ThinkingAfield.org

Garmin Introduces Quatrix 5 Smart Watch

May 12, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), today announced the quatix 5, its next-generation marine GPS smartwatch that’s specifically designed for life on the water. More than a watch, the quatix 5 provides comprehensive boat connectivity with compatible Garmin chartplotters and other marine electronics to offer autopilot control, remote multifunction display (MFD) waypoint marking, data streaming – including speed, depth, temperature and wind – sail racing assistance, and much more. In addition to preloaded marine-specific feature sets, the quatix 5 also includes a host of built-in activity profiles for land and water sports like running, hiking, biking, swimming, rowing, and paddle boarding to name a few.
With an extended battery life, daily activity tracking1, smart notifications2, and Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate technology, the quatix 5 can be worn 24/7 and easily transitions from water to land. Built to withstand the harsh marine environment, the quatix 5 measures at 47mm and features a rugged yet sleek design with a stainless steel bezel, buttons and rear case that’s more compact than previous models. Thanks to the new QuickFit™ bands available in metal, leather or silicone, users can interchange their watchband in seconds and without tools. Read more

General

Michigan: Free Fishing Weekend

May 11, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

Michigan: home to outstanding fishing, more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, 11,000 inland lakes, and tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams.

There’s no shortage of recreational opportunities to explore – and what better time to do so than the 2017 Summer Free Fishing Weekend!

The 2017 Summer Free Fishing Weekend will be held Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11. Read more

Fishing

S&W Introduces M&P 15 MOE SL Rifles

May 10, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced that through a collaboration with Magpul Industries, it is introducing three new firearms to its popular M&P15 series of modern sporting rifles. As the newest additions to the market leading M&P15 rifle platform, the M&P15 MOE SL rifles integrate Magpul’s MOE SL accessories, while delivering the performance and dependability that consumers have come to expect from Smith & Wesson.

Jan Mladek, General Manager of the Smith & Wesson and M&P Brands, said “We’ve enhanced the M&P15 Magpul Spec Series of rifles with some exciting new hardware upgrades from Magpul. The M&P15 MOE SL rifles incorporate many of the popular slim line Magpul accessories that shooters were adding to their rifles in a ready-to-shoot package, as well as a new Stealth Gray option. These additions expand Smith & Wesson’s advanced line of sporting firearms, while addressing consumer demands for exceptional performance and design.” Read more

Firearms

Boyds Introduces At-One Adjustable Gunstock

May 10, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

Boyds Introduces Revolutionary At-One Adjustable GunstockBoyds, the South Dakota-based maker of hardwood gunstocks, has introduced a new gunstock that lets one adjust the butt pad for length and the comb for proper cheek rest height at the push of a button. The At-One adjustable gunstock lets you precisely customize and fine-tune the fit of your firearm, depending on varying situations. At-One also lets you adjust your gun to fit other shooters.

At-One’s “Bring-It” push-button adjustment technology is easy to use, elegant in its simplicity and completely reliable. And, it allows you to make adjustments in the field in seconds, without tools or hardware.

The butt pad adjustment modifies the stock length from 12-1/2″ – 14.” The comb adjustment has a 9/16″ range. Together, these two adjustments allow any gun to fit anyone! Read more

Firearms

Michigan: DNR Releases Deer Hunter Study Report

May 9, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with DJ Case & Associates, recently released a report on a nearly yearlong study of Michigan deer hunters. Following up on recent DNR research into deer hunting participation trends, the project was designed to be completed before the 2017-2019 deer hunting regulations are established.

Report findings were presented at the April 13 Natural Resources Commission meeting. The full written report, which includes more than 100 pages of detailed information on the study process and results, is available online at michigan.gov/deer, under “MI Deer Resources.”

A few key findings included:

• Most respondents (79 percent) did not think the current deer hunting regulations are too complex.
• Differences of opinions across age categories were greater than differences between males and females.
• Regulations changes did not receive a majority of support among any group of hunters, though younger hunters generally were more supportive of changes than older hunters.
• As the hunter population ages, differences of opinions across age categories indicate the DNR should re-examine future support for regulations changes.
• Among options for possible discounts and prize drawings, a majority of younger hunters did believe they would be likely to purchase a multiyear license bundle at a discounted rate. Read more

Hunting

Sightmark Wolverine CSR-LQD

May 9, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

(MANSFIELD, TEXAS) – From stalking prey in the woods to executing important law enforcement missions, intense moments call for maximum functionality. The new Sightmark Wolverine CSR-LQD (SM26021-LQD) delivers big on close-quarters efficiency, helping hunters, law enforcement and competition shooters alike make their mark.Designed for exceptionally quick target acquisition on MSR’s and shotguns, the Wolverine CSR-LQD is a red dot sight with a 4 MOA dot reticle and features a locking, quick detach mount, enabling the Wolverine to be detached and attached when seconds matter, while user-friendly digital switch brightness controls make the sight quick and easy to operate. There’s no need to fret over batteries, as the Wolverine’s extremely low power consumption allows the sight to be used continuously for 1 million hours, or over 6 years, on just a single AA battery. Read more

Optics

Michigan: Thornapple Lake Selected for Muskellunge Broodstock

May 8, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

Thornapple Lake is a 409 acre lake that lies in eastern Barry County, about five miles west of the village of Nashville. It is a popular recreation lake with two boat launches and shore fishing opportunities.

The lake originally supported a native Great Lakes-strain muskellunge population until it declined in the 1950s. Stocking of Northern-strain muskellunge in Thornapple Lake began in 1964, and the lake was used as a muskellunge broodstock source from the early 1970s to 2010.

Each spring, Department of Natural Resources biologists collected eggs from muskellunge in Thornapple Lake and then reared the offspring of these fish at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan.

In the fall, these fish were stocked throughout the state to support muskellunge fisheries. Recently the DNR implemented a program to stock only native Great Lakes-strain muskellunge in waters connected to the Great Lakes to reduce the potential for negative genetic effects on naturally reproducing muskellunge populations.

Currently, the Great Lakes muskellunge eggs for Michigan’s state fish hatcheries are collected from fish located in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. There are two disadvantages with the current system. The muskellunge are hard to locate in such a large system, and the late spawning period for fish in these Great Lakes connecting waters reduces the rearing period in the hatchery and, thus, the size of the muskellunge at the time of stocking into other waters. (Please note, 2017’s egg collection efforts have been cancelled due to a disease outbreak.) Read more

Fishing

Colt Announces the New Cobra® Double-Action Revolver

May 8, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

WEST HARTFORD, CT – Colt, historic manufacturer of what many have heralded as the finest double-action revolvers ever made, is excited to announce its re-entry into the market with the release of the Cobra®. The all stainless steel small frame revolver features the classic lines of a traditional Colt double-action revolver, along with some great upgrades and modernizations, including Colt’s new LL2™ (Linear Leaf spring, version 2) trigger spring which offers a premium trigger pull experience without the need for hand-fitting.

“The bar was set so high,” said Paul Spitale, SVP for Colt, referring to the legacy of fine double-action revolvers in Colt’s history. “And the team in Colt’s Innovation Center really knocked this one out of the park. The grip was moved rearward to not only allow for more comfort and recoil control, but this also opened up the trigger guard area to allow for a flatter, more intuitive feeling trigger, as well as easy use with gloved hands. The trigger pull is phenomenal. The feel of this trigger both in the hand and when measured by a computer is very favorable to, and some might say better than, the triggers in Colt’s legacy double-action revolvers.” Read more

Firearms

Michigan’s St. Marys River Fisheries Assessment

May 8, 2017 Glen Wunderlich

Freighter going through St. Marys River

The Northern Lake Huron Management Unit includes most of the St. Marys River, a large international boundary water connecting Lake Superior to Lake Huron.

River management is coordinated by the St. Marys River Fisheries Task Group, which has representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority and member tribes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Lake Superior State University, Sault College, and Algoma University also participate as resource members.

Member agencies will be conducting a fish community survey of the entire St. Marys River during the month of August 2017. During that time fisheries biologists and technicians will be setting survey nets at predetermined sites in the river and capturing a variety of species to collect information on abundance, growth, mortality and size structure of fish populations and compare this latest information against the data collected in previous surveys. Read more

Fishing