Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
From the Livingston Daily
Michigan legislators have shot down efforts to use drones in hunting.
The state Senate last week passed legislation that would not only ban hunters from using drones to track game but ban other groups from using drones to track hunters. Read more
After nine months of competition, Erika Bergmark earned the coveted title of 2015 Extreme Huntress. The 24 year old resident of a small town in Sweden is an avid and passionate hunter– sometimes logging over 150 days per year in the field. Bergmark reloads her own ammo and built her own shooting range so she can properly hone her rifle skills. Learn more
Are you the next Extreme Huntress?
Now accepting applications for the 2016 Extreme Huntress™ Competition, presented by Brownells®. The deadline to enter is April 15, 2015.
Gene Lumsden, CEO of Legacy Sports International, Inc. is proud to announce the addition of a new line of semi-auto shotguns from Pointer. The New Pointer Semi-autos are a family of gas actuated shotguns in Turkish walnut or a beautiful gray laminate. The walnut models come in 12, 20 and 28 gauges, while the gray laminate is available as a 12 gauge. All have 28 inch barrels, a 5+1 magazine capacity and a magazine cut-off for qiuck load changes. All four shotguns come with fiber optic front sights. Each Pointrer Semi-auto has five interchangeable chokes in F, M, IM, IC and CL constrictions. Read more
Whether you are a hunter, an angler or simply sitting inthe bleachers watching a sporting event, when it is cold, there is nothing like a good handwarmer to make your time outdoors bearable. The ThermoTrek from Celestron is a rechargeable handwarmer that offers six hours of guaranteed, comforting warmth. Try a ThermoTrek, and it will change the way you think about handwarmers and dealing with cold weather. Read more
This year marks Outdoor Life’s 117th birthday. Over the decades, the magazine has accumulated hundreds of thousands of pages of adventure and outdoor knowledge.
Now, you can access the best outdoor writing and stories of the past century Outdoor Life’s digital archives. That includes access to illustrated covers, classic Jack O’Connor stories, amusing reader letters, and even the old advertisements that ran alongside them. Even without a subscription, you can browse through every cover. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
Michigan and other states, as well, understand wild game management. In fact, by virtue of how well wildlife is managed is demonstrated in one word: sustainability. Nowhere in the history of regulated hunting has game suffered at the hands of hunting to the point that any game species has been threatened with extinction. Thoughtful leaders have adhered to the strict guidelines of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and dutifully brought back countless wild animals from the brink of being wiped out. Such is the case with the Great Lakes wolves.
Yet, federal judge Beryl Howell has ruled that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) could not de-list wolves under its distinct population segment rule, in part, because Congress had never manifested an intent to approve the use of the distinct population segments for de-listing a species, though the rule could be used to list species. Read more
For the first time, Michigan recorded no fatalities during all hunting seasons in 2014, according to reports compiled by the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. Ten incidents involving injuries were recorded in the state – nine in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula.
“We had 10 incidents reported for 2014, which ties with last year for the fewest number of reportable hunting incidents since Michigan started tracking them in the 1940s,” said Sgt. Tom Wanless of the DNR’s Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section.
“What makes 2014 the safest on record is that for the first time we had no fatalities,” Wanless added. “Michigan’s hunter education program, and the dedicated volunteer instructors who are the backbone of it, is a big reason we have been experiencing a low number of hunting incidents.”
With more than 729,000 base licenses sold in 2014, Michigan’s hunting injury/fatality rate per license is .001 percent. The base license is required to purchase any hunting license.
Of the 10 incidents reported in 2014, four involved small game hunters, two involved waterfowl hunters and four involved deer hunters. One of the deer hunting incidents occurred during the early antlerless season in September and one was in December’s late antlerless season. Two incidents were reported during the firearm deer hunting season from Nov. 15-30. One incident took place Nov. 20 in Osceola County, while the other happened Nov. 25 in Oakland County at Bald Mountain Recreation Area.
Information on the hunting incidents recorded in 2014 and so far in 2015 can be found online at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers under Law Enforcement Reports.
The Limb Shaker Calling Kit contains the new Limb Shaker Friction Call and Limb Shaker Owl Hooter. The Limb Shaker Friction Pot Call has a ready to play pre-sanded glass surface and comes with a Green Mountain camo striker. It easily produces all the sounds of a hen turkey, including high-pitched yelps and cuts.
The Limb Shaker Owl Hooter is an easy-to-use call that helps hunters locate gobblers early and late in the day. The reed-style call has a realistic raspy sound with three holes in the end to funnel the sound for added volume. It allows hunters to call softly when gobblers are near or louder for birds farther away. Loud or soft, it sounds like a real owl. Read more
The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) announced a new partnership with the Outdoor Film Festival and Tour earlier this year. During its annual business conference March 18-21 in Springfield, MO, POMA will showcase submissions in the Whitetail Short Film category.
“Outdoor filmmakers, whether specializing in TV or short form, will find the POMA annual business conference to be a great opportunity for learning more about the industry and for networking with other professional filmmakers,” said Tom Opre, POMA president and a 26-year veteran filmmaker. Read more