Spring birding tours at Michigan’s Wetland Wonders

Wood ducks. Photo by Jeremy Joswick.

Nothing says spring like the “conk-a-ree” call of a red-winged blackbird or the raucous sounds of a sandhill crane. Celebrate spring and explore Michigan’s Wetland Wonders with a birding tour at one of seven managed waterfowl areas in April and May.

Highlights of the birding tours may include diving and dabbling ducks in full breeding plumage, trumpeter and tundra swans, osprey, bald eagles, sandhill cranes and much more. DNR wildlife biologists and technicians will lead the tours, which will include a sneak-peek driving tour into refuge areas that are normally closed.

Michigan’s Wetland Wonders are the seven premier managed waterfowl areas in southern Michigan: Fennville Farm Unit at the Allegan State Game Area, Fish Point State Wildlife Area, St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area on Harsens Island, Muskegon County Wastewater Facility, Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and Shiawassee River State Game Area. Read more

Wildlife

Ninth Circuit Orders Rehearing of Pair of Key 2A Cases

A majority vote of the judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will result in the rehearing of a pair of landmark Second Amendment cases in California. According to Chief Judge Thomas, the earlier three-judge panel opinion “shall not be cited as precedent by or to any court of the Ninth Circuit.” The cases, Richards v. Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto and Peruta v San Diego both challenged the unusually restrictive requirements for concealed carry permits. The rulings from the 3-judge panels had led to softening of concealed carry restrictions and brought a petition to intervene on behalf of the counties from California Attorney General Kamala Harris. The petition from AG Harris is still pending.

Firearms, Self Defense

Yamaha Launches 2015 National Hunting and Fishing Day Sweepstakes

CYPRESS, Calif. – Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, the leading maker of ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles for outdoorsmen and women, is supporting the National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day) again in 2015, and this year is giving away the all-new Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec in Hunter Green through an online sweepstakes at: www.yamahaoutdoors.com/nhfday.

This is the eighth year Yamaha is sponsoring NHF Day and is proud to continue to support the event and overall effort by giving away a prize that sets a new standard in off-road capability, has class-leading comfort and is assembled right here in the USA. The sweepstakes will be promoted online and at NHF Day events nationwide. Outdoorsmen and women, 18 years-of-age or older, can enter to win by simply registering online through the end of October 2015. Read more

General

MI DNR reminds hunters, anglers, ORV riders of license structure

Spring has arrived, and with spring turkey hunting season and many fishing seasons opening soon – and 2015 licenses on sale now – the Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters, anglers and ORV riders of changes to Michigan’s license structure that took effect just over a year ago.

The new license structure makes buying a license easier and provides vital funding to improve outdoor recreation opportunities.

Some things for hunters, anglers and ORV riders to keep in mind when buying licenses: Read more

General

The Predator Choke from Trulock is ‘Coyote Perfect’

There is ‘coyote ugly’ and then there is ‘coyote perfect,’ which is what the new Trulock Predator shotgun choke is when it comes to knocking down song dogs. When the goal is to cleanly kill a 40- or 50-pound coyote with a shotgun at 40 yards, you need a tight pattern with some knockdown power. That’s what the new Predator Choke from Trulock delivers.

The Predator Choke embodies all the tight patterning attributes of Trulock’s proven turkey and waterfowl chokes. Trulock recommends that the individual predator hunter spend some time patterning his or her shotgun with different loads to figure out what load will deliver the greatest knockdown punch at common distances for shooting varmints.

Contrary to what some beginning predator hunters might think, 00 buckshot is usually not a good coyote load no matter what choke you use. With 00, you have big pellets, but just nine of them, and unless you’re at extreme close range, you’re not likely to deliver a killing dose of them at longer range. Just a 40-yard shot can result in missing the canine varmint altogether or just putting a pellet or two into the dog’s outer extremities.

Depending on the shotgun make, No. 4 buck, No. 2 buck or T shot paired with the new Predator Choke will put the largest number of pellets at higher energy into that same animal at that same distance. Read more

Firearms, Hunting

Twelve Deer Killed By Winter Feeding In South Hampton, NH

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department today reported that twelve deer were discovered dead in South Hampton, N.H., on March 20, 2015, most likely the victims of well-intentioned, but tragically fatal, supplemental feeding by local residents.

N.H. Fish and Game Biologists and a Conservation Officer had responded to a report of six dead deer in a wooded suburban area in South Hampton. Upon locating the deer, Fish and Game staff searched the surrounding area and found another six deceased deer, bringing the total to twelve. Biologists conducted field necropsies on eight of the animals, which indicated that they had died from complications caused by winter feeding. The deer were found within roughly 300 feet of one another and all exhibited the same symptoms. Read more

Wildlife

Hoppe’s Introduces the 1.2.3. Done! Cleaning Kits for Quick and Easy Gun Maintenance

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Hoppe’s®, makers of renowned gun care products for more than 100 years, has a new line of gun cleaning kits that make maintaining firearms in the field quick and easy.

The new 1.2.3. Done! kits include a caliber/gauge specific Hoppe’s BoreSnake® along with 2-ounce bottles of time-tested and proven Hoppe’s No. 9 bore cleaner to quickly remove powder residue, lead, metal fouling and rust, and Hoppe’s high-viscosity lubricating oil. Read more

Firearms
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