ThinkingAfield.org

GW: I have several Hunt Comfort seats and for good reason: they are the best! Being comfortable afield helps to eliminate unwanted movement which come from squirming around on hard seats. With these, a hunter or sports spectator can sit for hours. And, they are made by American experts in America.

Field & Stream has selected the Hunt Comfort Specialist seat pad for its “Best of the Best” Award in the “essentials” category for 2010. The “Best of the Best” judging criteria include the significance of innovation, the quality of the design and the value it brings to hunters. The judges, comprised of F&S editors, writers and seasoned hunters, decided that the Hunt Comfort Specialist met the winning quality of excellence in its field.

“We are honored to receive the Field and Stream ‘Best of the Best’ Award,” said David Robinson, president and owner of Hunt Comfort Cushions. “I am especially happy for the wonderful people at Hunt Comfort who work hard every day and take great pride in product excellence – they deserve the award.”

The Specialist is a new, high-tech folding cushion set featuring Hunt Comfort’s patented SuperLight gel cushion technology, which dramatically reduces resting pressure on the body. Superlight cushions are built on Hunt Comfort’s new “rich stack” foam formula, a system of three layers of varied compression foams designed to improve pressure distribution and comfort afield. Two elliptical gel pads embedded in the cushion dramatically improve seating comfort by relieving and spreading out seated pressure. The Specialist cushion set is simple to set up and gives hunters ample seat and back protection coverage for all-day hunting and camping conditions.

The Specialist is covered in ComfortTEX outdoor seating fabrics developed by Hunt Comfort. Available in Mossy Oak New Breakup® and Treestand® patterns and Hunt Comfort’s new Foliage Green and Coyote Khaki solid colors.

For more information about Hunt Comfort or the new Specialist, please contact David Robinson at Hunt Comfort 888.757.3232 or visit our website atwww.huntcomfort.com.
Contact:
David Robinson 888.757.3232 or email dbr@huntcomfort.com.

A gun registry bill in California is dangerously close to passage.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has sent out an action alert to California sportsmen regarding Assembly Bill 1810. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D- LA), would require the state to keep registration information for all firearm transfers, including from transfers of commonly used hunting rifles and shotguns.

Current California law requires the state to keep a database containing information acquired from handgun transfers only. The information kept by the state includes the owner’s name and address as well as a description and serial number of the handgun. Under AB 1810, this same information would be kept for all firearms transfers.

“It’s bad enough that the state keeps personal information from handgun transfers,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of state services. “There is no compelling reason for Californians’ Second Amendment rights being further infringed through this legislation.”

Earlier this year, AB 1810 passed the California Assembly and, on August 12, the bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill could now be voted on by the full Senate at any time.

Take Action! California sportsmen should immediately contact their state senators and urge them to oppose AB 1810. Tell them there is no justification for expanding the state’s registry to include all firearms transfers by law abiding gun owners.

To find your state senator’s contact information, please visit www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.

As a decision on the future of the Canadian Firearms Registry draws near, Canadians hold differing views on whether the so-called long gun registry should be scrapped, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,005 Canadian adults also finds that respondents are almost evenly divided on whether it should be illegal for ordinary citizens to own firearms.

Gun Violence

Seven-in-ten Canadians (70%) believe gun violence in Canada is a “very serious” or “moderately serious” problem.

About half of respondents (49%) think implementing a complete ban on handguns would be justified, since current regulations are not working and guns stolen from legal owners are being used in crimes. Conversely, two-in-five Canadians (39%) believe a complete ban would be unjustified, as it would affect law-abiding Canadians such as collectors and target shooters.

Ontarians, Quebecers and British Columbians tend to side with the pro-ban argument, while Albertans, Atlantic Canadians and those in the Prairie Provinces are more likely to reject this notion.

The Canadian Firearms Registry, also known as the long gun registry, requires the registration of all non-restricted firearms in Canada. Two-in-five Canadians (43%) believe the registry has been unsuccessful in preventing crime in Canada, while three-in-ten (29%) think it has had no effect on crime. Only 13 per cent of respondents believe the Canadian Firearms Registry has been successful.

A plurality of Canadians (44%) calls for scrapping the long gun registry—including large majorities in the Prairies (65%) and Alberta (59%). More than a third of respondents (35%) are opposed to this course of action, including 51 per cent of Quebecers.

Since a survey conducted in November 2009, the proportion of Canadians who oppose the long gun registry has dropped by seven points, while the proportion of supporters has increased by one point.

Canadian are split on another question, with 40 per cent of respondents saying it should be legal for ordinary citizens to own firearms, and 45 per cent wanting to make this illegal. There are some major geographic differences on this question, with majorities in Quebec (54%) and Ontario (53%) wanting to keep firearms away from ordinary citizens, and more than half of Albertans (51%) expressing support for the legality of this practice.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

In June I covered possible changes being considered by the Natural Resources Commission regarding Michigan’s burgeoning use of crossbows. I’ll cover some of the highlights here (lowlights, if you are a cantankerous member of the vertical bow-only fraternity). The complete list of approved changes can be viewed at an August 17th post on my blog, thinkingafield.blogspot.com.

The minimum age for crossbow use has been lowered from 12 to 10 years of age statewide. Those that choose to grumble over kids afield and crossbows in general, will have more reasons to hate life; as for me, this change has the most potential for the good of the herd, if ushered in properly.

Since adults must accompany youngsters afield, it’s up to them to see that young hunters are ready for the challenge of ethical hunting. If their children are not ready for whatever reason, they should be held back until they are. It’s the adults’ call. This was already the case to be sure, but now more responsible youngsters will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their ability afield.

Granted, 10-year olds were already permitted to hunt deer with vertical bows, but let’s face it, few have the strength to pull back and hold a bow with the power to be ethical. With cocking devices, or an adult to cock a crossbow, these physical limitations are overcome. No longer must strength be the deciding factor for a young adult to have a legitimate chance to fill the family freezer with protein-laden, low-fat table fare.

Before, if a youngster wanted to hunt deer with archery equipment, which was his/her only option at the younger ages, wimpy vertical bows were the only choice – not always the best from an ethical standpoint. Expensive equipment would be outgrown quickly, thus limiting youth hunting to a select few. Since crossbows fit everyone, parents can share in their use when the “owners” might be in school.

One final point regarding youths and crossbows is in order. It would behoove us adults to instill a better sense of deer management in our youth contingent. While I can understand the misdirected bragging rights of killing a buck, a vast majority of youngsters take yearlings, which are 1 1/2-year old deer. (Of course, many adults have this same perverted condition.) These deer are typically uneducated in the ways of the woods and are often easy prey – much more so than a mature doe – and, this mentality is the precise reason that Michigan’s doe to buck ratio is so out of whack! By encouraging young adults to take does and only more mature bucks, we will help our children toward the development of a stronger and healthier herd in the years to come. It’s a worthwhile sacrifice for us all.

Another significant change eliminates a provision that limited the maximum bolt velocity for crossbows. The 350-feet-per-second speed limit has been lifted. Although that’s fast in the archery world, there are crossbows that are faster, but until now, could not be marketed for use in Michigan. The speed limit never made sense to me; heck, no such provision applies to vertical bows, muzzleloaders, shotguns, or centerfire rifles, so why did our lawmakers pick on crossbow users? I guess they’ve come to their senses.

With the practice of high ethical standards, these new crossbow regulations have the potential to not only help our economy in several ways, but they can provide us with better tools to manage the imbalance in our deer herd. While some may argue to the contrary, it’s up to us to show them wrong.

GW: If you are in the market for help with a gun project, these are the go-to guys. I highly recommend Brownells because they give so much back to the industry in their support of the shooting industry.

The newest wishbook of gun goodies and gunsmithing supplies, Brownells Catalog #63, is now available and it’s bigger than ever. This three pound plus monster has grown to 656 pages, with almost 32,000 products, with more than 1,400 that are new since 2009! There are 27 pages of Beretta factory parts that have been added, too!

Company CEO Frank Brownell said, “I know how hard the Catalog Department works to get this monster done, on-time, every year and it’s a true delight when they hand me the new one. The mini-index in each section helps you get right where you need to and the colored page edges make it really easy to find just what you’re looking for. I love looking at the 15 new Dream Guns built by our guys and the suppliers. Gun folks are just so darned creative!”

Some of the thirty sections include: Optics and Accessories; Shooting Accessories; AR-15/M16; 1911 AUTO; Specialty Rifle, Handgun and Shotgun Tools; Handgun, Rifle and Shotgun Sights; Holsters and Mag Holders; Metal Finishing; Books and Videos; plus sections for Rings and Bases; and Stockwork.

Company President Pete Brownell told us, “We’re continuously adding more videos online and highlighting every product in the catalog that has one available. Of course we’ve continued marking U.S.-made products and those recognized by the Pistolsmith’s Guild. We see the Catalog and brownells.com as complementing each other.”

Catalog #63 is currently available for purchase, either through the website,www.brownells.com or by phone at 800-741-0015, code PGE

At Brownells Everything is Guaranteed, period! …Forever, 100%, with no restocking fees. Founded in 1939, they supply more than 30,000 firearms parts, accessories and gunsmithing tools to armorers, gunsmiths, and shooters worldwide. Brownells provides free tech help and there’s no minimum order size or small order fees. To order, or for more information, call 800-741-0015 or visit brownells.com and mention code PGE.

Contact: Larry Weeks, (641) 623-8071 or larry.weeks@brownells.com

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

After all the soil preparation including sprays with glyphosate, lime, fertilizer, and tilling, I got the food plot seed in before the first of August. Normally this works fine in mid-Michigan, but not this season. Drought has caused concern for this reason: If seed had germinated, the high heat may have killed seedlings, thus rendering several acres of food plots barren.

Looking at the results at almost three weeks, little of the brassica mix has sprung up. I thought it would be best to consult with an expert, Ed Spinazzola. His return call today confirms that patience is needed and, when enough rain falls, everything should be fine.

So far, the weeds are doing OK, but that’s about it.

GW: I guess Uncle Ted doesn’t get to kill enough deer within the rules.

Rock star and gun rights advocate Ted Nugent was fined $1,750 Friday in Yuba County Superior Court after pleading no contest to a charge of baiting deer on his hunting show “Spirit of the Wild.” More on his show were fined and the details can be found by clicking on the title.

Aug. 17, 2010

Contact: Brent Rudolph, 517-641-4903 or Mary Dettloff, 517-335-3014

Crossbow regulation changes expanding opportunities for hunters ages 10 and
up statewide have been approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission
and are effective immediately, Department of Natural Resources and
Environment officials announced today.

The crossbow regulation changes include the following:

– Lowering the minimum age for crossbow use from 12 to 10 years of age
statewide
– Expanding the use of crossbows to all legal hunters during all archery and
firearm seasons statewide, except in the Upper Peninsula, where crossbow use
will remain prohibited during the late archery and muzzleloader seasons,
unless the hunter is disabled
– Allowing the use of modified bows where crossbows are legal
– Including a temporary crossbow permit for hunters with temporary
disabilities
– Eliminating a provision that limited the maximum bolt velocity for
crossbows
– Eliminating the 3-year sunset provision for the use of the crossbow in the
affected section of the Wildlife Conservation Order

Hunters using crossbows will still be required to obtain a free crossbow
stamp. The stamp allows DNRE staff to monitor and survey crossbow hunters to
determine the effect the crossbow regulations have on hunter recruitment,
retention and harvest. Results of the DNRE’s mail survey conducted after the
2009 hunting season indicated that participation in archery deer hunting
increased after crossbow regulations were liberalized.

CHICAGO, IL – The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Chicago’s new gun ordinance, asserting that “by banning gun ranges open to the public… under color of law,” the city is depriving citizens of their right to keep and bear arms in violation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Joining SAF in this lawsuit are the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), Action Target, Inc., and three individual plaintiffs including a retired Chicago police detective. They are represented by attorneys Alan Gura of Virginia and David Sigale of Chicago, who teamed up with SAF and ISRA on the landmark case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, which incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, effectively striking down Chicago’s 28-year-old handgun ban.

“While the city has adopted new regulations that make it legal to own handguns,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “they have crafted this new ordinance to make it virtually impossible for prospective gun owners to meet all legal requirements unless they travel outside the city for mandatory training. The new ordinance prohibits public gun ranges inside the city yet the city demands that handgun owners get at least one hour of range training time.

“This is a Catch-22′ scenario,” he continued, “that seems deliberately designed to discourage Chicago residents from exercising their firearm civil rights barely two months after those rights were restored by the Supreme Court.”

Individual plaintiffs are Rhonda Ezell, a victim of three attempted burglaries who has disabilities making it difficult for her to travel outside the city; Joseph Brown, a WWII U.S. Army veteran who was among the liberators of the infamous Dachau concentration camp, and William Hespen, a retired police detective, all of whom must qualify for Chicago Firearms Permits.

Action Target, a Utah-based company, builds shooting ranges and manufactures gun range equipment and supplies. It has a long history of providing gun safety equipment and training, and has previously built law enforcement shooting ranges in Chicago. However, Action Target is prohibited from building a public target range within the city’s limits under the restrictions of the new gun ordinance.

Randy Graham, vice president of Action Target, said, “We believe that citizens have a constitutional right to use and train with firearms in a safe and controlled environment. As a leader in the firearms training industry, Action Target is committed to standing up for these rights.”

“By banning public gun ranges,” Gottlieb said, “and by banning the loan and rental of firearms at such ranges, Chicago is acting under color of law to deprive citizens of their right to keep and bear arms, and to conveniently receive the education required under the ordinance that is necessary to obtain a Chicago Firearms Permit. The city is violating both the Second and First amendments, and we are asking the court to put an end to this nonsense.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

When Matt called me last week, it didn’t take much coaxing from him to get me to go crow hunting. After all, hunting nuts like us have sweltered through the summer heat longing for some action and nothing beats the frantic antics of the uncanny crow. Before we ended our conversation, we agreed to meet at Shawn’s house at 7 am and we’d head out from there.

Other crow excursions we’ve done have always been in the winter season, when hiding from air advances is almost impossible, unless one gets so buried in available cover that it’s actually difficult to get a shot off. Conversely, if one remains only partly hidden against the stark cover, he may be able to see quite well, but so do the airborne varmints.

In the August/September crow season, cover is everywhere. Camouflage clothing blends into the surroundings causing the keen eyesight of the black dive-bombers to be somewhat neutralized. It’s a huge advantage over crafty crow forays in the winter.

In addition, many of the birds have never been called or shot at, because they’re not old enough to remember the past seasons, having been born in the spring of the year. Too bad for them.

Shawn loaded his Browning Auto 5 with handloads comprised of 1 7/8 ounces of 9 shot – the loads we assembled last season. I had run out of the magnum loads from previous action and went with 1 1/8 ounce factory 8-shot loads in my Browning pump gun with a new Undertaker choke tube. Matt was using similar loads in his Remington.

Winter crow shoots typically relegate us to hiding behind tree trunks with very little canopy cover – not the best of circumstances. Of course, if we can find conifers in the area, it’s always a better choice in the winter, although, once again, sight lanes are quite restricted. The other challenge when hiding among the towering, bare deciduous branches is the height of the trees themselves. Getting crows to come in low enough for reasonable shots is almost impossible.

However, summer cover can be found among autumn olive shrubbery or small deciduous trees full of green foliage smack dab in the middle of fields far from sky-scraping trees. Our goal was to get them in for a close look at our flapping-wing decoys and to investigate the sounds of distress from their comrades.

The first productive set came at a familiar setting – one of Matt’s leased properties. We hung the motion decoys from low-hanging branches in the open and took cover in a triangular pattern with the setup as the center of attention. Unlike hunting four-legged animals on the ground, there was no danger of crossfire, since all shots are taken skyward.

Within seconds of the first fighting-crow screams from the FoxPro caller, black bandits homed in on the charade. I’ve never seen it rain cats and dogs, but I can tell you unequivocally that it began raining crows.

By noon the hunting clothes and boots became too much for the heat and humidity but we were able to connect on a much higher percentage of shots – apparently because of the strategy of hunting away from tall trees and our ability to blend in with nature.

The season runs to the end of September and, if your trigger finger could use a little exercise, and you can stand the heat, the summer crow season may be worth a try. Just watch out for falling crows!