Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Bend, OR –– Nosler Inc. announced today the first of several new innovative products slated to roll out over the coming weeks with the release of their new RDF™ Reduced Drag Factor bullet line. RDF™ features the highest BCs and smallest, most consistent meplats of any hollow point match bullet line on the market. Read more
(MANSFIELD, TEXAS) – Firefield Stun Guns are designed to ruin the day of any aggressor in need of a shocking reality check. With over 1.1 million violent crimes occurring in the U.S. each year, taking responsibility for your own protection and refusing to become a statistic has become more than a right; it has become a responsibility. While self-defense is critically important, many either cannot or will not carry a firearm. Whether you carry a stun gun with or in lieu of a firearm, self-preservation should never be a compromise.
Understanding and supporting your essential right to personal defense, Firefield now offers three highly effective stun gun models designed specifically for easy, single-handed operation: Firefield Microburst 7 Million Volt Stun Gun (FF24000), Firefield Volt 9 Million Volt Stun Gun and Firefield Surge 10 Million Volt Stun Gun (FF24002). All three Firefield Stun Guns are sure to deliver the electrifying results you want during a critical incident. Read more
WEST HARTFORD, CT – The Colt M4 continues to be the platform of choice amongst Military, Law Enforcement, and firearms enthusiasts alike. Now Colt is offering yet another option for enthusiasts looking for that robust and well-fielded platform – the Colt Combat UnitTM carbine, featuring Colt’s new mid-length gas system.
The Colt Combat UnitTM carbine offers many of the features you love about the Colt M4 platform, but now Colt is introducing its first production mid-length gas system. “Producing a mid-length gas system was the logical next-step for us, and it’s long overdue,” said Justin Baldini, Director of Product Marketing for Colt. “Shooters will find that by moving the gas block closer to the muzzle as this mid-length gas system does, the felt recoil is more constant with what is fielded by our troops carrying a 14.5″ barrel M4.” Read more
More daytime activity of bucks makes for great times in the deer stand! Watch this video where the bucks put on a show in the food plot with a few sparring matches and more whitetail behavior. Then see Adam help out the plan to lower the deer population when he arrows a doe. Stay tuned for advice to a Georgia landowner on improving his hunting property. Visit www.GrowingDeer.tv to see this video and more today! Read more
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites waterfowlers to bring their young hunters to one of Michigan’s Wetland Wonders in October and November for a memorable hunting experience. Hunters can choose from several dates and locations for youth waterfowl hunts. Parties with at least one youth will be given priority in the draw at all seven Wetland Wonders:
Oct. 22 – Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area (afternoon hunt only) in Pinconning
Oct. 29 – Muskegon County Wastewater (morning and afternoon hunts) in Twin Lake
Oct. 29 – Fish Point State Wildlife Area (afternoon hunt only) in Unionville
Nov. 5 – Fennville Farm Unit of the Allegan State Game Area (morning hunt only) in Fennville
Nov. 5 – Shiawassee River State Game Area (afternoon hunt only) in St. Charles
Nov. 11 – Harsens Island Managed Hunt Area (afternoon hunt only) on Harsens Island
Nov. 13 – Pointe Mouillee State Game Area (morning hunt only) in Rockwood
Drawings for the youth morning hunts will occur at 5:30 a.m. and for the youth afternoon hunts at 11 a.m. (11:30 a.m. at Harsens Island). Read more
On Oct. 18, attorneys for the Sportsmen’s Alliance, the federal government and the state of Michigan presented oral arguments in their appeal of the ongoing Great Lakes wolf case. Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota were joined by other states in support of the appeal.
In December 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed wolves from the list of endangered and threatened species, restoring management oversight of the species to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Unhappy with that delisting, and the subsequent possibility for a wolf hunt, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) sued. The HSUS lawsuit sought to return wolves to Endangered Species Act protections.
Despite overwhelming evidence that wolves are not only recovered, but thriving, in the Western Great Lakes region, in Dec. 2014, a Washington, D.C.-based, U.S. District Court Judge ruled that until the apex predators were deemed recovered throughout their entire historic range – which means from New York City to San Francisco – they could not be delisted. The Sportsmen’s Alliance and the federal and state governments appealed this ruling.
“Under the lower court’s ruling, it doesn’t matter that wolf numbers in the Great Lakes states are two or three times higher than the recovery goals adopted by the federal government in the 1990s. The ruling by the lower court means that until wolves are found in Chicago, Seattle and New York, wolves cannot be managed appropriately by state wildlife experts in the Great Lakes states,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The ruling makes absolutely no sense, is legally and factually incorrect, and spells disaster for the future of the Endangered Species Act, wildlife and our entire ecosystem, which is why we’re appealing it.” Read more
Since 2008, the DNR has confirmed 35 cougar reports in the Upper Peninsula, but so far there remains noThe cougar shown was poached in Schoolcraft County in 2013. This is one of two male cougars the Michigan DNR sampled tissue from for genetic analysis. conclusive evidence of a breeding population. No reports have been confirmed from Lower Michigan.
Cougars are an endangered species in Michigan protected by law. Read more
The first hunt period of the elk season is staggered and open for a total of 12 days, from Aug. 30-Sept. 2, Sept. 16-19 and Sept. 30-Oct. 3. This early hunt period is open only in areas outside the core elk range, helping to control the distribution or locations of elk. The management goal for elk hunting is to control the number of elk and their locations and also the herd composition, or the male-to-female ratios. Hunt period 1 targets elk outside the location where the DNR wants the majority of the population to be. Read more
“A few years ago, Outdoor Life magazine rated Michigan’s Thumb in the top 10 places in the country to go pheasant hunting, which points to the fact that pheasant hunting is still alive and well in our state,” said Al Stewart, DNR upland game bird specialist. “The DNR and our partners are making progress toward creating more quality pheasant hunting opportunities with the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative, a collaborative effort to revitalize Michigan pheasants.”
Stewart, who recently returned from attending the National Wild Pheasant meeting, explained that while pheasant populations have been in decline for a number of years, pheasants can be found in southern lower Michigan and in some areas of the Upper Peninsula. The best counties for pheasant hunting are in south-central to mid-Michigan and into the Thumb. There are some localized concentrations of birds elsewhere based on habitat availability. Stewart advises hunters to look for warm-season grasses, especially idled farm fields. Late-season hunters can have success in cattail and shrub lands adjoining picked agricultural fields. Read more