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

Rage Simply Lethal Arrow Packages Now Available Nationwide

SUPERIOR, WI — Rage, the number-one-selling mechanical broadhead on the market, now offers two complete arrow packages so archers can spend less time building arrows and more time shooting them. The new Rage Simply Lethal Arrow package combines a popular Gold Tip pre-fletched carbon arrows with the archer’s choice of either the Rage SC 2-Blade 100-gr. or the Rage SC 2-Blade Chisel Tip 100-gr. broadheads and a set of field points for practice. Extremely tough and very dependable, these arrows come out of the box pre-cut and fully equipped with nocks, inserts, and 2-inch GT vanes installed. Read more

Archery

Reminder to Remington Rifle Owners

A Settlement Has Been Proposed in an Economic Loss Lawsuit that Alleges Safety Defects

You may be eligible to have your firearm retrofitted or receive other benefits

Recently, a federal judge ordered the parties in an economic-loss class action to remind owners of certain Remington firearms that a settlement has been reached. The settlement involves two classes. The first class includes owners of firearms that utilize a trigger connector. The second class includes owners of firearms that utilize the X-Mark Pro trigger mechanism that is the subject of a voluntary safety recall. The settlement allows owners of Remington models 700, Seven, and related models to have their trigger replaced free of charge, among other benefits. Read more

Firearms

MI DNR seeks information on Iron County wolf poaching

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are seeking information on a wolf poaching incident in Stambaugh Township, Iron County, located approximately 10 miles southwest of Iron River.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Jan. 22, a passerby spotted a dead female wolf, weighing approximately 70 pounds, lying several feet off the side of East Brule Lake Road. The passerby contacted local conservation officers, who immediately responded to the scene. Read more

Poachers

U.S. Hunters Take More Mature Bucks Than Yearlings for Second Year in a Row

ATHENS, GA – U.S. whitetail hunters took more mature bucks than 1½-year-old or “yearling” bucks for the second consecutive year – and the second year ever in modern history – according to data compiled by the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) for its 2017 Whitetail Report, now available online.

In the 2015-16 hunting season, the most recent season with complete deer harvest data available from every whitetail state, the percentage of 3½-year-old and older bucks climbed to 35 percent of the nation’s buck harvest, the highest harvest rate in modern history. That exceeds the rate of harvest for yearling bucks (34 percent) and the harvest of 2½-year-old bucks as well, which was 31 percent.

“No state wildlife agency employs regulations or encourages hunters to pass anything more than yearling bucks, yet the percentage of bucks 3½ years and older now surpasses 1½- and 2½-year-olds,” said Kip Adams, QDMA’s Director of Education & Outreach. “That means many hunters are willingly passing 2½-year-old bucks that are legal to harvest, which shows a desire by many hunters to hunt bucks that are at least 3½ years old.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Ohio Ice Fishermen Drown

CLEVELAND — The bodies of two men who fell through the ice while ice fishing on Sandy Pond in Oswego, Monday, were recovered following a search by the Coast Guard and first responders from partnering agencies.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a watchstander at Coast Guard Station Oswego received a call from 911 dispatch stating that a good Samaritan reported seeing individuals in the water about one-quarter of a mile offshore in Sandy Pond. Read more

Fishing

Obama’s 11th Hour Edict Labeled Anti-Fishing

Bass lures like these, which contain lead, are banned from many federal waters by an executive order President Barack Obama issued as he was leaving office.

Obama’s 11th Hour Edict Labeled Anti-Fishing

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On the day before President Barack Obama left office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued an edict to ban lead fishing tackle and ammunition from hundreds of thousands of acres of land and water managed by that agency. Executed without stakeholder input, the controversial action has sparked outrage from fishing and hunting communities.

National Conservation Director Gene Gilliland said that B.A.S.S. “joins our state fisheries management agency partners and ASA (American Sportfishing Association) in calling on the new administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put a hold on the order. Read more

Fishing
1 … 1,293 1,294 1,295 1,296 1,297 … 2,056