Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
It’s firearm deer season: Expect delays on northbound I-75 and I-675 through Saginaw County Fast Facts — Northbound I-75 remains detoured to northbound I-675 in Saginaw County. — Traffic delays are expected and motorists are advised to allow extra time. — Choosing an alternate route may require driving additional miles, but could save you time overall by avoiding expected delays on I-75. Read more
If you’ve ever wondered how many law-abiding citizens are licensed to carry concealed firearms in your county, the info is here…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bass Pro Shops has set aside November and December to show its support for the brave men and women in uniform by hosting fundraising months for two military-related organizations. From Nov. 11, 2014, until the end of the year, Bass Pro Shops is providing a donation program for the United Service Organizations (USO) and AMVETS at its stores across the country. During these months, Bass Pro Shops will promote these organizations and provide fundraising opportunities for them.
“Bass Pro Shops has a long history of supporting our military, veterans and our families especially through their vast amount of outreach. It is truly amazing the direct impact we are accomplishing in partnering with them,” said Stewart Hickey, AMVETS national executive director. “All proceeds derived from our partnership are used in supporting programs including Warrior Transition Workshops and our National Career Centers. Both of these programs directly assist returning veterans in overcoming issues like high unemployment rates and PTSD, enabling them to return to productive civilian lives. The effort that Bass Pro puts into their patriotic initiatives is awe inspiring, and we graciously thank them for making a difference.”
During November and December, Bass Pro Shops stores throughout the U.S. will offer customers an opportunity to donate $1, $3 or $5 to AMVETS or the USO. In the last six years, Bass Pro Shops helped raise more than $1 million on behalf of these two organizations. Read more
GW: When I first participated in the Civilian Marksmanship Program, it was an eye-opening delight. Anyone level of shooter, who has not given it a try, would be well served to join the fun. It’s always good to go with a friend, but not necessary. It’s also not necessary to have your own firearm or ammo; firearms of the participating club can be used at no cost and the military ammo can be purchased for a nominal cost. And, it’s not as hard as one may think to shoot those long-range targets in various positions. It’s even fun working the pit, which is also part of the program.
After months of preparation and diligent work, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) proudly announces the unveiling of its newly enhanced website. The new site includes 300-plus pages, covering more than 40-plus CMP programs, to serve as a guide into the current offerings, commitments and future endeavors of the CMP.
With a more clean, organized appearance, the website is now just as pleasant to look at as it is to use. The site is divided into main categories, such as Sales & Services, Competitions, Air Rifle, Clubs, Training & Tech and Communications. By clicking on any of these categories, additional content under those sections will become visible, as well as suggested content.
Along with a fresh facelift, the new design has transformed www.THECMP.org into a user-friendly site, with easy-to-navigate functionality. Breadcrumbs at the top of each page allow users to easily route back and forth through each page of content, if needed.
Great Bend, KS – Among hardcore bowhunters, Magnus has been a trusted name for over 30 years. From the introduction of their first Cut-On-Contact broadhead in 1984 to the present, Magnus delivers the sting on every hunting adventure from turkeys to big game. Now, Magnus introduces yet another exciting new product, their dynamic new Black Hornet and Black Hornet Ser-Razor broadheads.
The Black Hornet is a 4-blade fixed blade broadhead. It features a cutting diameter of 1-1/4″ on the main blade and features a knife-grade diamond tip. The auxiliary, or bleeder blade, has a cutting diameter of 7/8″.
“…there (was) no longer any basis on which this court (could) conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home (was) constitutional…”
BELLEVUE, WA – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has denied a motion by the District to reconsider its ruling in the case of Palmer v. District of Columbia, a Second Amendment Foundation case that nullified the city’s ban on carrying firearms outside of the home.
Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., who issued an opinion in July striking down the total ban on carry as unconstitutional, wrote the five-page opinion denying the District’s motion. He reminded the District that “in light of Heller, McDonald and their progeny, there (was) no longer any basis on which this court (could) conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home (was) constitutional under any level of scrutiny.”
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was happy with the ruling, asserting that the District’s motion for reconsideration was “an attempt to forestall the inevitable.” Read more
Fountain Valley, CA – SureFire, LLC, manufacturer of high performance illumination tools, suppressors and tactical products, has been awarded the first ever suppressor of the year award for the Ryder .22 from Guns & Ammo magazine.
“Suppressor use is quickly gaining wider acceptance for its inherent safety benefits and the joy it brings to people who use them,” said Eric Poole, Guns & Ammo Editor. “Combine a new lightweight suppressor design optimized for America’s favorite rimfire and you have Guns & Ammo’s top pick.”
The .22 Ryder features a unique pig-nosed baffle design that provides superior sound attenuation while still making it easy to service. Each baffle is Red Mil-Spec hard anodized to minimize finish erosion and makes carbon buildup easier to spot when cleaning. Built-in spacers also help reduce carbon buildup between the suppressor tube and baffle stack, and each baffle is numbered and indexed to make re-assembly effortless. An assembly/disassembly tool is included with every suppressor.
The Mepro M21 is the first reflex sight in the world designed expressly for close quarter combat. It provides constant, all-light aiming capability, without batteries.
Designed through close collaboration with Israeli Special Forces, the M21 is battle proven, reflexive to use, extremely accurate, and totally reliable. Read more
It may not happen to everyone, but I believe sometime in a whitetail mangers tenure, the satisfaction and enjoyment of growing bigger and healthier deer surpasses the actual hunt. I’m pretty sure I’ve reached that point. I guess now I’m as much a Game Keeper as I am a hunter. Make no mistake, I love to whack does with a bow and still hold a deep passion for trying to find an old mature buck making a wrong move, but I’m truly obsessed with growing deer…big ones. For ten years I managed a piece of property and we at BioLogic have used it as our Proving Grounds for five years. After years of very selective buck harvest, supplemental feeding, and an intense food plot program, I grew a true Southern Giant. While we have been growing and killing above average deer for the area for a long time, this particular buck was a man among men.
To say that the dirt that this buck grew up on is a little rough and rocky is a vast understatement. The majority of the food plots on the Proving Grounds were primarily wide places on the top of steep ridges that I cleared with a dozer and some were once logging decks from the 1980’s. Most of these fields have very shallow or no topsoil and some are almost pure chert gravel with low tilth and organic matter. Growing good crops on this ground was very challenging, but it could actually produce some excellent groceries for deer with hard work, patience, and plenty of lime and fertilizer. Looking back over old soil samples and records, I spread somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-400 tons of lime on these fields over a decade of working the dirt. Read more
GW: Here’s more proof of what is happening with the licensing fee increases
Upper Peninsula – Ontonagon County
A grant program in the U.P. between the DNR, sportsmen’s groups, concerned citizens and partners has shown three great benefits – production of on-the-ground deer habitat, education on the importance of habitat work, and great relationships built by like-minded people. Wildlife Unlimited of Ontonagon County planted multiple wildlife openings as part of the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative.
Northern Lower Peninsula – Alpena County and Presque Isle County
The state forest land around Alpena, and also near the Onaway and Millersburg areas, has an additional 126 acres of wildlife openings available for hunters to target this deer season. The openings had not been farmed the last several years, but this year, with the help of the recent license restructuring, more openings in this area have been planted to buckwheat and rye, ranging from 0.5 acres to 20 acres in size.
Southwest Lower Peninsula – Montcalm and Ionia County
Several DNR State Game Areas are seeing great habitat improvement projects deer hunters will enjoy. Edmore, Langston, Flat River and Portland State Game Areas created many small openings, to provide not only feeding areas for deer, but better access for hunters. The result of recent timber sales at several State Game Areas in this region is providing great cover and browse for deer, with the young, dense forests that are created. The DNR’s partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society has been instrumental in achieving these improvements.
Southeast Lower Peninsula – Sanilac County
With an “up north” feeling in the thumb region of Michigan, Minden City State Game Area just south of Minden City is a great location for deer hunting. Wildlife biologist Don Bonnette said that “extensive timber cuts have been conducted to create mixed-aged aspen stands with plenty of young shoots for deer to eat.” The DNR recently acquired 200 additional acres for the game area, all with excellent deer habitat. About 75 percent of the game area is naturally swampy, making for good winter cover for deer and a challenging hunt for adventurous hunters. Be sure to check it out!