Eaton County man jailed, owes $8,000 for stealing from state forest campgrounds

June 24, 2025

A Sunfield, Michigan, man returned to the Luce County District Court June 16 for a restitution hearing regarding his involvement in a series of state forest campground thefts in the Upper Peninsula.

Justyn Mark Spitzley, 36, targeted several payment collection sites in which campers deposit cash – known as pay pipes – last fall.

Following his February arraignment, Spitzley pleaded guilty to one felony charge of larceny of more than $1,000 but less than $20,000, and one misdemeanor charge of operating on a suspended license.

The court ordered Spitzley to pay an additional $6,000 in restitution and a $2,000 reimbursement for cash that was recovered as evidence at the time of his arrest in October.

He also was sentenced to one year in jail with credit for 81 days served. Read more

General

Everyone Has A Story To Tell- Ark Press Might Pay You A $10,000 Advance For Yours

Ark Press, the pro-human publisher dedicated to authentic American storytelling, is thrilled to announce The Ark Prize, a nationwide contest to find the next Great American Novel. With a $10,000 advance and publication on July 4, 2026—America’s 250th birthday—the winning novel will embody the theme “America 2076”, envisioning the nation 50 years from 2026.

“We’re bringing back the Great American Novel, and we want today’s authors to write it,” said Tony Daniel, editor-in-chief of Ark Press. “America 2076 is a chance for writers to tell a great story with well-realized characters and a well-crafted setting that resonates with our motto: ‘The Humans Win in the End.’”

Open to genres including sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, thriller, historical, alternate history, and literary fiction, The Ark Prize invites unpublished novels in American English, ideally between 50,000 and 100,000 words. Submissions must include an Ark Novel Proposal form, available at ark.press/prize . The contest opened on March 8, 2025 (National Proofreading Day) and closes on October 4, 2025 (National Taco Day). The winner will be announced in early 2026 at a special ceremony, judged by a distinguished panel of multi-genre experts.

With a prize among the top five American literary awards, The Ark Prize seeks bold, human-centric stories that celebrate the spirit of America. Writers can submit their entries at https://chapterhouse.submittable.com/submit/322525/the-ark-prize.

Join Ark Press in shaping the future of American fiction. For more details, visit ark.press/prize or sign up for our mailing list at www.ark.press. Read more

General

Hook & Barrel Features Emily Compagno on July/August Cover

Hook & Barrel Magazine®, The Lifestyle Magazine for Modern Outdoorsmen™, has launched its July/August issue, featuring legal analyst, New York Times bestselling author and Fox News host Emily Compagno on the cover. In the feature story, Compagno talks about her multifaceted career, her work with veterans, her muscle car obsession, and her love of flamethrowers.

“We’re honored to feature Emily Compagno on the cover of our July/August issue. Emily represents everything Hook & Barrel stands for: intellect, grit, and deep-rooted patriotism. As a legal analyst, veterans’ advocate, and passionate outdoorswoman, she brings a unique combination of sharp insight and unwavering American spirit,” said John J. Radzwilla, CEO and Editor-in-Chief at Hook & Barrel. “We’re proud to spotlight her story and the values she so authentically represents.”

To read the cover story, click here. Read more

Firearms

Escort Youth Shotgun Lineup for 2025

Nothing is more memorable than a person’s first firearm. In the US, shotguns are often a part of history, culture, and a coming-of-age memento. Despite the personal timeline, these firearms are frequently used well into adulthood and passed down to the next generation to continue using and cementing tradition and personal history.

Escort Shotguns will continue this tradition with three youth shotguns: the FieldHunter Youth, PS Youth, and the all-new WS Youth for first-time hunters. All these exceptional firearms fill specific niche needs and outdoor uses, from bird hunting to target practice.

Receivers are made from an aircraft alloy receiver finished in a black anodized finish or camouflage patterns (PS Youth only), reducing weight and providing complete dependability with exceptional corrosion resistance. Affixed is a 22-inch oxidation-resistant chrome-plated steel barrel threaded for Escort’s multi-choke system. Choke options include F, IM, M, IC, and CYL, widening the practical use and shot patterns. Read more

Firearms

The Apolo Line of Airgun Pellets

Airgun hunting and target practice require substantially different types of ammunition. Depending on the kind of game, the desired effect of a specific type of ammunition differs. While this translates easily to various types of rifle and pistol ammunition, airgun pellets are often overlooked as having highly efficient and capable properties. Hatsan emphasizes the benefits of the Apolo line of airgun pellets, which is effective for every need.

With specific lines geared for hunting, long-range shooting, and competition shooting, Apolo handles it all.

Long-range shooting mixes the hunting and competition components inherent to airguns. It bridges the gap between the two and requires a stout pellet to handle the power necessary to reach the required speed and ranges. For hunting, the Apolo Puncher (.25) and Hunter (.22) are tin pellets that provide the weight and strength for distance while maintaining efficient expansion and penetration on impact. Read more

Ammunition

Core Defense Pepper Ammo from P2P

Prepared 2 Protect® has announced the release of its innovative .68 caliber pepper-filled Core Defense ammunition, engineered for compatibility with most standard pepper-round launchers.

Designed for heightened effectiveness, each round contains a potent 7-percent concentration of PAVA (synthetic capsaicin pepper)—a significant increase compared to the typical 4- or 5-percent found in conventional pepper rounds. Read more

Self Defense

‘Find Your Edge: Long Range’ Shooting Accuracy

The Vortex Edge® team is bringing their “Fastest Route to Firearms Mastery” instruction to long-range shooting, and they want you to tune in to this online instructional series for free.

This is the second Find Your Edge video series, following Find Your Edge: Pistol 1. With new episodes dropping weekly through early August, “Find Your Edge: Long Range” is the perfect way for new shooters to break into long range shooting, and for more experienced shooters to brush up on technique. Covering everything from equipment and safety to drills that will sharpen your skills long after you finish the series, “Find Your Edge: Long Range” is live now.

What is Find Your Edge? Read more

Firearms, Poachers

Drawing Results for 2025 Bear and Elk Hunts Now Available

More than 6,500 hunters have been selected in the annual drawing for Michigan’s popular bear and elk hunts.

There are 6,278 bear licenses and 260 elk licenses available for the 2025 fall and winter hunting seasons. Drawing results may be viewed at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses, through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app or by calling 517-284-9453. Hunters are responsible for obtaining their drawing results.

Hunters selected in the drawing can buy their license at any license agent or online. Elk hunters whose names were drawn for a license will be mailed a packet of information that will include information about the elk hunter orientation.

In both the bear and elk drawings, hunters who apply and are not selected earn credit for future drawings. Read more

Hunting

NWTF Michigan Joins Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, Uniting for Conservation

Photo courtesy of Jon Gray

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The Kirtland’s Warbler Festival has been actively celebrating the songbird’s conservation success for over 30 years. This year, the Michigan NWTF State Chapter was invited to be part of the celebration.

For those who may have never heard of the Kirtland’s warbler, it’s because almost the entire population breeds in north-central Michigan.

This warbler shares a similar story to the wild turkey in that it was on the verge of extinction due to habitat loss. In the late 80s, there were only 167 singing males recorded. Thanks to habitat management programs that included managed burns, clear-cutting and the planting of Jack pines, as well as the monitoring and control of nest-parasitizing cowbirds, the number of singing males rebounded to over 2,300 by 2015.

Mike Petrucha, now the festival’s chair, vice chair, treasurer and secretary, was a part of the efforts to reestablish the lost habitat when he was working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Jack pines get in your blood,” Petrucha said. “It makes good deer habitat, and when it’s young, it’s the best snowshoe hare habitat there is. Turkeys certainly use it, especially the openings, which are grassy with lots of grasshoppers and insects for them to eat. Ruffed grouse, spruce grouse and bears use it as well.” Read more

Wildlife

Derya Unveils the DY9 ISLAND 9mm Pistol and Complete Upper

Derya Arms proudly announces the launch of the DY9 ISLAND 9mm Pistol and its standalone Complete Upper, a revolutionary duo that brings a classic, competition-grade Island Barrel Design to shooters everywhere. Once an expensive add-on reserved for high-end firearms, this iconic feature is now accessible in an affordable pistol and an interchangeable upper compatible with frames for DY9 and frames for Glock 19 Gen 4. Available in 10-round and 15-round configurations, the DY9 ISLAND delivers precision, control, and versatility for all.

The DY9 ISLAND reimagines a time-tested design with its Island Barrel, which shifts mass to the barrel and incorporates four top-mounted gas ports to reduce muzzle rise by an estimated 25% and recoil by approximately 12%. This results in flatter shooting, faster follow-up shots, and exceptional accuracy. A fixed front sight ensures steady focus, while the lighter slide, featuring an RMR cut, enhances target reacquisition and optic integration. Designed for home defense, range practice, and competitive shooting, the DY9 ISLAND offers elite performance at an accessible price. Read more

Firearms
1 … 179 180 181 182 183 … 2,102