Benneli ETHOS Demonstration by Ron Spomer

Benelli’s ETHOS has been on the market for just a few months, and rave reviews are coming in as fast as the shotgun swings on a game bird or target. The latest report by noted outdoor personality and author Ron Spomer on his Ron Spomer Outdoors YouTube channel spells out in no uncertain terms the superb functionality and shootability of the brand’s newest semi-auto.

Calling the ETHOS “the ultimate refinement” of the renowned Benelli Inertia system, he goes on to illustrate its compatibility and flawless interchangeability with virtually any 12 gauge 2 ¾” and 3″ ammo from light to heavy loads. Ease of loading and unloading, assembly and disassembly and even some select footage of Spomer’s trademark field marksmanship highlight the short video.

Already named shotgun of the year by both Petersen’s Hunting and Guns and Ammo, the ETHOS continues to grow its fan base of hunters and shooters, from professionals like Ron Spomer to tried-and-true sportsmen and women in the field and at the range. The ETHOS represents years of research and development-it cycles anything and everything in 2 ¾ or 3″, from 7/8 ounce to magnum loads flawlessly-and interchangeably. With other features like reduced weight, enhanced sights and shim-adjustable comb and drop for the perfect fit, the ETHOS is available nationwide at dealers carrying Benelli shotguns and products.

Optical Issues for Hunters

By Glen Wunderlich

The end of regular firearms deer season signals a more normalized routine for deer that had become almost invisible to the throng of orange. It’s almost incomprehensible how even an abundant population present in much of Michigan’s southern zone seems to vanish totally when all those crunching boots march into their habitat. We wonder: Where did they go?

Obviously, some have been stowed into freezers and canning jars; the most fortunate of the herd receives a crash-course in survival and dwells in cover so thick the average hunter dares negotiate. However, in the two weeks that have passed, deer sightings in the open have increased.

What is different, though, is how little shooting time is left in a given day when deer become active. Prime time is concentrated into about 30 minutes of waning daylight that presents a challenge to the human eye: available light.

Without good optics a hunter is at the mercy of his naked eyes. Younger hunters, however, have the advantage of eye muscles that allow the eyes’ pupils to be held open at a larger diameter than older folks. In fact, by age 60 a person’s eyes have lost over 40 percent of their ability to access available light; by age 70, the decrease is over 50 percent, as explained in Modern Hunting Optics by John Barsness.

Binoculars and firearms scopes also have “pupils” referred to as exit pupils. And, here’s where the older generation can regain the advantage of youth. The larger the exit pupil of an optic is, the more light it can produce to the eye. Applying a simple formula, based on a given optic, indicates the level of light being presented by dividing the size of the objective lens (the forward lens of an optic) by the magnification. For example, my compact Leupold Katmai binoculars are 8 power with 32mm objective lenses, giving an exit pupil value of 4. Yet, the scope on my muzzleloading rifle is a variable power from 2.5 to 10 power with a large objective lens of 50mm.

Even at full-power magnification, the scope’s exit pupil is larger than the binoculars The science of mathematics was revealed to me, as I glassed a number of deer in the last 10 minutes of legal shooting time on an overcast afternoon stand a few days ago. I had learned first-hand the disadvantage of compact binoculars. Sure they are convenient to carry, but when deer activity begins to pick up in the twilight, the smaller lenses can put a hunter out of business before the final bell tolls.

There’s more to the equation than the size of the glass and it comes in the form of quality and coatings. And, this all comes in the form of cash, although the amount required is far less today than it was some 25 years ago, because of advancements in technology.

You won’t see a difference peering through scopes in the bright lights of any retail outlet, but the advantage of superior optics becomes clear as day when light is fading to nothingness. In summation, when you are shopping for optics, understand that better glass will pay dividends in the form of prime time afield.   It’s your choice to be thoroughly involved when the action picks up or to pack up.

SCI: Thanks to NJDEP for Continuing Bear Hunt Despite Interference by Anti-Hunting Groups

Washington – Special to The Outdoor Wire – With New Jersey’s weeklong black bear hunting season now under way, Safari Club International (SCI) again thanks the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for continuing with the hunt, despite incessant cries from anti-hunting zealots for its cancellation. For several years, SCI has fought successfully in court to protect the annual bear hunt, defeating the anti-hunting groups repeatedly.

Black bears are the largest land mammal in New Jersey. As the NJDEP has found, they are an integral part of the state’s natural heritage and a vital component of healthy ecosystems. However, for NJDEP to properly manage New Jersey’s ecosystems, they need to manage the number of black bears at a sustainable population in the northwest region of the state.

Controlling black bear numbers improves public safety by reducing the number of bear encounters with humans. The citizens of New Jersey this year became keenly attuned to the need to intensify such management when a college student hiking in a nature preserve was fatally mauled by a black bear in September. Read more

Dove Lethality Study, More in Latest LSON

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently released a multi-year study on lead versus nontoxic load and their lethality on dove.

The report came to some very interesting conclusions; mainly the type of shot used has no statistical difference when it comes to killing dove. To read more about what the study found, pick up a copy of Lone Star Outdoor News, available today online at LSONews.com and on newsstands. Read more

One for the Bucket List: ZEISS Announces Pronghorn Dream Hunt Contest

NORTH CHESTERFIELD, VA – Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium, high performance sports optics, is launching an online contest for serious hunters to win a chance for themselves and a hunting partner to scratch one off the bucket list — a three-day pronghorn antelope dream hunt in Wyoming.

ZEISS, in partnership with Rough Country Outfitters and Friends of NRA, are offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for two hunters, 21 years or older, who are legal residents of the United States or Canada, to experience an all-expenses paid, guided pronghorn antelope dream hunt in September 2015. Hunters can enter by visiting the Carl Zeiss Hunting US Facebook page (click here). The opportunity to enter begins December 10, 2014 and closes January 9, 2015. Read more

Ohio Senate Passes Landmark Firearms Legislation

COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Senate passed substitute H.B. 234 by a vote of 8-2. The bill now heads back to the House for a concurrence vote and on to the Governor.

As passed by the Senate, Substitute H.B. 234 makes a significant number of changes, such as allowing the use of suppressors while hunting, aligning concealed carry with laws for firearm possession, allowing active military to carry handguns, correcting the definition for automatic firearms, and much more. Read more

MI DNR finds 2014 firearm deer harvest down from last year

The 2014 firearm deer season wrapped up Nov. 30, and challenging conditions and lower deer numbers in some areas likely have led to fewer deer being taken this year. Each year the Department of Natural Resources generates preliminary estimates of the firearm deer harvest shortly after the season closes. Those estimates are later replaced by a rigorous assessment of harvest and participation over all deer seasons using an annual hunter mail survey.

The 2014 firearm deer season harvest appears to have decreased in all regions this year, but particularly in the Upper Peninsula. Experiences can differ widely within regions. DNR biologists estimate that, compared to 2013, the harvest was down approximately 30 to 40 percent across the Upper Peninsula, decreased perhaps as much as 10 percent in the northern Lower Peninsula, and was down about 5 percent in the southern Lower Peninsula.

Deer populations in the Upper Peninsula are down after two severe past winters. The DNR significantly reduced antlerless quotas prior to this season and has invested in habitat improvement and research assessing the role of predators, habitat and weather conditions in driving U.P. deer abundance. The 2014 deer season forecast indicated hunters should expect to see fewer deer in the region, and some locations also saw more than 40 inches of snow accumulation before the firearm season opened, making hunting access challenging and driving deer to migrate out of such areas earlier than normal.

“The number of deer brought to our check stations declined as much as 60 percent in some locations, though hunter success was somewhat better in areas with higher deer densities,” noted Upper Peninsula Regional Supervisor Terry Minzey. “Winter severity has moderated since then, but we’ll continue to monitor conditions and regional deer populations through the months to come.”

Deer harvest did not decline so dramatically in the Lower Peninsula. “The tough winter last year did not impact deer populations below the bridge as it did in the Upper Peninsula,” noted Ashley Autenrieth, Wildlife Division deer biologist for the northern regions. “But reduced antler size this season indicated deer condition was affected.”

Concentrations of standing corn that provide secure cover for deer contributed to adverse hunting conditions in some locations. Brent Rudolph, Wildlife Division research specialist, also shared that “department research in one southern Michigan study area indicates deer numbers are still only slowly rebounding following an extensive outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease several summers ago.” The research project is being conducted in collaboration with Michigan State University, with assistance from many hunter volunteers, and also has received financial support from Safari Club International.

Rudolph also stressed the importance of cooperation with Michigan’s hunter harvest survey, what he called “a vital tool for Michigan’s deer program, and another important way in which data provided by hunters contributes to our information base.”

Hunters who do not receive a survey in the mail but who wish to provide their hunting and harvest information may visit www.michigan.gov/deer and select the “Complete a Deer Harvest Survey Online” link. Hunters should only provide this information once they have completed all of their 2014 deer hunting activities.

For more information about hunting opportunities or deer management in Michigan, go online to www.michigan.gov/hunting or www.michigan.gov/deer.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Contact: Brent Rudolph, 517-641-4903, ext. 248; Ashley Autenrieth, 989-732-3541; or
Ed Golder, 517-284-5815

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