Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
SIDNEY, Neb. – Cabela’s Incorporated, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, announced today that customers can now order new firearms online at www.cabelas.com and have them shipped for free to a Cabela’s store in the United States for purchase. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
With firearms deer season approaching, many hunters will be sighting in their guns in the coming weeks. Procrastinating can add to stress levels at the range, when all the last-minute weekend warriors have no choice but to get in line at the range. When one considers that there are less than a dozen weekends to dial in your firearm(s) before season – and some of them will be problematic with strong winds and/or cold – opportunities for good practice are diminished. Finally, if problems surface, such as equipment failures, it will be a difficult proposition to iron out issues – especially, if repairs will require the assistance of a gunsmith. Don’t be that guy!
Here are some tips to get the job done as economically as possible.
For sighting in, smaller targets help with precision. Orange squares with the black outlines are good for scoped guns but if you use them with a diamond pattern, the corners of the diamonds are perfect for lining up the crosshairs.
If you have iron sights or even a scope with a large dot in the reticle, you’ll want to have your target directly above the front sight or dot. Covering up the target with either front sights or a dot will block out the target at longer ranges rendering ethical shots virtually impossible.
Plain black circles are best for iron sights, red dot sights and holographic sights. If you can’t remember when you changed batteries on any electronic sights, change them.
Make sure there is no oil, grease, or any obstruction in the barrel and make sure it’s unloaded before doing anything else. A clean and dry bore is the best way to start and when finished, don’t clean the barrel with the exception being muzzleloaders.
Make sure everything is tight – especially scope bases and rings but don’t overtighten rings beyond 20 inch pounds. Good hearing protection can include foam plugs with hard shell muffs over them. Use a pad at the shoulder – especially for youngsters.
Begin at 25 yards and make sure you have a solid rest at the forend and buttstock For guns with newly installed scopes, use a large backing around the target in case you don’t hit the target; that way, at least you’ll know where you are missing and can make adjustments accordingly. Sandbags or commercial rests are recommended but short bipods work equally as well. This is not the time to use your elbows for a rest; your goal is to minimize human error.
Since most deer guns pack a wallop at both ends, it’s extremely important to pull the buttstock tight to the shoulder and to pull down on the forend section with your other hand.
Before beginning the shooting session, make sure to have enough ammo on hand to sight in and to hunt. You don’t want to purchase ammo that was produced from a different production run than the ammo you sighted in. Look for run numbers inside box flaps, if at all possible.
If you are experiencing a strong crosswind, postpone the session. Shoot three shots and find the middle of the group. Remember, at 25 yards to make adjustments four times that at 100 yards. For most guns, you are ready to move the target to 100 yards, if you are dead on at 25 yards.
If you want to save some expensive ammo, here’s a shortcut to get you on target fast. Shoot a three-shot group. Now, press your gun tight into the rest and center the sights on the bull’s eye – or, the point you’d like the bullet to strike (your zero). Have a helper move the crosshairs of the scope from your zero to the center of the three-shot group, while you hold the gun steady. For example, if you were shooting high, the assistant will move the crosshairs down to the group’s center. I realize it sounds backwards, but trust me, it isn’t. Make left and right adjustments the same way.
Once you get sighted in, try shooting 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 at a given range, you are shooting within ethical standards and are good to go.
The www.GrowingDeer.tv team recently held their 6th annual Fall Field Day event for deer hunters and land managers. In their newest video, they share almost 30 minutes of those tips and tactics for early to late season hunting tactics, scouting, food plots, habitat management, and much more! Click here to see this information packed video and more!
With the declaration, the USFWS has usurped Alaska’s authority to manage the publicly owned wildlife. Not only has Congress previously directed that the state has the primary authority to managing rules for wildlife, the USFWS ruling conflicts with the provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
DSC agrees with U.S. Congressman Don Young, of Alaska, when he characterized this ruling as “an unilateral power grab.” This intervention could stand as a dangerous precedent for future exploitations to take control of traditional and successful state management of wildlife.
“Hunters across America should take notice of this evolving situation,” said Carter. “Our rights to hunt are being methodically eroded. If we don’t protect these rights now, it is only a matter of time before we lose our proud heritage.” Read more
The Olympus Resetting Target is proudly made in the USA and has a suggested retail price of $213.40. Read more
Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources invite those looking for a fun, free way to enjoy the outdoors to attend the fourth annual Great Outdoors Jamboree at Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County Sunday, Sept. 11. Taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., this outdoor experience for the whole family offers a chance to learn about Michigan’s outdoor recreation opportunities and participate in a variety of activities for new and returning Jamboree visitors alike.
A flag-raising ceremony at 10:30 a.m. presented by American Legion Post 368 will honor veterans and first responders.
Attendees can spend an exhilarating day in the great outdoors learning the skills necessary to hunt, fish or enjoy just about any outdoor recreation pursuit. More than 40 vendors will display, discuss and give hands-on instruction in archery, live birds of prey and wildlife rehabilitation, target shooting, bass fishing, campsite exploration, rope-bridge crossing, and many more nature-based activities. Read more
Auto Mag prototype upper on original lower
The history of this much-loved and lauded pistol began in 1958, when firearms visionary, Harry Sanford, developed a pistol around the .44 Auto Mag cartridge, specifically for handgun hunting. Ten years later, through the efforts of a dedicated team of firearms designers and engineers, the big bore handgun was finally brought to market in small numbers. The Auto Mag Pistol (AMP) was a full-sized semi-auto featuring a multi-lugged rotating bolt and was operated by the short recoil system. The AMP was machined from stainless steel with a 6.5-inch barrel and total overall length of 11.5 inches. The magazine capacity was seven plus one in the chamber. The Auto Mag was expensive to produce and was underpriced on the market. It is estimated that Auto Mag lost $1,000 on every pistol produced. Read more
2016 marks the third and final year of Michigan’s experimental early teal hunting season, which runs Sept. 1-7. These small ducks, especially blue-winged teal, are some of the earliest duck species to migrate each fall.
This statewide teal-only season is possible because of growing teal populations. Hunters may take up to six teal per day and hunt from sunrise to sunset. Read more