Fastest-flying birds in the world recently banded on Isle Royale

Isle Royale peregrine falcon bandingPeregrine falcons can dive for prey at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest-flying bird in the world.

Recently on Isle Royale National Park, Department of Natural Resources and National Park Service staff members banded three 4-week-old chicks. The chicks were in an eyrie, or natural nest, on a rock cliff 200 feet above Lake Superior, on Passage Island. Although no longer federally endangered, peregrine falcons still are considered rare and are listed on Michigan’s endangered species list. Approximately 139 peregrine falcons are found in Michigan.

Two female chicks and one male chick each received two bands on their legs – one bicolored band, with large numbers that can be read from a distance, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Band, which usually is silver and bears a serial number specific to that bird. These bands are placed on young birds so that scientists can monitor and track the dispersal, migration, life span, reproductive success, behavior and population growth of the falcons.

Isle Royale peregrine falcon banding rappel“The banding went great for the unique location of these birds,” said DNR wildlife biologist John DePue. “Most falcons we band in Michigan nest on man-made structures. Here we had a natural nest, which made access a challenge. Banding was successful with the collaboration of staff from the National Park Service and the DNR.”

Typically, peregrine falcons will nest at high elevations on tall buildings, bridges or cliffs, where updraft currents are available. A ready food source, such as starlings and pigeons, is available in urban settings, which also offer great protection from natural predators like the great horned owl. In an undeveloped setting, such as the cliffs of Lake Superior, falcons’ diet consists of a wide variety of small birds, seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds and the occasional duck. Peregrines tend to return to the same nest annually, and normally birds from Michigan will be found in Canada, Ohio, Wisconsin and other surrounding states.

“We look forward to seeing just where these three peregrines end up,” said DePue.

Learn more about Michigan’s endangered and nongame wildlife species on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/nongamewildlife. 

Wildlife

HSUS Misinterprets Endangered Species Act, Loses Petition Appeal on Wolves

By Glen Wunderlich

How thoughtful of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to send me a free gift.  In the mail this week came a 2015-2016 pocket planner with a signed letter from President and Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Pacelle, exclusively for me.  Imagine that.  CEO Pacelle says he needs friends like me – and, of course, my gift in any amount I can share.

In the letter, the Humane Society of the United States claimed that donations help the organization “investigate and expose brutal industries” including “internet hunting.”  Never mind that nobody has ever hunted over the internet and that not one single website offers it.

Oddly, there is no mention of its petition which sought to list gray wolves in the United States as “threatened,” under the Endangered Species Act in its list of good deeds.  Maybe that’s because that battle has just been lost.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) indicates the petition was filed by the Humane Society of the United States and other anti-hunting organizations including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fund for Animals, the Detroit Zoological Society, National Wolfwatcher Coalition and the Detroit Audubon Society. It requested that gray wolves in the conterminous United States, except for the Mexican Gray Wolf, be listed as “threatened,” which would preclude any state from holding a hunting season for them for any reason. The USFWS ruled that the petition lacked “substantial scientific or commercial information” necessary to consider it any further.

“This decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists confirms that wolves are biologically recovered in the western Great Lakes and that state management plans, like Michigan’s, are sufficient to sustain the wolf population and are the appropriate way to manage wolves in the region,” said Amy Trotter, deputy director for Michigan United Conservation Clubs and a member of the Michigan Wolf Forum.

Among its findings, the USFWS stated that wolves in the conterminous U.S., which are made up of multiple distinct population segments of gray wolf, are not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future due to any of the five listing factors, and that HSUS’s claim that they have to be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered is “based on a misinterpretation of the Act.”

The USFWS further stated that state management plans are sufficient to sustain wolf populations in recovered areas, including where hunting and trapping is allowed.

“The existing state plans regulating take of wolves only allow take above certain population thresholds, such that if the other causes of mortality increased above certain levels, hunting and trapping would be reduced to prevent the population from dipping below those thresholds.”

“We are disappointed in the FWS’ decision not to consider this middle-ground approach to wolf management. A threatened listing is a reasonable compromise to this contentious issue…”says Michael Markarian, chief program and policy officer of HSUS.  But, a “threatened listing” means no hunting – the only reasonable means to keep wolf numbers in check.

Wolves in the western Great Lakes were delisted in 2011, only to be relisted by a lone federal judge in December 2014, who also claimed that wolves must be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered – a decision currently being appealed.

Now, where’s that neat little planner, because I have some important dates to enter:  small game opener September 15th, archery deer October 1st, firearms deer November 15th…

Hunting, Wildlife

Arizona Youths Injured In Elk Encounter

Other people feeding wildlife believed to be cause

KINGMAN, Ariz. – The message has been clear and concise: stop feeding wildlife.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informing people for years about the dangers of feeding wildlife. Last week, Mohave County Parks reported that two youths suffered minor injuries that likely were the result of elk seeking human food.

The encounter, which took place in Hualapai Mountain Park, involved a family at a picnic table. A group of elk approached the family and encircled the table. The two youths, a boy and girl, were injured by the hooves. The girl suffered a bloody nose and minor injuries to the forehead and lower leg, while the boy suffered a bump to the forehead. Read more

Wildlife

NSSF Awards $60K Scholarships to 25 Students

National Shooting Sports Foundation Awards $60,000 Scholarships to 25 Students

NEWTOWN, Conn. – Through its popular annual essay contest for employees of Voting Member companies and their family members, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® has awarded $60,000 in scholarship funds to 25 students who distinguished themselves through their writing ability. NSSF® is the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry.

To earn one of the 25 scholarships offered, employees of NSSF Voting Member companies or their qualified family members submitted applications and essays on one of three topics-“Why ‘Smart Gun’ Technology is Not the Answer to Gun Safety,” “Explain to Your Friends Why Firearms Ownership, Hunting and/or Target Shooting Are Important to You” and “Gun Safety Doesn’t Mean Gun Control.”

As it happened, all of the top-scoring essays were on the same topic, “Explain to Your Friends Why Firearms Ownership, Hunting and/or Target Shooting Are Important to You.” Read more

Firearms

PulseTech® Products Corp. Introduces 2-Station 12-Volt Battery Recovery

Don¹ t Throw Away Old Batteries- Recover Them!

SOUTHLAKE, TX- PulseTech® Products Corp. introduces the SC-2, a 2-Station HD Recovery Charger designed to recover, charge, maintain and desulfate as many as two 12-Volt lead-acid batteries any where in the world.

The compact and portable recovery charger, designed primarily for managers of smaller boating fleets, warehouse equipment, marinas, RVs and off roaders, antique car collectors and commercial shops, works with any 12-Volt battery type, including VRLA, AGM, gel and flooded cell. The dual recovery charging stations operate in isolation, allowing any combination of battery brands or types to be recharged simultaneously.

Many commercial shops have a Œ spent¹ pile of batteries that are thought to be dead and useless. The SC-2 is able to recover the majority of these batteries and return them to pristine condition saving money that would have been spent on new batteries. PulseTech Products has a history of building products that help protect the environment. The SC-2 is another example of this by extending battery life and reducing the number of 12-Volt batteries heading to waste facilities. Read more

General

Legacy Sports International Announces Howa Rifles Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor

Legacy Sports International Announces Howa Rifles Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor
Gene Lumsden, CEO of Legacy Sports International, Inc. announces the arrival of Howa rifles chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. Inventory is available for immediate shipment in 22 inch standard and 24 inch heavy barrel versions (where applicable). Lightweight 20 inch barrels will be coming soon. Models are in New Alpine Mountain Rifle, Kryptek Highlander/Cerakote finish, Black or OD Green Hogue stocks (blued or Cerakote Gray finish on metal parts), the Howa/Hogue/Nikko Stirling Gameking Package, Howa/Hogue Youth 2•N•1 Package with youth and adult stocks as well as Ranchland Compact Packages.

This caliber is a tack driver! Designed as a flat shooting, long range short action round, the 6.5 Creedmoor rifle from Howa delivers superior performance with amazingly low recoil. During testing, our shooters found this rifle to be pleasant to shoot and highly accurate out of the box, with zero’d groups at ¾” (sub-MOA) using factory ammunition.

For more information contact: Rick Homme • Legacy Sports International, Inc. • 775-828-0555 or rhomme@legacysports.com.

Firearms

Stoeger Delivers First Ranger Rifles to Colt Canada

Oshawa, Ontario – Stoeger Canada with SAKO, Finland deliver the first rifles for the New Ranger Rifle Program to Colt Canada. The SAKO .308 rifle design based on the Tikka Compact Tactical Rifle (CTR) has been selected as the new Ranger Rifle for Canada replacing the Lee Enfield.

These prototype rifles have been delivered to the Rangers and will undergo user trial evaluations from now till the end of 2015. Production of 6500 or more rifles is expected to commence in mid-2016 with a completion mid to end 2018.

The ownership of the intellectual property of the design will remain with SAKO, and Colt Canada will acquire a manufacturing license for the design on behalf of The Government of Canada and the Department of National Defence, under the Munitions Supply Program (MSP).

The Canadian Rangers are a sub-component of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Reserve. They are effectively the military’s eyes and ears in the sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated areas of Canada that cannot conveniently or economically be covered by other parts of the CAF, providing patrols and detachments for national-security and public-safety missions in these locations. Read more

Firearms

Scent-A-Way® MAX Wash Towels from Hunter’s Specialties® Provide Hunters a Shower in a Bag

Scent-A-Way® MAX individual wash towels provide hunters, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts a quick and easy way to clean up when showers are unavailable.

Scent-A-Way MAX Wash Towels come in a package of six individually wrapped sheets containing Hunter’s Specialties® Scent-A-Way MAX formula to help eliminate odors, along with Aloe Vera and vitamin E to leave skin clean, soft and protected.

Scent-A-Way MAX Wash Towels measure 10”x12” and sell for a suggested retail price of $9.99 for a package of six.

For more information about other Hunter’s Specialties products, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.

Hunting
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