ThinkingAfield.org

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Ready or not, here we go. Another firearms deer season opener is upon us and hundreds of thousands of Michigan hunters are taking to the woods and fields with high anticipation. Up-North businesses will get a genuine stimulus boost from men and women, who once again, will take part in the great tradition of deer hunting. Local retailers will share in the revenue generated from the hunting fraternity, as well. This is where preparation meets opportunity, but sometimes dumb luck is all that’s needed.

When I began hunting whitetails some 40 years ago, I knew virtually nothing about deer behavior. The little bit of information I had garnered came from my new in-laws, who were deeply steeped in tradition stemming from tent camping in the Gladwin area since the 1940s.

Since I was committed to joining the action, I needed a firearm and heeded the advice of my father in-law. He said the trusty 30-30 was a good choice and I had no reason to doubt him. So, off I went to Sears to get my first deer rifle – a lever-action Winchester model 94. For no particular reason, other than I thought it was cool, I changed the factory iron sights to a flip-up Williams sight. Big mistake. I ran out of adjustment on the rear sight and it shot about 10 inches high at 100 yards. So, I learned to compensate by aiming low, instead of changing the sights to something that actually worked correctly.

None of this really mattered for years, because I never saw a buck. At the time, Gladwin County had the highest population of whitetails in the state, but then, as now, the buck to doe ratio was way out of proportion. We would see dozens of deer but never a buck. In fact, for the first few years, nobody in camp ever got a buck. But, that never stopped any of us from pitching tents and carrying on the tradition.

Several days had already passed in the season of 1973 and, after another fruitless morning, I headed back to camp for lunch with my brother in-law, Doug. While there, shots rang out and they were close! I hurried toward the road with Doug to see the hind end of a deer running across Deer Road – yep, Deer Road. When Doug said it was a buck, I grabbed my lever gun and left Doug in the dust.

I never thought to check for a blood trail and just crossed the point where the deer entered the woods, which was actually a low, wet, brushy area. I fought my way well into the heavy cover, hoping blind luck would work in my favor. I couldn’t see more than 30 feet in any direction until I found a spot about a mile from the road where there was a small clearing of about 40 yards in diameter. Visibility was still poor but when I located a brush pile, I climbed on top of it for a better view.

I sat there for a half hour or so, when another shot was fired nearby. I couldn’t believe that anyone else was stupid enough to be in the heavy cover, but somebody obviously was. As fate would have it, a buck appeared in the small opening I was watching and I fired a shot. The deer kept going, so I let another go. Same result. After the third shot, the deer vanished amid the recoil and cover.

Within a minute or so, I found out who had taken the other shot before mine. Another hunter had shot at and tracked the wounded deer across the road and he had teamed up with my other brother in-law, Tom, who had no idea I was out there.

We located the downed deer after a short search, and of course, I figured I killed it. The other hunter claimed he had killed it and it just died near me. We agreed on a coin toss to settle the matter and I got it right. Tom and I struggled for hours dragging that half-rack beast back to Deer Road, after my first untrained session of field dressing. The beast dressed out at 174 pounds, still one of the bigger-bodied deer I have taken over the years and the largest ever at the Deer Road family camp. (Later, the other hunter admitted he couldn’t have killed the deer, because the entry wound was on the opposite side from his shot; it was correct for mine, however).

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and here’s wishing you deer hunters the best of luck.

GW: I own one of the Woodman’s Pals and have just orderd one of J. Wayne’s books, The Ultimate Deer Hunter’s Pocket Reference. Although backordered, I eagerly anticipate its arrival. Great Americans with great American products…

Pro Tool Industries, maker of the iconic Woodman’s Pal® and J. Wayne Fears Brand products, announced on Monday the rollout of their new website at www.protoolindustries.net. A total revamp of the previous site, the recent renovations include: a complete user interface restructuring, more intuitive navigation options, new product introductions, enhanced product descriptions and information, and the addition of new technologies for the social networking and blogging arenas.

“The new website has a completely different look and feel’, says Mark G. Scheifley, General Manager of Pro Tool Industries. “We wanted to reduce the clutter and give the customer a clear direction of how to get where they want to go”.

Included in the website restructuring are a series of informational tips and videos in the areas of deer hunting, outdoor cooking and survival, a retail store locator, and the option to download the current Pro Tool catalog.

In addition to the new look and feel of Pro Tool Industries, they have also expanded their offerings to include the J. Wayne Fears Ultimate Outdoor product line which includes, a deer hunter’s knife, an outdoor cook’s knife and a survival knife which will serve as a companion pieces to the deer hunting and management, outdoor cooking and survival reference guidebooks. As well as, the Pro Tool Utility collection of knives, saws and tools, coming closer to the goal of being a one stop shop for outdoorsmen looking for knives, tools and information.

Also on the new website are the Grutz Rust & Corrosion Inhibitor and Pop Pop Don’s All-Purpose Farm & Home Lubricating Oil. Both products are ideal for the care and maintenance of knives and tools.

All of the products manufactured by Pro Tool Industries are made in the USA using only the finest American-made materials.

The new Pro Tool Industries web site was developed by Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group. According to Mark G. Scheifley, “After an extensive review of multiple firms — many with outdoor sports marketing industry experience – Pro Tool Industries’ selection of Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group was simple. Boomtown’s ability to create websites that are appealing and optimally organized that attract search engines, combined with Astraea’s ability to create iconic branding, designs and communications are second to none.”

About Pro Tool Industries, Inc.
Pro Tool Industries is a family owned and operated business located in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, that develops and offers tools and knives. The company’s craftsmen exhibit a steadfast commitment to using only the very highest grade of American made raw materials in building durable, quality tools, knives, saws, and other products including The Woodman’s Pal® and new series of No-Nonsense Reference Guidebooks by author and master outdoorsman, J. Wayne Fears. The Woodman’s Pal® is a brush axe/machete that can perform the tasks of many tools including machetes, axes, hatchets, pruning saws, pruning shears, pruning knives, bow saws, loppers, Bowie knives and for certain jobs, even chain saws.

Pro Tool Industries’ manufacturing plant employs seasoned artisans who make its tools one by one with care. Cooperation between the men and women of all departments and the sincere adherence to the company’s shop motto “Do It Right” make each one of its tools an individual product reflecting a superior degree of hand workmanship, worthy to take its place as an American icon.

To learn more about Pro Tool Industries and the products it manufacturers, visit www.protoolindustries.net.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) released its Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the current status of plants and animals considered candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). One species has been removed from candidate status, five have been added, and four have a change in priority from the last review conducted in November of 2009. There are now 251 species recognized by the Service as candidates for ESA protection.

“The candidate list offers the Service and our partners a unique opportunity to address the threats to these species through voluntary conservation efforts on public and private lands,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. “We will continue working to reduce the number of candidate species by developing conservation agreements that reduce or eliminate the threats they face, and by listing species that warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act as soon as possible.”

Candidate species are plants and animals for which the Service has enough information on their status and the threats they face to propose them as threatened or endangered, but developing a proposed listing rule is precluded by higher priority listing actions. Candidate species do not receive protection under the ESA, although the Service works to conserve them. The annual review and identification of candidate species provides landowners and resource managers notice of species in need of conservation, allowing them to address threats and work to preclude the need to list the species. The Service is currently working with landowners and partners to implement voluntary conservation agreements covering 5 million acres of habitat for more than 130 candidate species.

Today’s notice identifies five new candidate species: the Kentucky arrow darter (KY); Rosemont talussnail (AZ); Kenk’s amphipod (DC, MD); Packard’s milkvetch (ID); and the Vandenberg monkeyflower (CA). All candidates are assigned a listing priority number based on the magnitude and imminence of the threats they face. When adding species to the list of threatened or endangered species, the Service addresses species with the highest listing priority first. The four changes in priority announced in today’s notice are based on new information in the updated assessments of continuing candidates. These changes include one species that increased in priority and three that lowered in priority.

The one species removed from the candidate list is a mammal from California – the Palm Springs round-tailed ground squirrel. The Service removed this species after a review of new genetics and morphological information found that it is more widespread and as a result does not face threats to an extent that ESA protection is needed.

The Service is soliciting additional information on these candidate species, as well as information on other species that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. This information will be valuable in preparing listing documents and future revisions or supplements to the candidate notice of review.

The Service has several tools for protecting candidate species and their habitats, including a grants program that funds conservation projects by private landowners, states and territories. In addition, the Service can enter into Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs), formal agreements between the Service and one or more public or private parties to address the conservation needs of proposed or candidate species, or species likely to become candidates, before they actually become listed as endangered or threatened. CCA participants voluntarily commit to implementing specific actions removing or reducing the threats to these species, thereby contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species. Through 110 CCAs, habitat for more than 100 species is managed on federal, state, local agency, tribal and private lands; many CAAs have multiple cooperators focusing conservation actions in an area supporting a single or multiple species. Another similar tool is the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAAs). While these voluntary agreements are only between the Service and non-Federal landowners, they have the same goals as CCAs in addressing threats to candidate species, but with additional incentives for conservation actions on non-Federal lands. More than 60 landowners in 15 states have enrolled over 1 million acres of habitat for 39 species.

The complete notice and list of proposed and candidate species appears in the Federal Register and can be found online at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/cnor.html.

Visit the Endangered Species Program’s multimedia gallery at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/about/multimedia.html to hear podcasts about featured species, including the newest candidate, the Kentucky arrow darter.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

1) Sign up for the Pure Michigan Hunt—the hunting experience of a lifetime! Three lucky hunters will be selected by random drawing for the opportunity to purchase special elk, bear, doe, and turkey (spring and fall) licenses. The price is just $4 and you may apply as many times as you want. The money goes straight into the Game and Fish fund. Deadline is December 31, 2010. This is the perfect opportunity to spend more time with your favorite hunting buddy! For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt.

2) If you want to scout out a new hunting spot or plan a hunting trip, check out Mi-HUNT first! Mi-HUNT is a cutting-edge, Web-based application where you can view and navigate through public hunting and trapping lands. Mi-HUNT displays multiple interactive layers of information, such as state game and wildlife areas, huntable lands by vegetation types; the topography and foliage cover of an area and recreational facilities such as campgrounds, trails, and boat launches.

Visit www.michigan.gov/mihunt to plan your next pure Michigan hunting experience.

Many hunters mistakenly believe they can safely hang in their full body harness for an extended period of time if they experience a fall from a treestand. That misunderstanding could cost them their lives.

Dr. Norman Wood, owner of Mountaineer Sports, the authority on treestand fall protection, sends this message to hunters, “Don’t just hang there, doing so could kill you!”

As Wood explains, suspension trauma is the culprit. “If hunters are not able to return to the treestand after a fall they need to take measures to relieve suspension trauma. The life threatening tourniquet action results in Blood Pooling. The longer you hang in your harness the less and less blood there is to circulate through the heart and lungs to keep you alive. “

Hunters must use their fall protection correctly. “It is not enough to just wear your full body harness, you must also keep your suspension relief strap easily accessible in the event of a fall. A properly used strap enables you to take pressure off your legs to help prevent suspension trauma. Many full body harnesses include this type of strap with their units, but too often hunters toss the strap away or leave it in a pack where it may not be accessible,” explains Woods. “This mistake could cost you your life.”

Mountaineer Sports is Revolutionizing Fall Safety™ by offering the Rescue One CDS™ a full body harness that not only includes a suspension relief strap built right into the system, but also enables the hunter to safely lower to the ground by utilizing the patented controlled descent system.

For a video demonstration of the Rescue One CDS II™ and more information about avoiding suspension trauma and ways to stay safe in your harness visit www.rescueonecds.com or call 1-877-683-7678 or Email mountaineersports@live.com.

Contact: Dr. Norman Wood 1-877-683-7678 mountaineersports@live.com

ThermaCELL’s “Operation: Buzz Down” Gives 98% Effective Mosquito Protection To Troops As Holiday Gift

To support American troops overseas where biting insects are a health risk, ThermaCELL has launched “Operation: Buzz Down.” ThermaCELL is the most effective area repellent available for protection against biting insects and is taking action to protect the health of those who protect the freedom of U.S. citizens.

ThermaCELL will donate Appliances and Refill Value Packs for products sold between Veteran’s Day and Christmas Day 2010 and will include a personal note from the gift-giver.

For every two UPC codes received, ThermaCELL will provide a free gift pack including an appliance and providing 60 hours of protection to troops for Christmas 2010 or to troops being deployed during spring 2011 to places where biting insects are a problem, such as Afghanistan.

According to U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily K. Baker in a recently published army document *, U.S. Troops are facing a major mosquito and fly problem in the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan. “We have tons of flies and mosquitoes … and mosquitoes are so much worse because it’s harder to see them.” “Mosquitoes and sand flies present a particular challenge because they can be carriers of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. There were 29 cases of malaria reported in 2009…”*

“Operation: Buzz Down” specifics:

* From Veteran’s Day (11/11/2010) through Christmas (12/25/2010) consumers purchase a ThermaCELL Appliance or Lantern either for themselves or as a present.

* Consumer mails in receipt, UPC code and promotion card (before 1/10/2011) and can write a note to a member of the US Military wishing them a happy holiday season and thanking them for their service to the country.

* ThermaCELL will donate an Appliance and Refill Value Pack for every two UPC codes received and will attach a note from the consumer. Product will be shipped to the military for dispersal. Consumers will not be able to designate gift packs for a specific member of the military.

According to Vice President of Marketing Allegra Lowitt, “Once we learned U.S. Troops are suffering from mosquito borne illnesses such as malaria, we created a program to provide troops with protection from infected insects. Our troops have given us so much; we would like to do something to make their deployment safer and more comfortable.”

ThermaCELL, a division of The Schawbel Corporation of Bedford, Massachusetts, utilizes patented technology to create cordless, portable appliances powered by replaceable butane cartridges. ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent, the award-winning area repellent for outdoor enthusiasts is up to 98% effective at repelling mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums. For more information on ThermaCELL’s complete line of products, testimonials, or store locations visit www.thermacell.com or call 1-8-NO-SKEETERS (866-753-3837).

* Published on September 9, 2010, by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily K. Baker, Task Force Taskmaster executive officer; Official Website of the US Army (www.army.mil/-news/2010/09/09/44889-preventive-medicine-keeps-soldiers-in-the-fight/)

Contact: Shannon Salyer: shannon@chevalier-adv.com 503.639.9190

FAIRFAX, VA – The NRA Foundation’s Friends of NRA program announced it has now raised $150 million since its creation in 1992. This major milestone follows up a record $18 million raised during the 2009 Friends of NRA banquet season.

“Across the Friends of NRA patriot nation our combined efforts have produced impressive results and all can proudly stand together in sharing a milestone some thought was impossible,” said John DaSilva, National Manager of Events and Marketing. “All of us believe in sharing a common purpose and preserving a core belief in future generations to enjoy the shooting heritage and tradition. These dollars raised to date do just that, supporting those worthy causes in the field, training others, the range and in competition.”

Friends of NRA is a grassroots fund-raising program that fosters community involvement, raises money, and gives 100 percent of the net proceeds to qualified local, state, and national programs. Working with the NRA’s field staff, thousands of volunteers nationwide participate in the program by organizing committees and planning events in their communities. Over the course of its history, over 12,000 events have been held which have reached over two million attendees. Monies raised at these events go to The NRA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

“An achievement of this level is a direct reflection of the people involved in Friends of NRA,” said Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of Field Operations. “Our volunteers and attendees understand the importance of our program and the importance of supporting thousands of grant recipients that benefit from these grant monies. We congratulate everyone that has supported, donated and volunteered their time toward reaching this accomplishment”

All net proceeds from Friends of NRA events benefit The NRA Foundation, with half allocated to fund projects within the state where the money was raised. The NRA Foundation uses the other half to fund similar projects with a national scope. Local monies are distributed by State Fund Committees comprised of Friends of NRA volunteers who make recommendations on funding based on grant applications from organizations that have a focus on youth and women’s programs, law enforcement and range development among others.

Visit the Friends of NRA website at www.friendsofnra.org. For more information contact Event Services Manager Jeremy Greene at (703) 267-1354 or jgreene@nrahq.org.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

With firearms deer season right around the corner, many hunters will be sighting in their guns. Since there’s not a lot of time to waste, and ammunition is quite expensive, I am providing some tips to get the job done as economically as possible.

As mentioned in previous writings, a six-inch kill zone will be the standard from any shooting position in the field for deer. For sighting in, however, smaller targets help with precision. Orange squares with the black outlines are my favorites for scoped guns and plain black circles are best for iron sights, red dot sights. and holographic sights. If you can’t remember when you changed batteries on any electronic sights, it’s best to just do it now.

If your gun has been in storage from last season, make sure there is no oil or grease in the barrel and make sure it’s unloaded before doing anything else. A clean and dry bore is the best way to start and when finished, don’t clean the barrel. You can do that when the season is finished – unless, of course, you are working with a muzzleloader, in which case cleaning is mandatory immediately after shooting. Make sure everything is tight – especially scope bases and rings. Good hearing protection can include foam plugs with hard shell muffs over them. Use a pad at the shoulder – especially if youngsters are involved in the session. A pad can be as simple as a folded towel placed under a shirt.

Start at 25 yards and make sure you have a good, solid rest at the forend and buttstock For guns with newly installed scopes, use a large backing around the target in case you don’t hit the target; that way, at least you’ll know where you are missing and can make adjustments accordingly. Sandbags or commercial rests are recommended. This is not the time to use your elbows for a rest; you can do that in the field, but not when testing ammo. The idea when sighting in is to minimize human error. Since most deer guns pack a wallop at both ends, it’s extremely important to pull the buttstock in tight to the shoulder and to pull down on the forend section with your other hand. Also, make sure any sling swivel studs will not hang up on the rest during recoil, because shots will not be consistent.

Before beginning the shooting session, make sure to have enough ammo on hand to sight in and to hunt. You don’t want to purchase ammo that was produced from a different production run than the ammo you sighted in. Even if it’s the same brand and load, it may not shoot the same.

If you are experiencing a strong crosswind, it’s best to postpone the session until winds subside. Shoot three shots and find the middle of the group. (If you are missing the paper completely, move in to about 10 feet. A single shot will usually be enough to let you know which direction to go.) Remember, at 25 yards to make adjustments at four times what you would at 100 yards. For most guns, you are ready to move the target to 100 yards, if you are dead on at 25 yards. Don’t change anything and shoot another 3-shot group at 100 yards, find the center of the group and adjust to your chosen elevation at 100 yards.

Understand that many scopes do not necessarily adjust according the the calibration marks indicated on the turrets. If you want to save some expensive ammo, here’s a shortcut to get you on target fast: Shoot a three-shot group. Now, press your gun tight into the rest and center the sights on the bull’s eye – or, the point you’d like the bullet to strike (your zero). With the help of an assistant, have him move the crosshairs of the scope from your zero to the center of the three-shot group, while you hold the gun steady. For example, if you were shooting high, the assistant will move the crosshairs down to the group’s center. I realize it sounds backwards, but trust me, it isn’t. Make left and right adjustments the same way.

Once you get sighted in, you can try shooting from various positions and with rests you may use in the field. As long as you can keep 9 out of 10 in the six-inch circle at a given range, you are shooting within ethical standards and will be able to make any shot with confidence.

A couple of friends came over to share my private shooting range and facilities yesterday. Both were toting 20-gauge slug guns – one in a fully-rifled Remington model 1100 and the other with a Rossi – both scoped.

Joe, with the 1100 was all over the target at 100 yards and we all concluded it wasn’t good enough to hunt with. He then sighted in his muzzleloader and easily qualified according to our rules at 100 yardsm but he really wanted to use the 20 gauge. Bummed out to say the least.

Next up was Stan with his Rossi. He brought well over $150 worth of ammo (although the term “worth” is questionable). He fired the Hornady SSTs and Federal Premium with the Barnes – again a beautiful “pattern”. (Too, bad he wasn’t testing a scattergun). He then pulled out some Lightfield stuff. One round wasn’t in a box and the shell was obviously different than the other Lightfield ammom but I hadn’t noticed why it was different; the plastic hull had lengthwise lines on it, while the boxed ammo hulls were smooth. His first shot was with the odd round and the second shot was with the other ammo. Turns out one was a 3-inch load and apparently that was the difference.

In any case, he shot one more with the 2 3/4-inch load and it was quite a bit off from the first Lightfield shot. I then asked him if he had at least 2 Lightfield rounds left, and he did. He then allowed me to fire the last 2 rounds at the 100-yard target with his gun. (I wanted to rule out some firearm-related problem, because so far nothing was performing acceptably.) My only 2 shots and Stan’s one shot were within 1 1/2 inches apart on the target and then we were out of the Lightfield ammo.

Joe took note and we promptly went to the local store for some Lightfield 20-gauge slugs. As you know, the 1100 only takes the 2 3/4-inch rounds so we came back with one box for testing. Once again, the Lightfields came through with about a 2-inch group and he”ll be back with more Lightfield ammo to dial it in next weekend. The Lightfield ammo was the only ammo that made the grade in both “problematic” guns.

Since Stan ran out of ammo but was pleased with the Lightfield results, he will be getting some more for his Rossi.

I look forward to sighting in Joe’s gun with the Lightfields next weekend.

Bottom line: Two new converts!

GW: This is good news for America. Because Obama won’t face facts, his denial of realtiy will further the cause of those who know better. You can’t fix a problem, if you don’t know it exists. Of course, about all he’s fixed so far is blame, anyway…

“I think that’s a fair argument. I think that, over the course of two years we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that, we stopped paying attention to the fact that leadership isn’t just legislation. That it’s a matter of persuading people. And giving them confidence and bringing them together. And setting a tone,” Mr. Obama told 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft in an exclusive interview set to air Sunday. . . .