Michigan Deer Baiting Ban Upheld through Veto

MUCC and conservation organizations throughout the state and country commend Gov. Whitmer for vetoing HB 4687 — a bill that would allow the baiting of white-tailed deer — earlier today.

Since 2007, Michigan United Conservation Clubs has been opposed to baiting and recreational feeding of cervids due to the concerns with it as a vector in disease transmission. The organization does not oppose baiting on ethical grounds, and MUCC supports it as a legal method of take for species such as bear where no disease risk has been found.

In August of 2018, the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) approved the order banning baiting in the entire Lower Peninsula and in the CWD Core Zone of the Upper Peninsula. The NRC was provided, through legislative referendum (Proposal G) in 1996, the authority to determine the manner and method of take of game using sound science. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan Awards $3.6 Million for Invasive Species Projects

The state of Michigan today announced the 32 projects that will share $3.6 million in grants through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic (water-based) and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species in Michigan through four key objectives:

    • Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.
    • Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.
    • Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.
    • Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: three more elk poached in northern Michigan; DNR seeks information

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers in Gaylord are seeking tips from the public regarding three adult cow elk poached in Otsego County – the third elk poaching case in northern Michigan in roughly a month.

“This is the worst year we’ve had as far as elk poaching,” said Lt. Jim Gorno.

Area residents found the three elk about 50 yards north of Hardwood Lake Road near Bobcat Trail, in the Pigeon River State Forest, east of Vanderbilt. Officers believe that the three elk were shot either Saturday or Sunday while they were bedded down near each other.

“This is a loss for everyone who appreciates our state’s natural resources. It’s a true shame,” said Gorno. “If you or anyone you know has information that can help us solve this crime, we want to hear from you.”

Gorno said that the public tips received regarding a bull elk poached in November helped identify a suspect in that case.

Anyone with information regarding this poaching incident can contact the DNR Law Enforcement Division at the DNR Customer Service Center in Gaylord at 989-732-3541, or call or text the Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800, available 24/7 year-round. Information can be left anonymously; monetary rewards are available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of violators.

Contact: Lt. James Gorno, 989-732-3541

Poachers

SIG SAUER Introduces CROSS Rifle

SIG SAUER Introduces CROSS Rifle: The First SIG SAUER Precision Bolt-Action Hunting Rifle Manufactured in the USA
NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. is pleased to introduce the CROSS Rifle. The first SIG-built precision bolt-action hunting rifle is designed by SIG SAUER engineers, completely manufactured and machined at the SIG SAUER facilities in New Hampshire, and tested by premier competitive shooters, the world’s best long range shooters, and a team of professional hunters that the CROSS is built for.

“When our product management team and engineers researched developing a bolt-action rifle, they looked at what was missing from the market, and what new innovation SIG could bring to hunters and precision shooters,” began Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales. “Hunting rifles are typically focused on less weight, and accuracy is secondary. Precision rifles are designed for extreme accuracy, with no weight limitations. What was missing from the market was a true crossover. Our product management team and engineers took the best of both worlds and developed the CROSS featuring the characteristics of a hunting rifle, with the accuracy of a precision rifle.”

The CROSS Precision Bolt-Action Hunting Rifle is a lightweight precision rifle with a push button, foldable SIG precision stock, a one-piece aluminum receiver that eliminates the need for bedding the action, and AI magazines for creating the most accurate precision hunting platform. The CROSS features a stainless-steel rifled barrel with a free-float M-LOK handguard, a 2-stage match-grade trigger externally adjustable from 2.5 – 4 lbs., ambi-safety, a three-lug bolt design with a 60-degree throw and interchangeable bolt handle. The precision stock is spring-loaded for one handed operation and can be fully adjusted in the field for length of pull and comb height with no tools. The rifle has a full-length replaceable picatinny rail that allows for direct optics mounts, 20 MOA, and O MOA. The CROSS is available in 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 WIN, and the soon-to-be-released 277 SIG Fury Hybrid Ammunition with a black anodized or First Lite camo finish.

“Right out of the box the CROSS comes loaded with new innovation and features that hunters and precision shooters will appreciate at a very affordable $1,779.00 MSRP price point,” continued Taylor. “The CROSS delivers on all fronts, and we are especially proud that everything about the CROSS from concept to completion is 100% SIG SAUER and comes directly from our U.S. operations here in New Hampshire.” Read more

Firearms

SIG SAUER Releases M17 Military Surplus Handguns Commercially

NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. is honored to bring authentic, M17 Military Surplus handguns to the commercial market. The M17 Military Surplus handguns were manufactured under contract with the U.S. Army according to the original specifications of the Modular Handgun System (MHS). This is an exclusive, limited availability offering from SIG SAUER and the condition of the handguns will vary based on field use.

“The M17 Military Surplus handguns are a very special release from SIG SAUER, that gives consumers the opportunity to own a piece of history, and includes a certificate of authenticity,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales. “These handguns were originally issued by the U.S. Army and fielded during the initial domestic and in-theater deployment of the Modular Handgun System. The unique, one-of-a-kind, features of the M17 Surplus handguns include coyote controls, the original government-issue markings and serial numbers, and orange rear and green front SIGLITE Night Sights, which will make them coveted by both military and firearms collectors alike.” Read more

Firearms

Study Finds Content-wide Shift in Bird Migration Timing

Long-billed Curlew by Nick Saunders.

Weather radar detects change on a continental scale

Fort Collins, CO & Ithaca, NY—A team of researchers has found that the timing of spring bird migration across North America is shifting as a result of climate change. The study, one of the first to examine the subject at a continental scale, is published in Nature Climate Change. The work was done by scientists at Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the University of Massachusetts.

Using 24 years of weather radar data, the study found that spring migrants were likely to pass certain stops earlier now than they would have 20 years ago. Temperature and migration timing were closely aligned, with the greatest changes in migration timing occurring in regions warming most rapidly. During fall, shifts in migration timing were less apparent. Read more

Wildlife

Taurus Delivers T4 Rifles to Local Georgia Community

(Miami, FL) – Taurus®, which recently opened its new operations facility in Bainbridge Georgia, delivered the City of Bainbridge Public Safety Department and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, with 37 Taurus T4 defense rifles to assist in protecting the community.

Taurus CEO David Blenker transferred the T4 rifles to City of Bainbridge Public Safety Department Director Jerry Carter and Captain David Cutchin as well as the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office to Captain Brad Lambert, Deputy Victor Strickland and John Presilla. These special-purpose law enforcement rifles will be deployed for tactical and emergency response operations by the City and Sheriff department. Read more

Firearms

Michigan: Continued Winter Storm Cleanup Impacts Recreational Trails

Plenty of good snow, plenty of trail hazards

A bulldozer moves along a snowmobile trail in Marquette County.The effects from a pair of severe late-November snowstorms are still being felt across much of northern Michigan as work crews continue efforts to clear and groom snowmobile and ski trails.

“The number of downed trees and limbs is astonishing,” said Rob Katona, central Upper Peninsula trails specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Parks and Recreation Division. “We haven’t seen conditions like this in recent history.”

Many trails remain open, but riders are urged to use extra caution, watching out for hazards obscured by snow, like logs, rocks or stumps, or trails left impassable.

The storms brought more than 2 feet of snow to some areas, blocking trails and weighing down tree limbs. In many places, young birches, oaks and other small-diameter trees have been bent over, arched across trails to the ground, where treetops are held in place, buried with snow. Read more
General

GPO RANGETRACKER 1800 Rangefinder

RICHMOND, Va. — German Precision Optics (GPO) USA announces the introduction of the new compact, lightweight, one-handed RANGETRACKER 1800 Rangefinder. Designed to meet and exceed the rangefinding needs of the hunter, the new 6x RANGETRACKER™ 1800 allows the hunter to accurately range its target out to 1800 yards with one of the fastest laser rangefinding systems on the market.

The GPO RANGETRACKER™ 1800 handheld rangefinder incorporates state-of-the-art optical and electronic technology, wrapped into a small durable multi-use rangefinding tool. It will work perfectly for both long-range rifle hunting (up to 1800 yards) and close archery usage (6 yards.) Read more

Optics
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