New Legislation Introduced to Ban Fish Farms in the Great Lakes

New legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives by Rep. Jon Bumstead (R-Newago) to ban commercial net-pen fish farms in the Great Lakes, which poses disease, escapement and effluent risks to Great Lakes fisheries. House Bill 5255 would ban commercial cage culture operations from Michigan-controlled waters of the Great Lakes

Call your representatives on the House Natural Resources and Agriculture committees and tell them to protect Great Lakes fisheries!

“This is just common sense,” said Bumstead. “The Great Lakes support a $7 billion sport fishery. Why would the state authorize an unnecessary risk to the Great Lakes economy? This legislation will ensure that it doesn’t.”

This legislation comes in the midst of competing legislation to specifically authorize commercial net-pen fish farms – also called cage culture – in the Great Lakes following two proposals for siting in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

“Commercial cage culture poses serious risks to wild fisheries,” said Dr. Bryan Burroughs, executive director of the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited. “These risks include escapement and breeding with wild fish, making them less genetically fit to survive in the wild, passing disease from immune domestic fish to wild fish which are not immune to the diseases, and, especially, the effluent deposited by concentrated populations of domestic fish into lakes.” Read more

Fishing

HSUS Grades Politicians

For those of you who’d like to know how your local politicians are rated by the largest anti-hunting organization in the world, check out the report cards here: http://bit.ly/1QAHb1M.

Another video worth watching covers the HSUS position on hunting with the understanding that anyone who receives high scores with the HSUS lobbyists is certainly no friend of the North American Conservation Model.

Give this one a look and see if you don’t get the notion that HSUS, like some politicians, is definitely flying under a false flag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk5rjSJYeKg

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

BLACKHAWK! Releases a New Knoxx SpecOps Shotgun Stock

GW: No indication of what firearms this is compatible with…
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — The all-new BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen III Stock with Recoil Suppression Technology effectively reduces felt recoil by up to 80 percent, taking the original SpecOps Stock to an even higher level of effectiveness, performance and reliability.

Using dual recoil-compensation systems, this rugged new synthetic stock improves shooter confidence, reduces muzzle flip, decreases cheek-slap and virtually eliminates harsh recoil. With improved ergonomics and six convenient adjustment positions, any-sized shooter can use the SpecOps Stock Gen III comfortably in any application and with any load. Even high-powered 3-inch loads are reduced by approximately 50 percent. Read more

Firearms

Winchester Introduces New M-22 Rimfire Ammo


EAST ALTON, Ill. – Winchester Ammunition delivered one of the most significant innovations to hit the rimfire world in 2013 with the introduction of the 17 Winchester Super Magnum, but where new rimfire loads are concerned, the company is far from over. In 2016, Winchester Ammunition continues to invest in its rimfire product line with the development of a new M-22 Subsonic .22 LR round.The M-22 is designed specifically to function in semi-automatic firearms, while remaining subsonic from both pistol and rifle length barrels. The new M-22 Subsonic features a 45-grain black-plated lead round nose bullet that has the equivalent energy of full velocity 36-grain rimfire products. In addition, the M-22 Subsonic utilizes non-corrosive priming and clean burning powder for reduced muzzle flash.

The M-22 Subsonic was also created with suppressed firearms in mind, but performs just as well in unsuppressed rifles and handguns. During Winchester testing, M-22 Subsonic rounds measured 129 dB from an unsuppressed rifle. That is significantly quieter than a full velocity .22 LR fired from a suppressed rifle, which typically measures around 138 db. With the addition of a suppressor, M-22 Subsonic achieves a remarkably quiet 116 db. Read more

Ammunition

Johnny Stewart Grim Speaker GS2 Caller Wins Outdoor Life Editor’s Choice Award

During the recent Outdoor Life field test of new predator callers, the new Johnny Stewart Grim Speaker GS2 caller received the Editor’s Choice award for its excellent performance and price.

Testers were impressed with the call’s performance, as well as the reach of the 110 decibel speaker at ranges over 300 yards. “The backlit LED remote unit was easy to operate with gloved fingers and the remote nests in the back of the caller by means of a magnet”, said one of the testers. “A huge plus is the ability to download hundreds of additional sounds through the USB port.” Read more

Hunting

Idaho Wolf Management A Success

— Virgil Moore, Director, Idaho Fish and Game

When Idaho Fish and Game took over wolf management in 2011, the wolf population had grown unchecked for more than a decade after reaching federal recovery levels of 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves eleven years earlier. This was due to repeated lawsuits that stalled delisting and delayed transfer of wolves to state management.

As a result, wolf conflicts with livestock and elk populations were rampant in most parts of Idaho north of the Snake River and livestock producers and hunters grew increasingly frustrated.

After five years of state management of wolves in Idaho, we’re seeing positive results:

  • In 2010, the year before wolves were delisted, there were 109 confirmed wolf depredations on livestock in Idaho. Now livestock depredations by wolves are down by almost 50 percent (59 in 2015).
  • The most recent livestock attack by wolves occurred last October. We haven’t had a depredation-free stretch last this long since 2004. Read more
Wildlife

Anti-Gun Senators Defeat LB298: Firearms Equality Act


Nebraska Firearms Owners Association Applauds Efforts of Senators on LB289: Nebraska Firearm Laws Equality ActLincoln, NE, January 27, 2016 – the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA) commends the efforts of Senators Laura Ebke, David Schnoor, Bill Kintner, Tommy Garrett, and Brett Lindstrom to pass Senator Ebke’s LB289 that would have brought equality to the firearms laws in Nebraska. The bill would have removed municipal ordinances in direct violation of Article One – Section One of the Nebraska Constitution to bring cities into compliance with our State Constitution by ending the patchwork of firearms restrictions and ensuring uniform treatment for all law abiding gun owners. This morning, however, a few senators chose politics over principle when they voted against the bill. These include Senators Galen Hadley District 37, Bob Krist District 10, Roy Baker District 30, Heath Mello District 5, and Adam Morfeld District 46. Read more
Gun Control

The Pope and Young Club Helps Protect Bighorn Sheep


Chatfield, MN – The Pope and Young Club’s Conservation, Education and Outreach Fund awarded a grant to the National Wildlife Federation’s Howe Peak and Deadman Domestic Sheep Allotment Retirements. The purpose is to help remove domestic sheep from Forest Service and BLM allotments in close proximity to bighorn sheep. The Pope and Young funding grant will help decrease the susceptibility of wild sheep from contracting disease from domestic animals. Read more
Wildlife

Daisy Museum Introduces 2nd Amendment BB Gun


Because a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun is just about everyone’s first gun, it could just possibly be the most important gun in your collection. How appropriate it is that the Daisy Museum chose this lever action 650 shot world-famous BB gun to showcase what is, to all of us, the most important amendment in our country’s Bill of Rights: the Second Amendment.Offered exclusively by The Daisy Airgun Museum, the stock of this Daisy Red Ryder is laser engraved with the text of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Read more
Firearms

Pheasants Forever Annual Report: 1.7 Million Wildlife Habitat Acres Impacted in ’15


Quail Forever celebrates 10th anniversary, sets new membership recordSt. Paul, Minn. – In 2015, Pheasants Forever, Inc., including its quail division, Quail Forever, worked with more than 35,000 individual landowners and its chapter affiliates completed more than 12,700 wildlife habitat projects, which combined to improve habitat for pheasants, quail and other wildlife on more than 1.7 million acres. Read more
Hunting, Wildlife
1 … 1,428 1,429 1,430 1,431 1,432 … 2,058