House-Senate Negotiators Announce Deal on Food-Stamp Farm Bill

Washington, DC – House and Senate agriculture leaders have announced a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a five-year farm bill that will reduce the deficit, grow the economy and provide certainty to the 16 million Americans whose jobs depend on agriculture. The Agricultural Act of 2014 contains major reforms including eliminating the direct payment program, streamlining and consolidating numerous programs to improve their effectiveness and reduce duplication, and cutting down on program misuse. The bill also strengthens our nation’s commitment to support farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters or significant economic losses, and renews a national commitment to protect land, water, and other natural resources. Read more

General, Hunting

Why Michigan’s Wolf Hunt Was Successful

CfPWM

Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management P.O. Box 11082 Lansing, MI 48901

LANSING–The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released new statistics from last season’s public wolf hunt – Michigan’s first – which showed that the majority of wolves taken by hunters were likely from problem packs – and, no helicopters were used in the hunt!
17 of the 23 wolves taken by hunters were taken in pack territories in the Upper Peninsula with high incidents of wolf depredation on livestock or pets. Most were taken within five miles of a depredation incident, according to DNR biologist Adam Bump. DNR biologists know the approximate territories of wolf packs, which aggressively defend their territories from other wolves. Read more

Firearms, Hunting, Wildlife

Advantages of Handloading

By Glen Wunderlich

Funny thing about this extraordinary winter weather:  it’s just not funny anymore!  I realize, Mother (as in Nature), that I had asked for you to “bring it on.”  Certainly, it’s all my fault, but enough already.  I’ve learned my lesson.  Next time I submit a request for a dose of bitterness, I’ll be sure to add an all-important caveat:  and end point!

So, what’s a hunter to do?  Simple.  Prepare for better days.  And, to me that means cranking out some custom, handloaded ammo.

If ever there has been rationale for the do-it-yourselfer to get in the game, it’s now.  The ammo shortage may have eased up a bit, but a quick check with one of my favorite suppliers, www.MidwayUSA.com, shows little improvement in availability.  And, those prices for loaded ammo have gone through the roof, if you can find what you want, that is.

For example, one box of factory .22 Hornet ammunition will set you back over a dollar per round.  And, that’s for stuff I’ve never even tried.  If it wouldn’t be able to perform to expectations, I’d be out over $50.  There’s nothing special about the components in this caliber that make the ammo more expensive than others; it’s merely supply and demand.  In fact, the tiny bit of powder and small bullets make this a textbook candidate to handload. Read more

Ammunition, Hunting

Nebraska Senator Threatens to Shut Down Legislature Over Mountain Lion Hunt

GW:  Another liberal who doesn’t get it…

Just two weeks into Nebraska’s inaugural Mountain Lion hunting season, a bill has been introduced to stop the hunt.

The bill, LB 671 sponsored by Senator Ernie Chambers (D-Omaha), would ban mountain lion hunting, threatening not only livestock but public safety also.  Senator Chambers has also announced his intentions to oppose every proposal of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission until the mountain lion season is abolished.

In 1995, Nebraska added mountain lions to the state’s game list in order to protect the steadily growing population.   Over the past 20 years, the population levels have risen enough to sustain a limited harvest using a controlled quota system.  In 2013, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission established its first ever mountain lion season which commenced this month. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Youth rabbit hunt a new tradition for DNR, conservation groups

What started out as an experiment has turned into a tradition. The youth rabbit hunt at the Belding Sportsmen’s Club, near the Flat River State Game Area – now in its third year – attracted 45 youngsters last Saturday for a morning of stomping brush piles, following beagles and tromping through the snow.

 

young hunter shooting with mentor“We’re getting great participation from everyone,” said club president John Burns, “club members, parents and youngsters.”

 

The idea for the youth hunt sprung from John Niewoonder, the Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist at Flat River, who had been on a campaign to improve the small game habitat by building brush piles for “rabbitat” at the area. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Smith & Wesson® Addresses California Microstamping Legislation

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 23, 2014) — Smith & Wesson Corp. announced today that although it continually seeks ways to refine and improve its firearms so that consumers have access to the best possible products, the State of California is making that impossible when it comes to California residents.

 
Under California’s “Unsafe Handgun Act,” any new semi-automatic pistol introduced into that state must comply with microstamping laws.  In addition, California asserts that anything other than a cosmetic change to a handgun already on the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale, including performance enhancements and other improvements, requires it to be removed from the roster and retested. For semi-automatic pistols, this means it must comply with the microstamping requirements, as well.

 
Smith & Wesson does not and will not include microstamping in its firearms.  A number of studies have indicated that microstamping is unreliable, serves no safety purpose, is cost prohibitive and, most importantly, is not proven to aid in preventing or solving crimes.  The microstamping mandate and the company’s unwillingness to adopt this so-called technology will result in a diminishing number of Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistols available for purchase by California residents. Read more

Ammunition, Firearms, Gun Control, Self Defense
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