Federal Judge Denies Motion to Reconsider D.C. Ruling

“…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

Firearms, Gun Control, Self Defense

SureFire Ryder .22 Awarded Suppressor of the Year

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.

Read more

Firearms

The Big Ten by Austin Delano

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

Hunting

Improving Deer Habitat Across the State – Weekly Report, Nov. 5

GW:  Here’s more proof of what is happening with the licensing fee increases

 

deer habitat project map

 

UP deer habitat project

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 LP deer habitat project

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!

 

 

Wildlife

Deer hunters: Take time to learn about season prospects, licensing changes before Nov. 15 arrives

GW:  Here is what Michigan deer hunters are expected to know. No excuses!

four-point buckAs opening day of Michigan’s firearm deer season on Saturday, Nov. 15, quickly approaches, hunters are busy preparing gear, scouting, choosing hunting sites, and making sure everything is in order for the day that some Michiganders revere as a state holiday.

Amidst the flurry of preparations, hunters will also want to take some time to read up on hunting prospects and become familiar with new deer license options for the 2014 season. Read on for the pre-hunt information all deer hunters need to know this year. Read more

Hunting

DNR Confirms Presence of Cougar in Upper Peninsula – Again!

DNR confirms recent cougar photos taken in eastern Upper Peninsula
Cougar evidence now confirmed in the U.P. 26 times since 2008

cougar photo Mackinac County

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed two recent photos of a cougar in the eastern Upper Peninsula, marking the 25th and 26th times cougar evidence has been verified in the U.P.

One of the photos was taken with a camera phone in late October on private property near Chippewa County’s Raber Township. The other was taken in early November by a trail camera on public land in Mackinac County near Garfield Township. Read more

Wildlife

Improving Deer Habitat Across the State

GW:  Liberals have attacked those that supported Michigan’s increased licensing fees, as if it even matters to those that don’t hunt; it was no more than a ploy to discredit honorable lawmakers.  (Yes, there are some!)  Interestingly, sportsmen and women were the ones that agreed to increase hunting fees marginally so that management efforts could be enhanced.  Below is another example of how it’s being accomplished, as promised with those dollars.    deer habitat project map   UP deer habitat project

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 LP deer habitat project

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! 

Hunting, Wildlife

More Scum Caught by Michigan’s DNR

GW:  I’ve got the DNR hotline on my speed dial, and I can tell you they’ll respond!

A Chassell man was arrested and arraigned Wednesday in 97th District Court, Houghton County, on a six-count warrant after a lengthy undercover investigation by detectives with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division’s Special Investigations Unit.

Danny Loyd, 56, was arrested on a warrant authorized by the Houghton County Prosecutor’s Office. A search warrant also was served on his residence and place of business by Special Investigations Unit investigators and District 1 conservation officers that resulted in the seizure of a number of items.

Loyd was arraigned on two counts of selling bear parts, one count of carrying passengers for hire without a certificate of inspection, one count of advertising to carry passengers for hire without a certificate of inspection, one count of conducting a taxidermy business without a permit, and using a computer to commit a crime. Further proceedings will take place in the 97th District Court of Houghton. Read more

Poachers, Wildlife

Victory in Maine but Conservation Still an Issue

GW:  The issue is well defined here and imagery continues to blind the least affected populace.  As in Michigan’s wolf conservation, those in the big cities can always stomp those in rural areas, if well duped.  “Some… don’t want to see wildlife managed or game killed by hunters. Those who make a living opposing hunting are capitalizing on this public unrest and uncertainty, if not creating it.”

MISSOULA, Mont.- Maine voters rejected Question 1, a ballot initiative to ban sportsmen’s use of bait, hounds, and traps. If passed it would have negatively affected Maine hunters and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s ability to manage the states black bear population. But the vote was really about more than just bear hunting methods, said the Boone and Crockett Club today.

 

“We’re living in a time when conservation and wildlife management are being challenged and the motives are not always what’s best for wildlife or people,” said Boone and Crockett Club President Bill Demmer. “Somewhere along the way we have lost the meaning of what conservation is and the full measure of its benefits. It has always meant wise and prudent use without waste. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, it means development as much as it does protection.” Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife
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