MINOX USA Introduces Wide Range Of New Sport Optics at SHOT Show
New from MINOX: BF 8×42 binoculars, ZP5 5~25×56 riflescope, MD 80 Z spotting scope, DTC 400 SLIM wildlife camera.
Category: Wildlife
Goldfinch
Conservation officers seeking information on ducks killed during Houghton Lake Tip-Up Town
Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are seeking information from the public about an incident that killed seven mallards on Houghton Lake during the annual Tip-Up Town celebration.
On Sunday, Jan. 18, conservation officer Chuck McPherson and Sgt. Jeremy Payne received information about seven dead mallards discovered near the Iroquois Street bridge in the East Bay area of Houghton Lake. When they arrived to investigate, the officers also discovered an injured mallard that they collected and took to a wildlife rehabilitator in the area for care.
According to Sgt. Payne, the incident happened near open water where a canal enters the lake. The area is known as a place that ducks congregate because of the open water at the canal entrance. There was a single set of snowmobile tracks near the open water, and officers surmise a snowmobiler struck a large group of ducks sometime on Jan. 17. The dead ducks collected at the scene had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.
Payne said there is another injured duck that appears to have a broken wing that the officers will continue to look out for in hopes of taking it to a wildlife rehabilitator for care.
Anyone with information about this incident can call the DNR’s Report All Poaching (RAP) Line at 1-800-292-7800. Information may be left anonymously. Information also can be sent to the DNR via the online reporting form available on the DNR website www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers. Read more
Deer Breeders, Privatizing Wildlife Draw Criticism from Boone and Crockett Club
MISSOULA, Mont. – Once a wild game animal, now a product of commercialism and chemistry.
Today‘s upward trend in deer (and elk) breeding and shooting operations is reaching critical mass, compromising traditional hunting and conservation, and fueling a strong new response from America’s first conservation and hunter advocacy organization, the Boone and Crockett Club.
The Club today published a new position statement outlining its concerns. Read more
Nebraska Senator Back with Effort to Ban Mountain Lion Hunting
Nebraska state Sen. Ernie Chambers is back with his anti-hunting crusade against scientific management of mountain lions. The senator led an identical charge in 2014 when the legislature passed a bill to ban mountain-lion hunting, which was ultimately vetoed by then-Gov. Dave Heineman.
Chambers reintroduced his legislation (LB 127) on Friday, Jan. 9, along with a new effort to ban the management of prairie dogs, including on private property (LB 128).
“The Sportsmen’s community in Nebraska did a great job last year in rallying opposition to this ideological attack on wildlife management, and we’ll need a similar response this year,” said Adam Wright, USSA’s associate director of state services. “Sportsmen across Nebraska, and really across the country, must speak up and let their state senators know how misguided this effort is.” Read more
USSA Weighs Legal Options in Great Lakes Wolf Battle
On Dec. 20, a federal district court judge in Washington D.C. struck down the delisting of wolves in the western Great Lakes region, and returned them to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. This move was not based upon the population of wolves—which have clearly recovered in the area—but instead, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that until wolves are re-established in their historical range (which would apparently include New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle, etc.) they cannot be considered recovered in Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin, no matter how large the wolf populations in those three states.
For nearly a decade, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and our partners have led the attempt to delist recovered populations of wolves from the Endangered Species List and to return them to management of individual states.
Judge Howell’s ruling leaves two realistic options for sportsmen, conservationists and those interested in the sound management of fish and wildlife: legal and congressional action. Read more
Deer Breeders, Privatizing Wildlife Draw Criticism from Boone and Crockett Club
MISSOULA, Mont. – Once a wild game animal, now a product of commercialism and chemistry.
Today’s upward trend in deer (and elk) breeding and shooting operations is reaching critical mass, compromising traditional hunting and conservation, and fueling a strong new response from America’s first conservation and hunter advocacy organization, the Boone and Crockett Club.
The Club yesterday published a new position statement outlining its concerns.
“We encourage every hunter to read this position in its entirety,” said Morrie Stevens Sr., president of the Club. “The core topic – privatizing a public resource for individual profits – has the power to change the foundations of hunting and its historic ties to conservation. And crossing the line from wildlife to agricultural commodity represents a fundamental shift in American culture. We think the ramifications are worth considering carefully.” Read more
Nesting Pennsylvania Bald Eagles Eagle Cam
The camera recently installed in the treetops at Codorus State Park already has captured stunning images of the pair of bald eagles nesting there.
A lift reaches skyward toward the bald-eagle nest at Codorus State Park in Hanover, York County, during the recent installation of a camera there. Video from the camera is being streamed live on the Game Commission’s website.
The eagle cam is back, and better than ever.
After a successful pilot run in 2014, the Pennsylvania Game Commission yesterday launched its new live stream from a bald-eagle nest, hopefully just in time for viewers to see the laying of the nesting pair’s first egg.
The 2015 live stream differs from last year’s in a number of ways.
First, the camera has been installed in a completely new location – near Codorus State Park in Hanover, York County – and features a different pair of eagles.
Secondly, the camera itself represents a significant upgrade from the one used during the pilot program. This camera captures high-definition footage, and it’s already recorded some remarkable images.
Additionally, the camera this year is hard-wired to a power source, which should eliminate the live stream losing power due to the lack of a solar charge. Read more
Stealth Cam GXW: Wireless Image Transmission to Mobile Devices
Grand Prairie, TX- Stealth Cam, introduced in the year 2000, quickly became the leader in scouting camera innovation. Continuing to advance technology to the next level, Stealth Cam introduces the next generation of feature-packed scouting camera for 2015 advanced scouting cams, the GXW. This 12.0 Megapixel- 3 resolutions; 12.0mp, 8.0mp, 4.0mp, integrates 45 ‘BLACK’ IR emitters with a 100-foot range making it great tool for land management, property security, or for hunters tracking potential trophies through their mobile devices.
Taking advantage of today’s technology and the outdoor enthusiast’s busy schedule, Stealth Cam’s GXW provides real time updates using wireless technology. The GXW transmits images or video clips straight to the users mobile device via the free Stealth Cam Remote app giving the avid hunter new opportunities to plan his or her hunting strategies. The Remote app delivers a highly functional user interface with complete control of camera and wireless settings from the palm of your hand also allowing the user to create & manage multiple image galleries as well as instant sharing via text, email or social media. The Remote app can operate multiple cameras with one login, showing a pattern of movement for the game they are seeking. Stealth Cam’s GXW now supplies another patterning tool to hunters to help manage their property using modern technology. Read more
Ultra-High Definition and German Precision in Steiner Wildlife XP Binoculars
GREELEY, CO – The new Steiner Wildlife XP series roof prism binoculars feature fluoride glass, precision ground Schott lenses and a new Ultra-HD optical system with phase corrected prisms to offer birders, naturalists and even hunters a wider field of view, true color fidelity and crisp edge-to-edge sharpness.
“The new Wildlife XP binoculars’ classic European styling and premium German glass will be a hit with anyone who appreciates fine optics, quality construction and rugged design,” says Tom Frane, VP of Sales, Marketing and Business Development. “Naturalists will love the extraordinary detail and industry leading light transmission the fluoride glass delivers.”
Available in 8x44mm and 10x44mm, the Wildlife XP’s open-bridge design is lightweight, compact and extremely robust. For faster reaction time the XP’s unique Distance-Control-System™ lets users pre-focus to a known distance, eliminating the need to refocus. Precision dual diopter settings provide a greater range of visual acuity, and the Comfort Grip System’s textured rubber armoring with TechnoGel® thumb pads reduce hand fatigue over long periods of viewing. Read more
$10M Forest Restoration Project to Benefit Imperiled Golden-winged Warbler, Other Species
Washington — A large forest management and habitat conservation effort was announced today by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that will target improvements on approximately 64,000 acres of key habitat in the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with one of the key anticipated outcomes being the avoidance of an Endangered Species Act listing for the imperiled Golden-winged Warbler (GWWA).
This tri-state project is part of a new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) announced today that includes 100 high-impact projects involving all 50 states. The program will provide more than $370 million for targeted conservation efforts in the states through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The project is scheduled to begin this year with funding for the program available through 2019. The project will be managed in partnership between NRCS and American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and is complemented by work being conducted on public lands by ABC and its partners with support from the Minnesota OUTDOOR HERITAGE FUND. Read more