Category: Hunting

Single Deer Kill Tag Can Be Exchanged for Combo (With $)

Michigan’s new license structure requires hunters to choose at the time of purchase if they want the opportunity to harvest one or two antlered deer, and purchase either a single deer license (one kill tag) or a deer combo license (two kill tags).

Because this is the first year of the new structure, some hunters may have bought a single deer license without realizing they couldn’t buy another antlered deer license later.

Those who bought a single deer license and haven’t used it, and would like the deer combo license instead, may bring the unused license back to the store where they bought it – during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) – and ask the agent to call the DNR. The DNR will void the single deer license, the agent will keep the voided license and send it back to the DNR, and the hunter may then buy a deer combo license. Those who bought the single deer license online should call DNR Licensing at 517-284-6057 during business hours. Read more

Hunting

Powderhook Gets Major Upgrade

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Powderhook, a website designed to help people hunt and fish more often, announced today a major overhaul to their platform.

Do you hunt and fish as often as you’d like? Neither do we.

The outdoor industry is filled with innovative new products. We’re a couple clicks from owning a camera that let’s us video under water, lifelike decoys, and camo patterns to hide from nearly any kind of terrain, yet we routinely find ourselves missing the most important part: a place to go and the time to go there.

According to Matthew Dunfee, a leading expert on hunter participation for the Wildlife Management Institute, the top reasons people don’t get out more often are 1) they don’t have time 2) they don’t have access to a spot and 3) they don’t have a person to go with.

That’s where Powderhook comes in.

In order to hunt or fish you have to have a place to go. With over 550,000 public and 3,500 private spots, thousands of outdoor events, and chapter information for several leading organizations including Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and National Wild Turkey Federation, Powderhook has a place for just about any pursuit. With a couple clicks on Powderhook, securing a spot has never been easier.

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Fishing, Hunting

Brownells Gives Thanks, Prizes Every Day in November

MONTEZUMA, Iowa – Brownells will offer thanks and celebrate its customers by giving away more than $15,000 in free merchandise from popular manufacturers throughout the month of November as a part of its “30 Days of Thanks” promotion.

Prizes valued up to $1400 will be up for grabs from companies like SilencerCo, Battle Arms, Apex Tactical, EOTech, Magpul and more. Brownells will announce that day’s prize each day at 9AM. Daily winners will also receive a Brownells 75th Anniversary hat, patch and a pocket knife.

To enter, customers, or Brownells newcomers, must first “Like” the Brownells Facebook page, then fill out the sweepstakes form. Customers without a Facebook account may enter through the “30 Days of Thanks” page at Brownells.com. Read more

Ammunition, Firearms, Hunting

Montana Elk Habitat, Wolf Management, Research Bolstered by RMEF Grants

GW:  Hats off the dedicated Western sportsmen and women for pulling themselves up by their bootstraps!

MISSOULA, Mont.-Grants totaling $451,042 provided by the Rocky Mountain will fund more than three dozen habitat enhancement, research, hunting heritage and other conservation outreach projects across the state of Montana in 2014.

The grants will positively affect 12,198 acres in Beaverhead, Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Flathead, Glacier, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Missoula, Pondera, Powder River, Ravalli, Rosebud, Sanders, Silver Bow, Sweet Grass and Toole Counties. There are also two projects of statewide interest and another of Western Montana interest.

“A series of prescribed burning, thinning and noxious weed projects will clear the way for new grasses and forbs that provide proper nutrition for elk and other wildlife in some of Montana’s best elk habitat,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “These grants also help pay for four research projects that monitor elk populations and deal with habitat as well as provide funds for wolf management and a land acquisition that improves public access.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Northern Michigan Deer PLAN projects aim to improve habitat, health of the herd

GW:  I was shocked to see how a Democrat running for the 85th district of the Michigan House of Representatives criticized the incumbent, Ben Glardon, for voting for an increase in hunting license fees.  It was the sportsmen and women who supported the idea and here is just one example of how it’s working.  The losers will spin anything to get elected and it’s sickening.

When hunting license fees went up in 2014 (for the first time in 17 years), hunters were told that a good portion of the increased revenue would be used to improve wildlife habitat across the state. The question on many hunters’ minds this fall as they purchase their deer license has been: How is that money being spent?Deer PLAN habitat grant work

A prime example is the Department of Natural Resources’ new Deer Private Land Assistance Network, a grant program funded by hunting license sales that is designed to improve deer habitat on private land in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Commonly known as the Deer PLAN, the grant program, which is administered by the DNR’s Wildlife Division, aims to produce tangible deer habitat improvement benefits and reduce negative impacts to agricultural operations, while fostering positive relationships between the DNR, sportsmen’s organizations, private landowners, and other partners.

Deer PLAN grants were awarded for the first time in 2014 to 12 recipients, and another 10 projects were approved for completion in 2015. The grants can be used for projects within six counties in the northern Lower Peninsula — Presque Isle, Montmorency, Alpena, Crawford, Oscoda, and Alcona — for work ranging from selective timber cuts and planting of mast (fruit and nut)-producing trees, to the creation of wildlife breakout areas and food plots. To participate in the program, landowners who receive grants are required to pay a minimum of 25 percent of the project costs. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

U. S. Officials: Trophy Hunting Can Help Save African Lions

DALLAS – In a new proposal to list the African lion as a threatened species, U.S. officials acknowledge that lawful hunting is a tool that can help save the species from extinction. Dallas Safari Club (DSC) is encouraging its members to keep hunting lions, but be selective.

Science shows that hunting older male lions has no long-term effect on the sustainability of lion populations. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Puts QDMA in the Classroom

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), in partnership with the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), will distribute 3,000 QDMA educational posters to more than 700 schools.

“These posters are a great fit for the 700-plus schools involved in our Outdoor Education programs,” said Lance Meek, ODWC’s Senior Information and Education Specialist. “The students at these schools are already learning about archery, hunting, fishing and more. However, the teachers are always eager for more curriculum to use in their classrooms. I think that these posters will go a long way toward teaching young hunters that they are an important part of wildlife management.”

Half of the posters are QDMA’s Selective Antlerless Harvest Poster, which outlines techniques for selective antlerless deer harvest including how to tell the difference between does and fawns and how to avoid harvesting button bucks. The other 1,500 posters are QDMA’s Jawbone Removal and Aging Poster, which details the tools needed and step-by-step process for removing deer jawbones and estimating age using the tooth replacement and wear method. Read more

Hunting

HSS Introduces New “Buck Spotter” Mobile App

DANVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 29, 2014) – Just in time for the peak of hunting season, Hunter Safety System announces the launch of its new mobile app, “Buck Spotter,” available on iTunes and Google Play. This new app has been specifically created to allow users to stay connected with other hunters, as well as find locations to hunt. This app is right on target for the avid hunter and is available free as a download.

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Hunting

How to Dial in Your Deer Gun

By Glen Wunderlich

With relatively moderate temperatures still with us, it’s best to get your favorite deer gun sighted in properly while conditions cooperate. By procrastinating, you may be relegated to testing during cold and windy days, which can end up being a total waste of time and expensive ammunition.

 

While it may be true that wind can be present in hunting situations, you certainly don’t want to adjust aiming points relative to any substantial crosswinds, when they probably won’t be the same later. It’s best to select a calm day for testing; any adjustments necessary during a hunt should be made afield based on the conditions that day, instead. Crosswinds cause substantially greater deflection of a given projectile than do headwinds or tailwinds. So, if you must sight in with the wind blowing, line up your target directly downwind or upwind, if at all possible.

 

A six-inch target will provide a necessary margin for error for deer-sized targets, even though the actual kill zone is larger. Orange squares with the black outlines are good for scoped guns and plain black circles or squares are best for iron sights, red dot sights.

 

Start with a clean, unloaded gun ensuring there is no oil or grease in the barrel by running a dry patch through it. Make sure everything is tight – especially scope bases, rings, and stock screws. Use a good, solid rest at the forend and butt stock. Sandbags work well, but it’s best to place your hand on the forend and rest it on the sandbag to simulate hunting conditions. Small bipods can make for a steady front rest when target shooting but may not produce the same results afield, unless you’ll be hunting with one.

 

At 25 yards, shoot three shots and find the middle of the group. (If you are missing the paper completely, move in to about 10 feet. A single shot will usually be enough to let you know which direction to go.) Remember, at 25 yards to make adjustments at four times what you would at 100 yards.

 

For most guns, you are ready to move the target to 100 yards, if you are dead on at 25 yards. Don’t change anything and shoot another 3-shot group at 100 yards, find the center of the group and adjust to your chosen elevation at 100 yards. Even with a conservative 6-inch kill zone target, “Point-Blank Range” can be maximized by having the bullet or slug impact somewhat high at 100 yards.

 

The Point-Blank Range of any gun is the distance at which a hunter can hold right on the center of the kill zone and be able to hit within the vital zone. This means, if you set up your gun properly, you won’t have to guess whether to hold high or low on the deer, or how much. Just aim for the center of the vitals. Some hunters make the mistake of sighting in dead on at 100 yards, when longer shots are possible during a hunt.

 

Here’s an example: A 30-06 with a 180-grain spire point bullet going 2700 Feet Per Second (FPS) at the muzzle, with a 100-yard zero puts the bullet 3 inches low at 175 yards. Using the 6-inch kill zone, 175 yards becomes your limit without ambiguous holdover, because the bullet will fall to the bottom of the vitals by aiming at the center of the kill zone.

 

However, if the same cartridge is set for a 215 yard zero, the bullet reaches its peak of 3 inches high at 130 yards and is 3 inches low at 255 yards. As long as the deer is no farther than 255 yards, can aim dead center and take him out cleanly. Just by changing the zero, 80 additional yards are gained.

 

Shotguns are relatively slow in comparison – even with the fastest modern sabot offerings. The best bet is to get to the range and test at various ranges with your gun and loads, because there are just too many variables to rely exclusively on charts. Whatever you choose to shoot, just make sure the bullet/slug never gets higher or lower than 3 inches when holding dead on.

 

Once sighted in, shoot from various positions and with rests you may use in the field. As long as you can keep 9 out of 10 in the six-inch circle, you are shooting within ethical standards. If you are unable to do so, being ethical demands you to restrict your shots to a maximum range that allows you to do so.

 

When finished, don’t clean the gun’s barrel, because a clean barrel may change your point of impact. Just unload the gun, wipe off the exterior using a light protectant, and store it safely and it will remain ready for hunting.

Ammunition, Firearms, Hunting

Oculus® Pro Team HD Binoculars are value priced, mission-critical gear

As a hunter, there’s certain gear you feel naked in the woods without. Gun and ammo, bow and arrows, a good sharp knife – they go without saying. And once you hunt with the new Oculus® Pro Team HD 10×42 binoculars, they will be a permanent addition to your mission-critical-gear list. You won’t feel “dressed to go hunting” without them.Oculus® Pro Team HD Binoculars are value priced, mission-critical gear

High-quality binoculars extend your hunting day to its full legal limits. They’re essential safety tools for positively identifying your target. And if you’re after a monster buck or bull, “good glass” is the only way to precisely judge trophy quality. Yet what likely holds you back from acquiring the quality optics you need is the price tag. The Oculus® Pro Team HD 10×42 binoculars obliterate that obstacle by incorporating the highest quality components at a price less than you probably spend on licenses for one season.

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Hunting, Wildlife
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