The Browning Refuge: New, Versatile Sleeping Bag with Zippered Armholes

Browning Camping is proud to release the Refuge, a new sleeping bag that offers campsite comfort and versatility. The mummy-shaped bag, offers top-of-the-line features that Browning Camping’s customers expect. A center zipper can be zipped from the bottom for additional venting, and TechLoft Gold insulation ensures warmth (the Refuge comes in two temperature grades +15-degrees and -10-degrees). The durable separating zippers glide smoothly, and the outer fabric is nylon ripstop. What makes the Refuge stand out are the zippered armholes that allow venting, or the freedom to drink your warm beverage of choice without leaving the warmth of your sleeping bag. Read more

General

Streamlight ProTac HPL

ProTac® HPL USB Features 1,000 Lumens; Uses Three Battery Types

EAGLEVILLE, PA  – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, introduced the ProTac® HPL (High Performance, High Lumen) USB, delivering an incredibly bright 1,000 lumens and an intense, down-range beam. The new model, which uses a Streamlight lithium ion rechargeable battery, includes a built-in USB charge port, permitting it to be charged from a laptop or most USB wall chargers.

The next generation of ProTac® design, the ProTac HPL USB is capable of flooding an entire room, vehicle, or area with sweeping bright light, while also delivering a far-reaching “hotspot” beam. The light includes a sliding sleeve that reveals a USB charge port as well as a charging light indicator. For added convenience, the flashlight operates from multiple battery sources, including a rechargeable 18650 lithium ion battery or two CR123A lithium cell batteries. Read more

Optics

Michigan: DNR announces 2018 Black Lake sturgeon season harvest results

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced the 2018 sturgeon harvest season on Black Lake (in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula) ended after two and a half hours Saturday, Feb. 3, with seven fish being harvested. The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 3-7, or until the harvest quota had been reached. The allocation of sturgeon for Black Lake this year was seven fish, although DNR officials set a harvest quota of six fish.

There were 426 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, up from 332 the year before. Most anglers registered at the pre-registration held Friday, Feb. 2, which continues to allow for a much more streamlined process. Anglers of all ages and genders participated, including a good number of supervised youth. Read more

Fishing

Join a Global Bird Count for The Year of the Bird

Snowy Owls are also being reported in higher numbers than usual in parts of North America this winter. Photo by Kim Mann, Saskatchewan, 2017 GBBC

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place worldwide, February 16 to 19

New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON—The 21st Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place February 16 to 19—in backyards, parks, nature centers, on hiking trails, school grounds, balconies, and beaches. This global event provides an opportunity for bird enthusiasts to contribute important bird population data that help scientists see changes over the past 21 years. To participate, bird watchers count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Copper exploration to resume at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park


Mining company plans modified, scaled-down winter exploratory drilling program

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has issued a use permit to Copperwood Resources Inc. – a subsidiary of Highland Copper – to resume its winter exploration of a 1-mile section of the westernmost portion of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Work is being done in this part of Gogebic County to see if the eastern extension of a mineral deposit first explored in the 1950s might feasibly be mined, which would enlarge the mining company’s Copperwood Project beyond its currently-permitted boundaries.

Drilling and testing will determine hydrologic and geologic composition of the bedrock beneath the surface. Work on these sites is scheduled to be completed over the next month and a half.

“This use permit will allow Copperwood Resources to resume work begun last winter at the park,” said Doug Rich, western U.P. district supervisor for the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division. “However, this winter’s exploration will be scaled back from the mining company’s original plans.” Read more

General

CMMG’s MkG GUARD in 450 SMC

Boonville, MO–CMMG’s MkG GUARD is an AR15 rifle that is chambered in .45 ACP and feeds from factory Glock magazines. At the heart of the GUARD is the patent pending Radial Delayed Blowback operating system that works to harness the strong recoil impulse of .45 ACP.  After extensive durability testing, CMMG is proud to announce that the GUARD is safely rated for 450 SMC.

For those unfamiliar with 450 SMC, Triton first conceived the cartridge in 2001. The design was ultimately taken over and completed by DoubleTap ammunition years later. In essence, it is a magnum version of .45 ACP that offers ballistics that are comparable to 10mm. It is a true “stopper” that delivers energy capable of taking down big game.

While the 450 SMC uses a case with the same outer dimensions as .45 ACP, there are a few significant differences that allow DoubleTap to load 450 SMC with five to six thousand pounds per square inch of pressure more than a standard .45ACP. First, the 450 SMC uses a small magnum rifle primer instead of the large pistol primer. This modification allows the hardened case to be thicker at the base.  Second, the brass is manufactured from the ground up to handle up to 30,000 pounds of pressure. The result is a dual-purpose cartridge that is exceptional for both hunting and personal defense. Read more

Ammunition, Firearms

Hunter Safety System Brings Back the Pro Series Harness

Danville, Ala. (Feb 6, 2018) – In response to customer requests, Hunter Safety System—the leader in treestand safety—has announced that a new updated Pro Series harness will be available this year. With new features and lighter, high-tech materials, the new Pro Series is poised to become as popular as the original Pro Series, which was introduced in 2005 and became one of the most popular treestand safety harness of all time. Read more

Hunting

Michigan DNR Seeks Interns

We have partnered with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to created a student internship program. This program provides a window through which to view potential careers, as well as insight into the workings of state government through meaningful work experience. These internship opportunities can be for Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate students.

Internships may be short term (one semester) or long term (more than one semester) depending on the assignment. The assignments may be for a specific project for an individual, or may be a class project. An assignment could be shadowing professional or managerial staff person(s) or shadowing different professional staff in different areas to give a broad base of experience. Read more

General

Nebraska: Sampling of deer results in 203 positives for CWD

GW:  These numbers are scary…

LINCOLN, Neb. – The presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer has been detected for the first time in the southwestern Nebraska counties of Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Frontier and Franklin, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The Commission conducted a CWD sampling operation in its Northwest and Southwest District deer check stations during the 2017 November firearm deer season.

There were 203 positives from 1,807 deer sampled primarily in the Frenchman, Platte, Republican, Pine Ridge, Upper Platte and Plains management units. Both whitetails and mule deer were sampled.

The goal of this sampling effort is to assess the spread and prevalence of the disease through periodic testing in each region of the state, which in turn helps biologists predict when and if future effects on deer numbers may occur. Testing will take place in regional locations of the state in the next several years.

Although present in Colorado and Wyoming for several decades, CWD was first discovered in Nebraska in 2000 in Kimball County. Since 1997, Commission staff have tested nearly 51,000 deer and found 499 that tested positive. CWD has been found in 40 Nebraska counties, but no population declines attributable to the disease have yet occurred. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan DNR has new online form for reporting fish kills

Winter weather can create conditions that cause fish and other aquatic creatures to die

To simplify the public’s ability to report fish kills, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently developed an online form for reporting fish kills in quantities larger than 25 fish. A fish kill of this size could have more factors involved that need further DNR investigation. The new Sick or Dead Aquatic Species form can be found in the DNR’s Eyes in the Field application at michigan.gov/eyesinthefield.

Information requested in the form includes waterbody and location (both descriptive and latitude-longitude coordinates), observation details, and any available photos showing the fish kill. Close-up photos showing any external disease signs such as bloody patches, unusual wounds or odd coloration are particularly helpful to DNR staff as they try to determine the cause of the issue and its seriousness. Entered reports and associated images automatically are forwarded to fish health staff for quicker evaluation and action. Read more

Fishing
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