Black Bear Near Colstrip, Montana Captured, Relocated

A young male black bear that had been getting into garbage in and around Colstrip residential areas in recent days was successfully captured, tranquilized, tagged and relocated to a remote area Friday by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7.

There has been a bit of an uptick in bear sightings recently around the region. But the mere presence of bears should not be considered an imminent threat. Bears prefer to avoid contact with humans, but when they receive frequent food rewards such as household trash, pet food and fruit, they can quickly become habituated to people This creates a situation that, if not remedied, may mean injury to humans or death for the bear. Hence the saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear.” Read more

Wildlife

Luth-AR Launches Exciting July Giveaway

Buffalo, MN – Luth-AR, the leading provider of high-quality AR accessories, is thrilled to announce its latest giveaway for the month of July 2024. This month, participants have the chance to win a fantastic prize package consisting of a MBA-5 Carbine Buttstock and a Chubby Grip™.

The Luth-AR MBA-5 Buttstock is the latest in the MBA Series. Designed as an affordable, lightweight, adjustable carbine buttstock with a paddle-style adjustment lever allowing rapid positioning. The wide flared cheek rest provides a comfortable cheek weld and the integrated Picatinny rail allows for attaching a mono-pod or other accessories and the Anti-rattle set screw allows for adjustment when used with a Mil-spec buffer tube.

The Chubby Grip® is designed with shooter ergonomics in mind. The full palm swell fills the hand, providing a consistent and rapid grip, properly positioned to promote accurate and repeatable shots on target. The thumb rest and palm shelf work together to lock the hand in place shot after shot, while the raised trigger finger surface, forces the finger into the proper curved position for better trigger control and comfort. Read more

Contests

Winchester Honors 125 Years of The Grand American with Commemorative Ammunition

EAST ALTON, IL — As the Official Ammunition of the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA), Winchester is honoring the 125th Anniversary of The Grand American with commemorative AA® shotshell ammunition.

As one of the most longstanding supporters of the ATA, and most preferred shotshell of its competitive shooters, the Winchester AA/Grand American commemorative ammunition is both a collectible for the mantel, or, superior fit for a round at the shooting range. The ammunition features the Grand American 125th Anniversary badge and imagery celebrating the rich history of the event.

“Winchester AA shotshells and The Grand American Trapshooting World Championships have contributed significantly to the rich history of the shooting sports,” said Jason Gilbertson, Director of Marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “Winchester is proud to celebrate this milestone anniversary of The Grand American with our legendary AA shotshell ammunition.” Read more

Ammunition

Gamekeeper Podcast: The Degradation of Wild Mallard Genetics

EP:243 | The Degradation of Wild Mallard Genetics

On this week’s podcast Dr. Philip Lavretsky of UTEP and Dr. Brian Davis of Miss State University join us to explain the frightening scenario of the degradation of wild mallard genetics. Released “game farm” mallards were previously thought to not survive the winters, and certainly weren’t thought to be breeding with wild ducks. Turns out that’s not true as they are having an increasing genetic influence on the Atlantic flyway mallards and the phenomenon is moving west. All we have to do is look to Europe to see what could play out. This alarming story plus new information that Dr. Lavretsky explains has everyone worried about the future of our beloved greenheads. If you love wildlife, especially ducks, you’re going to want to pay attention to this one and share it. Listen and Learn.

Listen Links:
Website: https://mossyoakgamekeeper.com/podcasts/ep243-the-degradation-of-wild-mallard-genetics/

Wildlife ,

Smith & Wesson Adds 45 Colt to the Model 1854 Series

MARYVILLE, TN. – Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: SWBI), a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, announces today the release of the new Model 1854, chambered in 45 Colt.

At the time Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 1854 series, .44 Rem Mag was the caliber offering of choice. Now, starting today, you can own one of these smooth lever guns in the iconic 45 Colt cartridge. The Model 1854 series is designed to strategically blend the classic aesthetic of the American lever gun while incorporating modern enhancements. This past year, the series received the 2024 Editor’s Choice Best All-Around Rifle, from Outdoor Life. Models are offered in a paired synthetic black polymer and stainless-steel finish, as well as a walnut furniture combination with Armornite finish.

These rifles are designed with a 9+1 capacity, include a threaded 19 ¼-inch barrel, and boast a crisp and smooth action that is also tough enough to stand up to use in the field. The Model 1854 comes with additional features out of the box like a 4 ¾-inch Picatinny base for mounting optics, an adjustable XS Sights® ghost ring rear sight, a gold bead front sight, flat-face trigger design, and removable magazine tube that allows you to safely unload the rifle. Read more

Firearms

Bidding Begins on July Collection of Collector’s Elite Auctions

Bidding begins Thursday, July 4, on the July collection of Collector’s Elite Auctions. The auction runs for two weeks, closing on the evening of Thursday, July 18.

Just a few of the unique items in the July collection are customized handguns from the personal collection of long-time American Handgunner editor Roy Huntington’s; a WWII-era Winchester M1 Carbine set up with a Vietnam-era Starlight Scope; and a new in box Merkel Express .500 Nitro sidelock double rifle.

Bidding for these items kick off on Independence Day and closes the evening of July 20th. Items are expected to be added from now until the auction opens for bidding. Read more

Firearms

NSSF-Adjusted NICS Background Checks for June 2024

The June 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,059,037 is a decrease of 4.7 percent compared to the June 2023 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,110,696. For comparison, the unadjusted June 2024 FBI NICS figure of 1,958,447 reflects a 9.0 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,152,187 in June 2023.

June marks the 59th month in a row that has exceeded 1 million adjusted background checks in a single month. Read more

Firearms

Trout Creek Angler Lands State Record Largescale Sucker

Montana has a new state record largescale sucker.

Wade Merschat, 12, of Trout Creek, used a nightcrawler to land a 6.72-pound largescale sucker from Noxon Reservoir in Sanders County on June 19. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists verified the state record and issued Merschat his state record certificate on July 1. The fish measured 25.25 inches long.

The previous record was 6.16 pounds set in June 2008 from Woodland Park Pond in Kalispell. It measured 23.1 inches long. Read more

Fishing

Help Trout Keep Their Cool

“Once water warms too much (78 to 86 degrees, depending upon species) trout can perish from the hostile environment.”


Trout anglers looking to beat the heat may want to add a little more precaution than usual to their catch-and-release regimen during summer, particularly on The Little Red River, which has seen temperatures exceeding the comfort level for rainbow and brown trout.

Christy Graham, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Trout Management Program supervisor based in Mountain Home, has worked with the state’s trophy-class trout fisheries for nearly 15 years. During that time, temperature monitoring throughout Arkansas’s famous tailwater fisheries always takes top priority in summer.

“We conduct daily checks of water quality conditions and work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Southwestern Power Administration to address any concerns we have about the amount of water being released,” Graham said.

According to the American Fisheries Society’s “Trout and Char of the World,” most trout species grow best at temperatures between about 53 and 66 degrees. Once water warms too much (78 to 86 degrees, depending upon species) trout can perish from the hostile environment. But it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, as many variables come into play that can drop that critical temperature a bit lower.

Graham says it’s not just the heat but, more importantly, the amount of oxygen in the water that plays a critical role in fish health during summer. Read more

Fishing

Fish Kill Occurs at Nebraska’s Big Indian Lake

A substantial fish kill, affecting all species in the lake, has occurred at Big Indian Recreation Area south of Wymore in Gage County.

Angler reports prompted Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologists on July 1 to visit the lake, where they observed numerous dead fish of all species. Dissolved oxygen was tested, confirming extremely low levels in the lake caused the fish kill.

“Unfortunately, many water bodies are susceptible to summertime fish kills given the right sequence of weather events,” said Tony Barada, a Game and Parks fisheries assistant administrator.

Extreme heat and sunshine earlier that week at Big Indian likely contributed to a large algal bloom that subsequently died back during the cooler temperatures and cloud cover that followed. When algae die, the bacteria that consumes it also consumes oxygen. When the algal die-off is excessive, it can cause fish kills. Read more

Fishing
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