Alaska Sues U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Over Refuge Predator Program

 By Etta Pettijohn
The state of Alaska has filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a federal agency’s restrictions on predator harvests on wildlife refuges and national parks there.

State attorneys filed the lawsuit Jan. 13 in the U.S. District Court of Alaska, claiming new rules adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) violate a 1980s law authorizing the state to manage wildlife, impairs indigenous peoples’ ability to harvest food for sustenance, and sets a precedence to restrict future fish and game harvests, intended to be under state control. Read more

Hunting

Federal Premium Provides Lethal Performance Through Any Waterfowl Choke with Redesigned Black Cloud


Any Waterfowl Choke with Redesigned Black CloudANOKA, Minnesota –– Federal Premium Ammunition is pleased to announce it has redesigned its industry-leading Black Cloud line of waterfowl ammunition. Now equipped with the new FLITECONTROL FLEX wad, the improved loads deliver better pattern density and consistency through both ported and standard waterfowl chokes. Shipments are currently being delivered to dealers.

The wad’s redesigned rear-opening petals are engineered to deploy through ported chokes that reduce muzzle pressure, and side-mounted vents stimulate the payload for separation from the wad at the ideal moment for dense, deadly patterns. Plus, the efficient Catalyst lead-free primer and clean-burning, temperature-stable propellant significantly decrease residue in the barrel. Read more

Ammunition

Michigan Man Lured into Fishing by the Art of Decoys

When most people see a cedar fence post or an old, broken cedar limb on the ground, Dave Kober sees a trout; or a perch; or maybe, a bluegill.

Kober carves fish decoys.

Decoys have long been used by ice fishermen to lure large fish – generally pike, but also sturgeon and others – within range of the spearing hole, though some hook-and-line anglers use them as well.

Dave Kober shows off a perch decoy outside his shop near Cadillac.Primarily turned out by home-shop artisans, fish decoys were once manufactured by major bait companies – James Heddon’s Sons Co. in Dowagiac produced them decades ago – but the homemade models have become highly collectable, unique examples of American folk art that can fetch six figures.

Kober, 78, has been carving decoys since he was a young boy.

“It’s grandpa’s fault,” said Kober. “My grandfather was an ardent hunter and fisherman and he liked to carve decoys. He taught me everything I know I guess. I started it as a hobby. Read more

Fishing

SB Tactical SBM47 Pistol Stabilizing Brace

Saint Petersburg, Fla. – SB Tactical™, inventors and manufacturers of the Pistol Stabilizing Brace®, is proud to bring to market the SBM47™ for AK47/74 platforms. Installation of the SBM47 does not change the classification of a pistol in accordance with GCA provisions.
Now shipping in both black and FDE, the SBM47 features a slim profile and enhanced cheek weld ergonomics. As the third Pistol Stabilizing Brace released to support AK-platforms, the SBM47 demonstrates SB Tactical’s commitment to supporting the entire PDW pistol community. Read more

Firearms

CCRKBA Slams Seattle Mayor for Hypocrisy

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is condemning Seattle Mayor Ed Murray for “monumental hypocrisy” after he declared that the City of Seattle will fight a new Trump administration directive on so-called “sanctuary cities” by going to court to “insure…that the United States Constitution is not violated.”

“When it comes to violating the Constitution, Ed Murray has expert experience,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “This is the guy who was publicly embarrassed in 2013 when, as a state senator, he sponsored a gun ban bill that would have allowed warrantless searches of gun owners’ homes by sheriff’s deputies. After that was reported, Murray and his co-sponsors scrambled to remove that language from the bill, but it still failed.”

Gottlieb accused Murray of “trotting out the Constitution only when he can use it for a political prop.”

“Murray would eviscerate the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb said. “He signed a gun violence tax into law that penalizes law-abiding firearms owners and amounts to a poll tax. He has a track record of supporting gun control, including an attempt to ban an entire class of firearms.” Read more

Firearms, Gun Control

Ruger Expands LCRx Line with .357 Magnum

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is pleased to announce a new Ruger® LCRx® 5-round revolver chambered in the hard-hitting .357 Magnum cartridge. This durable and reliable revolver is equipped with a 1.87″ barrel and features an exposed hammer that allows it to be fired in either double-action or single-action mode.

When it was originally introduced, the Ruger LCR® was one of the most significant new revolver designs in over a century and has since been awarded three patents. The new LCRx in .357 Magnum maintains all the features of the original LCR, including Ruger’s patented friction-reducing cam, a next-generation design in fire control systems that results in a smooth, non-stacking trigger pull. The double-action trigger pull force on the LCR builds gradually and peaks later in the trigger stroke, resulting in better control and a lighter felt trigger pull. The LCRx also incorporates crisp single-action functionality for precise shooting. Read more

Firearms

More than 25,000 Sandhill Cranes Now in Arizona’s Sulphur Springs Valley

WILLCOX, Ariz. – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is estimating there are more than 25,000 sandhill cranes in the Sulphur Springs Valley in southeastern Arizona, with the largest concentration of 15,343 at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in McNeal.

The Willcox Playa area has 8,291 cranes, the Safford Valley/Duncan area 846, Bonita 775, and there are less than 100 at Crane Lake and elsewhere in the area. Game and Fish conducted its annual crane count in the valley Jan. 6.

Whitewater Draw usually has the largest number of cranes, but a lack of runoff into the draw from the Mule Mountains as well as dense grass growth there resulted in the cranes seeking alternate roosts elsewhere in 2016. Read more

Wildlife

Winchester Adds a 20-Ga. Load to the Long Beard XR Line

EAST ALTON, Ill. – Well worth the wait, Winchester Ammunition will now offer its ground-breaking Long Beard XR in 20-gauge. With improved shotshell technology delivering more power and tighter loads in smaller gauge shotguns, an increasing number of turkey hunters are opting for the 20-gauge shotgun. Now those hunters will have a load that will allow them to maximize the 20-gauge’s potential.

The new 20-gauge Long Beard XR will come in a 3-inch shell loaded with either No. 5 or No. 6 shot. It will come 10 rounds to a box.

The key feature behind Long Beard XR’s long-range capability is the shell’s Shot-Lok® Technology. Instead of traditional buffering materials, Shot-Lok is injected as a liquid resin into the hull among the lead shot during assembly. That resin then hardens to keep pellets in place until the round is fired. Upon firing, Shot-Lok immediately fractures into a micro-buffer that protects the shot from deformation due to set-back forces. This ensures that the shot exits the muzzle nearly perfectly round, which provides tighter and more uniform patterns at extended ranges.

“Long Beard XR has changed the game for turkey hunters across the United States, and now those hunters who use the smaller, lighter 20-gauge can enjoy the same extended range benefits,” said Matt Campbell, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing and sales.

In addition to the new offering, Long Beard XR is also available in: Read more

Ammunition

Bushnell L Series 10x 42mm Realtree Camo Binoculars

The Bushnell L Series 10x 42mm Realtree Camo binoculars provide maximum brightness, definition and clarity for superb performance afield. Available in Realtree Xtra, the Bushnell L Series features ED Prime glass, ultra-wide band coating and RainGuard HD water-repellent lens coating to stand up to the elements and the wear and tear of the hunt. Lead-free glass, an ultra-wide field of view and long eye relief provides superior glassing performance all day long. The lightweight, magnesium chassis and waterproof/fogproof housing make these Realtree camo binoculars ideal for the active hunter on the go.

Features:
Realtree Xtra (198105) finishes
ED Prime glass
Ultra Wide Band coating
RainGuard® HD water-repellent lens coating
Lead-Free glass
Ultra wide field-of-view
Long eye relief
Lightweight, magnesium chassis
Waterproof/fogproof
Improved eyecup resistance
Includes carrying case, enhanced objective covers, neck strap and microfiber lens cloth

Optics
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