lime will increase the effectiveness of your fertilizer which will positively impact the growth and palatability of your spring and fall food plots. Read more

2015 Outdoor Life/Field & Stream Deer & Turkey Expos’ Schedule

PEWAUKEE WI- A host of new features and activities highlight the 2015 Outdoor Life/Field & Stream deer-and-turkey-hunting consumer expos. In addition, Louisville, Michigan and Illinois expos have been moved to more favorable dates, but otherwise it is steady-as-they-go for these popular events.

The 2015 schedule:

• Jan. 30-31 & Feb. 1 LOUISVILLE DEER & TURKEY EXPO (2nd), Kentucky Exposition Center (State Fairgrounds), Louisville, KY

• February 13-14-15 MICHIGAN DEER & TURKEY EXPO (29th), The SUMMIT Sports & Ice Complex, Dimondale, MI (SW side of Lansing).

• February 20-21-22 ILLINOIS DEER & TURKEY EXPO (25th), Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield, IL.

• March 13-14-15 OHIO DEER & TURKEY EXPO (23rd), Bricker Bldg, Ohio Expo Center (State Fairgrounds), Columbus, OH

• April 10-11-12 WISCONSIN DEER & TURKEY EXPO (31st), Alliant Energy Center of Dane County, Madison, WI Read more

Public Land Predator Hunt Permit Yanked

A coyote hunting contest, or derby, if you will, has drawn lawsuits from the usual suspects in Idaho and a public land permit has been rescinded by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Idaho for Wildlife Executive Director Steve Alder said, “We worked very hard with the local BLM to be granted the permit,” he said. “After the BLM refused to grant us a permit last year, they advised us to start the permit process early and we jumped through every hoop they required. They issued us a permit and then the D.C. bureaucrats revoked it. The BLM policies need to be changed, and we will push for more legislative oversight of this out-of-control agency that is now caving to the radical anti-hunters.”

The hunt will go on and details are here…

Hat tip goes to the Outdoorpressroom

Leica Sport Optics Announces Deals on Geovid Rangefinding Binoculars

ALLENDALE, NJ – Leica Sport Optics is offering a special opportunity to purchase all new Geovid rangefinding binoculars at 10 percent off the regular selling price for a limited time only.

Leica Geovid HD-B 42
For high-res Image, Click here

“Our extended Black Friday special represents a unique buying opportunity for those who have been eyeing the innovative Geovid HD-B and other Geovid models,” said Terry Moore, Leica vice president of Sport Optics. “Buyers simply won’t be able to get them for less, but they’ll have to act fast. The time to grab them is during this special.”

This exceptional value is available for in-stock items only from any authorized North American Leica dealer while supplies last.

Widely acclaimed for innovative technologies and benchmark-defining optical performance, all Geovid HD models combine precision laser rangefinding with bright, crystal-clear, perfectly balanced color images.

Leica Geovid HD laser rangefinding binoculars are available with 8x, 10x or 15x magnification, 42 mm or 56 mm objective lens sizes and accurate ranging up to 1,600 yards. The stunningly innovative Geovid HD-B 42 models redefine the sport optics category again with all-new onboard ballistics and optical platforms — with precision ranging to 2,000 yards. Read more

Montana hunters find booming waterfowl numbers

In the Prairie Pothole region, wildlife biologists had estimated the duck numbers up 8 percent since last year’s record numbers – a total of a 43 percent increase over the past 60+ years.

This spring, biologists estimated the duck population to slightly top 49 million birds. That was an 8 percent increase over the record numbers of ducks seen just the year before.

That population represents a 43 percent increase over the long-term average of ducks that have been counted the past seven decades.

Thank you hunters and your conservation contributions in the form of licenses and excise-taxed gear over the years!

Hat tip from The Missoulian here…

Blackpowder Shooters Redefining Accuracy, Performance

GW:  This innovative bullet design looks like a major improvement over typical muzzleloader bullets.

ANOKA, MN – Trophy® Copper Muzzleloader Bullets with B.O.R. Lock MZ™ System from Federal Premium® are designed to maximize the effectiveness of modern, in-line muzzleloaders. Muzzleloading shooters across the nation are now redefining accuracy and performance with this bullet that delivers 200-yard accuracy in a non-sabot bullet design that is easy to load, scrubs fouling from the breech and ensures consistent seating.

The bullet’s exclusive B.O.R. Lock MZ System features an expanding and permanently attached polymer base cup that is forced onto a raised band along the bullet shank. Upon ignition, the polymer base cup expands its diameter to engage the rifling and seal the bore for increased velocity and accuracy. The rear of the B.O.R. Lock MZ cup with its hard, fiber-reinforced polymer ring scours fouling from the breech when the bullet is loaded into the breech. This reduces the need to clean between shots and helps ensure that the bullet is seated at the same depth for every shot.

With no bulky sabot in the way, Trophy Copper bullets require half of the loading force of most sabots, require less cleaning and are approved for hunting in most areas. See video of the projectile in action here.

Like other projectiles in the proven Trophy Copper line, the copper-alloy bullet features a polymer tip with a deep, hollow cavity and skiving that allows for consistent, devastating expansion and maximum weight retention. With its high ballistic coefficient, the bullets produce flatter trajectories and less wind drift to increase maximum effective range in the field.

Part No. / Description / MSRP
PMZ50TC1 / Trophy Copper, .50 caliber, 270-grain (15 pack) / $24.99

For more on Federal Premium and its full line of products, visit www.federalpremium.com.

 

2014 Deer Season Biologist Video Updates

Click here to play the videoThe final round of biologist updates for this season are ready for you to view! As we enter the final week of firearm deer season, everyone is curious about what’s happening out in the woods. These biologists will give their take on what they’re seeing, what they’re hearing from hunters in the area, what can be expected based on available food sources and more. This week we hear from biologists Dusty Arsnoe (south central Upper Peninsula), Zach Cooley (southeast Lower Peninsula), Chad Fedewa (central Lower Peninsula) and Nik Kalejs (southwest Lower Peninsula) about what to expect in their part of the state. If you haven’t picked up your deer licenses yet, head to your local retailer or E-License so you don’t miss out on the hunt. Also, don’t forget to tweet your harvest photos on twitter with the hashtag, “#MiDeerPic.” Good luck this last week of firearm deer season!

Bucks in the City – Hunting Metro Whitetails

What a terrible afternoon! Two horseback riders had ridden by down the neighbor’s property line and now the other neighbor’s boy was out on his ATV tearing up the ground. He was buzzing by so close I had to turn my face because the breeze was blowing the dust in my eyes. Disappointed, I was about ready to get down out of my treestand when I saw a slight flicker of antler in the sunlight. My binoculars picked out a massive buck bedded down within 100 yards. Now I couldn’t move, nor did I want to!

The afternoon went on and I cursed the ATV. It was amazing…that buck was bedded within thirty yards of the ATV trail and it never seemed to bother him. Finally the sun dropped behind the trees and the ATV sounds stopped. A couple does popped-up from their beds and ambled by. There were dry leaves but I could hardly hear them, because even though the ATV noises had stopped, rush hour on the highway sounded like flies buzzing in my ears.

My binoculars stayed glued on the buck. At long last he finally rose-up and stretched. He did a good scent-check of the area, waved his nose in the air and started browsing in my direction. To make a long story short, I drove an arrow through both lungs when the buck reached 22 yards and he expired seconds latter about 100 yards away.
Read more

Inferno Series Hand Pouch Featuring Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity

CHICAGO, IL – Roo Outdoor unveils the Roo Inferno Series Hand Pouch. The Roo Inferno is a sleek and modernized, patent-pending, hand pouch that combines superior weather protection with the most innovative and technically advanced insulation technology to keep hands warm in an active environment.

The Roo Inferno offers a revolutionary combination of fabrics and features, which deliver functionality and efficiency to an often-overlooked accessory. The ergonomically designed Roo Inferno is built with PolarTec® Insulation and a lightweight Neo-Shield outer shell that is wind and water-resistant. Both insulation and outer shell layers are engineered for minimal bulk to allow full range of motion during any rugged activity. Read more

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