Food Plots and Habitat Plantings for Game Birds

One aspect of wildlife management that is growing rapidly is the restoration of native habitat and growing crops with game birds like quail and turkey in mind. I am of the opinion that loss of habitat may be the number one factor in a list of many reasons for the steady decline in quail numbers over the last several decades. Turkey on the other hand, have had remarkable success and have a population that is abundant across most of the U.S.

Whether you are trying to attract turkeys and keep them on your property or attempting to provide food and cover for a couple coveys of quail, there are several easy to plant annual crops that can be very beneficial. Millets, sorghum, and sunflowers are all easy to plant warm season annuals that can be planted as stand-alone crops or as a blend like BioLogic’s WhistleBack. A lot of people want to plant something that is providing food within a couple weeks like they do for deer, but it really doesn’t work that way for birds. For game birds we are really trying to create food, cover, and brood habitat that they seek out. Giving the birds all they need through the changing seasons will keep them at home and discourage them from wandering to neighboring properties. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

NRA National Sporting Arms Museum features 16 original works of sporting and wildlife art on loan from Remington Outdoor Company

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Famous works of sporting and wildlife art and historical firearms on loan from Remington Outdoor Company are now on display at the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum. The 7,500-square-foot museum, which traces the evolution of hunting, conservation and freedom, is located at Bass Pro Shops flagship superstore in Springfield, Missouri.

N.C. Wyeth, titled Dangerous Bend.

Museum visitors can see 16 original oil paintings by America’s foremost outdoor artists from the last hundred years. Many of these paintings were used in Remington advertisements and their popular calendars and later displayed throughout the company’s facilities. In those early days, few would have guessed that many of those artists would become icons to later generations and thus some works of art were lost or destroyed.  However, in the 1960s, a rescue mission recovered and restored many of these masterpieces. Today, the Remington Art Collection includes over 400 original works of art and is believed to be the largest collection of sporting and wildlife art in the world. Read more

General

New Excalibur Matrix Mega 405 in Mossy Oak Treestand

KITCHENER, ONTARIO – The new Excalibur Matrix Mega 405 is a hard-hitting powerhouse that’s built for today’s most serious hunter. The Mega 405’s blistering speeds and bone crushing power makes it a highly-capable crossbow for taming the world’s biggest and deadliest game one arrow at a time.

The compact Matrix Mega 405 weighs in at 6.2 pounds and features a 290-pound draw weight, 13.8-inch power stroke, and arrow speeds exceeding 405 fps. And yet it can be comfortably hand-cocked with Excalibur’s efficient T-Handle Crossbow Cocking Rope.

Like the Matrix 380, introduced a year ago, the Matrix Mega 405 features Excalibur’s Compact Recurve Technology. Along with its compact Ergo Grip stock, this crossbow provides stable, in-close, well-balanced control for precision shooting. Further, its shorter, more powerful limbs are 60-percent stronger than Excalibur’s previous standard-setting most-durable limbs. The 405 also features Excalibur’s Quad-Loc riser that contains each limb on four sides for maximum accuracy and consistency.

  • Fewer moving parts – Less to go wrong
  • Bullet proof reliability
  • Fast, accurate
  • No tuning or timing issues
  • Ability to change your string in the field within seconds
  • Ability to de-cock without shooting an arrow

The Matrix Mega 405 Crossbow is offered in Mossy Oak Treestand. For more information, log on to www.excaliburcrossbow.com.

Archery

Congressional Investigation Targets HSUS Ally, Lobbyist

capitol

This from www.humanewatch.org

It’s been a bad fortnight for the Humane Society of the United States on Capitol Hill. First, HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle got caught with his pants on fire in front of a U.S. Senate subcommittee. And on Wednesday, the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics voted unanimously to investigate whether Representative Whitfield (R-KY) violated the law by improperly giving his wife Connie Harriman-Whitfield, a registered HSUS lobbyist, privileged access to contacts on Capitol Hill. The committee will also determine whether “special favors” were dispensed to HSUS or the Humane Society Legislative Fund, HSUS’s official lobbying arm. Read more

Animal Rights

Project to Reestablish Historic Wood Bison Herds in Alaska Moves Forward with Help from SCI Foundation and Local SCI Chapters

Tucson, AZ – Joseph Hosmer, President Safari Club International (SCI) Foundation announced that Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) will soon release 100 wood bison into the wild to culminate a 20 year reintroduction process.

SCI Foundation has funded this effort for the past 10 years and is part of the Wood Bison Restoration Advisory Group. Through its contributions of $150,000 dollars it has facilitated the maintenance of the bison holding facility as well as the care of the bison while in captivity.

“Our donations assisted with bringing bison from Alberta to Alaska, helped with expanding and outfitting the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC), and helped move bison to the release site,” SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer said. “We also assisted from our Washington DC Office, working with the federal government on the details of this restoration effort since it involves an endangered species. The regulatory processes necessary to move this rare species into the United States was complex, and there was a time when we thought it would never happen. That’s why this day is so special for us.”

Reintroduction is no small task. These massive animals were transported from their captive facility at the AWCC by cargo plane to the Innoko River refuge. The animals are currently in a holding facility at the release site to allow them to get comfortable with their new habitat before the official reintroduction. Read more

General

DNR asks anglers to report tagged walleye

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is set to jaw tag nearly 3,000 walleyes in Saginaw Bay this spring. Anglers are asked to collect information on tagged fish they catch and to report it to the DNR.Walleye with jaw-tag attached

The DNR has tagged more than 100,000 walleyes in that water body since 1981. Jaw tagging is part of a long-term research project to monitor survival and harvest rates and to learn about walleye movement. The program depends on anglers to report when they catch a tagged walleye, as well as the fish’s length, weight (if known) and tag identification number. Once reported, anglers will receive a letter back detailing the history of their fish.

About 10 percent of the tags include a $100 reward for reporting the tag. Each tag is stamped with a unique identifying number and a P.O. box address. If anglers prefer, they can report their tagged walleyes online at www.michigandnr.com/taggedfish/. Anglers can keep the fish, of course, or release it if they prefer. Read more

Fishing

DISH Offers Free Preview of Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network

NEW BERLIN, WI – Sportsman Channel and sister network World Fishing Network will be available to DISH customers as a free preview beginning April 2 through May 5. The preview will be available on DISH in high definition and standard definition on Channel 395 (Sportsman Channel) and standard definition Channel 394 (World Fishing Network). Customers can visit www.dish.com/preview for more information. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

QDMA Partners with Powderhook to Provide Hunters More Access

To help provide deer hunters with more access to go afield, the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) has partnered with Powderhook, the resource for connecting hunters and fishermen with places to enjoy their passion.

“We are excited to partner with QDMA and help deer hunters everywhere in our quest to help create access for all, now and into the future,” said Chris Dietrich, Powderhook’s Sales and Pro Staff manager. “The partnership will greatly benefit the hunting community by combining Powderhook’s software with QDMA’s proven approach to Quality Deer Management. Users will be able to learn more about QDMA events, purchase tickets for them, and connect with others in the outdoors – all through the Powderhook experience.”

Hunter access was identified as one of the greatest issues impacting the future of hunting at QDMA’s 2014 North American Whitetail Summit. East of the Rocky Mountains, most hunting occurs on private land, and this is especially true in states like Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas where 97 to 98 percent of the land is in private ownership. Add in development, anti-hunting sentiment among some landowners, and competition from other hunters, and it can be downright difficult finding a place to hunt.

“It is encouraging to see cutting-edge technology being used to help solve the access problem,” said QDMA CEO Brian Murphy. “Powderhook is leading the way in this area, and we are proud to be a part of this effort to connect hunters with places to hunt.”

“Powderhook’s mission is ‘Access for All,'” said Dietrich. “That means access for new hunters, anglers
and shooters; for parents and their children; for neighbors who haven’t been out in the field for years; and for you. Powderhook works with the nation’s leading conservation organizations, retailers and manufacturers and uses its innovative Web platform to solve some of the industry’s most important problems.”

Finding an event, planning a trip, building a map, or locating a nearby group has never been easier. Powderhook’s website features over 500 million acres of hunting and fishing spots in all 50 states with more being added every day. It allows users to easily find and share access to hunting clubs, leases, outfitters, and private and public lands – all searchable with interactive mapping tools. Additionally, Powderhook users can create and manage outdoor organizations, events, and groups.

Join Powderhook and start interacting with thousands of sportsmen and women today. As an incentive for signing up, QDMA and Powderhook have put together a sweepstakes package valued at $3,650 that includes QDMA merchandise and a 5-day, 6-night fishing trip to McKay Lake in Ontario, Canada. View the complete package and contest rules, join Powderhook, and enter to win at www.powderhook.com/giveaway. Read more

Fishing, Hunting
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