ThinkingAfield.org

World-class birding now at your fingertips on Beaver Island

Beaver Island, the largest Lake Michigan island, will welcome birders from around the Great Lakes starting Friday, May 23, for a dedication celebration at the trailhead of the new Beaver Island Birding Trail (BIBT).

BIBT encompasses more than 12,300 acres of public land and four Little Traverse Conservancy preserves. Interpretive signage explaining DNR habitat management objectives and birds to be seen will enhance birders’ and non-birders’ appreciation of the island’s diverse habitats. Read more

Coyote Hunting Halted in Five North Carolina Counties

RALEIGH, NC- The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is notifying the public that a U.S. District Judge has issued a court order prohibiting hunting of coyotes in Dare, Hyde, Beaufort, Tyrrell and Washington counties, day or night, except under extremely limited circumstances. This notification is due to a lawsuit in which the Wildlife Resources Commission is alleged to have violated the federal Endangered Species Act by allowing coyote hunting in those counties where a non-essential experimental reintroduction of the red wolf is occurring. Read more

NSSF Offering Target Shooting Program Grants to Colleges

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is making a total of $100,000 in grants available to public and private colleges for start-ups of new target-shooting clubs and teams.

The grants are provided through NSSF’s Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative, which has assisted more than 75 schools with building competitive and recreational shooting programs through more than $1 million in support. The program is credited with helping to spur growth in collegiate target shooting across the country. NSSF is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Read more

Remington Announces Corporate Consolidation

The buzz around the industry early yesterday was that Advanced Armament Corp was being closed down and relocated. Before the end of business yesterday, employees at six Remington properties along with two production lines in Ilion, New York, were told their companies- and jobs- were relocating to Huntsville, Alabama. Read more

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR), announces an all-new Predator version of the Ruger American Rifle® – the 100% American-made rifle that set a new standard of excellence among full-featured, bolt-action rifles. The Ruger American Rifle® Predator model includes all the features of the original Ruger American Rifle®, plus a moss green stock, a heavier tapered, threaded barrel and a factory installed one-piece aluminum scope rail. It is available in six calibers – .223 Rem (featuring a 1:8 Twist), .204 Ruger, .22-250 Rem., .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win. Read more

From the Washington Times article:

Among the 36,000 immigrants whom U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released from custody last year there were 116 with convictions for homicide, 43 for negligent manslaughter, 14 for voluntary manslaughter and one with a conviction classified by ICE as “homicide-willful kill-public official-gun.” . . .

KA-BAR Acquires EK Commando Knife

OLEAN, NY – KA-BAR Knives is proud to announce the acquisition of legendary knife brand Ek Commando Knife.

Ek Commando Knife was created in 1941 by John Ek in Hamden, Connecticut. During World War II, Ek Commando Knives were restricted to military personnel. The knives featured serial numbers that were recorded and kept for tracking and identification. Luminaries ranging from General George Patton, President Franklin Roosevelt, and actor turned soldier Clark Gable owned Ek Knives during the Second World War.

Ek Commando Knives have served our military in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other hotspots around the globe. Today, Ek continues to be a staple of the United States military.

Ek Commando Knives made by KA-BAR will be available for purchase in 2015.

New Exclusive Technology From Bushnell Allows Bow Hunters To Shoot With Unprecedented Confidence

Overland Park, Kan – Bushnell, an industry leader in high performance sports optics for more than 65 years, has introduced a revolutionary new archery laser range finder that allows hunters to understand the trajectory of the arrow before it leaves the bow.

The new Truth with ClearShotTM Laser Rangefinder is designed to help bow hunters ensure every shot is a clear shot. ClearShot technology provides a simple, instantaneous notification that determines if the hunter has the clearance necessary to take an unobstructed shot. Using an easy-to-follow three-step process, hunters can calibrate the rangefinder to correspond with the speed of the bow via their sight system. Read more

Spring season brings the next generation of wildlife

fawn in tall grass It’s spring, and baby animals are out and about as wildlife is giving birth and hatching the next generation. Baby red foxes are being spotted, and the first litters of cottontails will soon appear. Great-horned owls have already hatched and are growing up in stick nests high above the ground. Mourning doves have made nests and some have already laid eggs. Soon there will be nestlings and baby critters all over the place – the natural cycle for population replenishment is at work.

The Department of Natural Resources encourages people to get outside and enjoy the wildlife sightings and experiences. Seeing wild animals raising their young is a magical moment, but it is important to remember to remain at a distance. Sometimes, unfortunately, the story has a different ending when people take baby animals out of the wild.

“Please resist the urge to try to help seemingly abandoned fawns or other baby animals this spring,” said DNR wildlife biologist Steve Griffith. “Some people truly are trying to be helpful, while others think wild animals would make good pets. In most cases, neither of those situations ends well for the wildlife.

“We appreciate the good intentions of those who want to help, but the animals are better off left alone than removed from the wild,” said Griffith. “The species that are most problematic are white-tailed deer and raccoons.

“Deer seem so vulnerable and helpless but really they stay still because that is a mechanism to let them be undetected. Raccoons seem cute and cuddly but they grow up to be mischievous and aggressive. It’s best to just leave them alone.” Read more

Want More Wildlife? Think Like A Farmer – by Austin Delano

One of the biggest problems with warm season food plots is weed competition. Some are grasses and some broadleaf weeds, but they are all an eyesore and steal moisture and nutrients from your wildlife plots. Here are two of the most common food plot weeds in the south. It seems to be giving a lot of food plotters problems this year in their fields across the country. Most anyone who has spent time farming or food plotting is familiar with Johnson Grass. If you don’t have any to deal with on your property, count yourself blessed. It is a notorious invasive weed that is very drought resistant, fast spreading, and can be tough to eliminate. Read more