ThinkingAfield.org

The Sierra Club and the U.S. Forest Service were presenting an alternative to the Wyoming ranchers for controlling the coyote population. It seems that after years of ranchers using the tried and true method of shooting or trapping the predators, the Sierra Club had a “more humane” solution to this issue. What they were proposing was for the animals to be captured alive. The males would then be castrated and let loose again.

This was ACTUALLY proposed by the Sierra Club and by the U. S. Forest Service.
All of the ranchers thought about this amazing idea for a couple of minutes. Finally an old fellow in the back of the conference room stood up, tipped his hat back and said;

“Son, I don’t think you understand our problem here”,

“These coyotes ain’t screwin’ our sheep – they’re eatin’ ’em!”

You should have been there to hear the roar of laughter in that room. The meeting never really got back on track.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

It’s coyote season. Actually, the season has been open statewide since July 15th, but once deer season begins, few hunters concentrate on them. Of course, many are taken by hunters during incidental encounters in the course of other hunting activities, but to seek out these superb predators takes tactics beyond just being there.

Before heading afield, however, attempt to comprehend the hunting rules, which are about as clear as the IRS tax code. Here is some of the mumbo jumbo: The season is open statewide July 15 –April 15, except if you hunt at night. A license is needed except if you are hunting on private property and are the owner or a designee of the owner, in which case they can be taken all year long. But, before you pull the trigger, you are required to read the coyote’s mind and determine if they are doing damage or about to do damage. Hello! They’re carnivores! If they are not eating meat, they are about to. And, until the DNR holds classes on mental telepathy, I am assuming their intent is to kill whatever they can.

Most of the coyotes’ hunting is done at night when they seek and destroy mice, rabbits, grouse, house cats, and deer. To hunt coyotes at night, though, only .22 caliber or smaller firearms, or shotguns with loads other than buckshot, slugs, or cut shells, or bow and arrow can be used. Then there are rules about what lights can be used. Additionally, you must make sure your firearm is not loaded if you are not in the act of calling.

All of this nonsense may be sporting, but anemic rimfires are best suited to squirrels and rabbits. If I’m going to take the time to hunt an animal as crafty as a coyote, I am not out there to be cute about it. If that means only daytime hours, then so be it, but at least my chosen firepower will be more than adequate. It doesn’t matter to me what the quarry is – varmint or otherwise – I am after humane kills. I’m going big or staying home.

Is there such a thing as overkill? Yes, if one is after edible game or wants the fur. When it comes to coyotes, neither apply to me. I have taken them with the mighty .300 Winchester Magnum and versatile .30-06, and because I am a handloader, these .30-caliber choices offer long-range potential and plenty of punch with custom loads utilizing lightweight bullets.

If you are thinking that in the shotgun zone (Zone 3), that centerfire rifles are illegal, take a little time to read between the lines in the Hunting and Trapping Digest. Nowhere do the rules indicate that centerfires cannot be used for varmint hunting in the lower portion of the state. That means your deer guns are perfectly legal.

If you are concerned about the safety of shooting high-powered rifles in Zone 3, I commend you. One of the reasons I handload with the .30 calibers is that bullets used for varmints, such as the Hornady 110-grain spire points or V-Max, are designed to totally disintegrate upon impact. If you are not a handloader and still want to varmint hunt with your deer rifle and big-game rounds, consider doing so from a raised platform or treestand to minimize ricochet potential (see page 32 of the Hunting Digest for complete details.) Yes, it’s legal for coyotes.

So, if you have yet to put away your favorite deer rifle, get out there, play the wind, and sound like food. Just be careful, because coyotes will hunt in pairs or small groups and are coming to kill.

On December 29, 2010, Congress sent the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature. The legislation includes several provisions developed by NRA-ILA and pro-Second Amendment members of Congress, which will provide practical benefits to gun owners, while generating revenue for military bases, and protect the privacy and Second Amendment rights of gun-owning military personnel and their families and civilian employees of the Department of Defense. President Obama is expected to sign the NDAA imminently.

Protecting the privacy and Second Amendment rights of military personnel, their families, and other DOD personnel: Section 1062 of the Act prohibits the Secretary of Defense from issuing any requirement, or collecting or recording any information, “relating to the otherwise lawful acquisition, possession, ownership, carrying, or other use of a privately owned firearm, privately owned ammunition, or another privately owned weapon by a member of the Armed Forces or civilian employee of the Department of Defense” on property not owned or operated by the DOD. It also requires, within 90 days, the destruction of any information of the type prohibited by the Act.

Championed by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Section 1062 was necessary because of a preposterous regulation imposed by the garrison commander of Fort Riley, Kans., similar regulations imposed on other bases, and a regulation DOD was considering to impose department-wide—schemes which violated and threatened to violate the privacy, self-defense and Second Amendment rights of military personnel and their families.

Appallingly, the Fort Riley regulation required troops stationed there to register privately owned firearms kept off-base and firearms owned by their family members residing anywhere in Kansas. It prohibited soldiers who have carry permits from carrying for protection off-base. And, it authorized unit commanders to set arbitrary limits on the caliber of firearms and ammunition their troops may privately own.

Meanwhile, DOD’s plan would have required military commanders to require troops to register privately-owned firearms kept off-base, and authorized commanders to require troops living off-base to keep privately-owned firearms and ammunition locked in separate containers—the latter a requirement that the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008).

Protecting Sales of Surplus Military Ammunition and Ammunition Components: Section 346 of the NDAA—an amendment sponsored by Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), culminates a nearly two-year effort by NRA-ILA and pro-Second Amendment members of Congress to preserve and increase the availability of once-fired military small arms cartridge cases and other ammunition components to civilian vendors, who use the components to produce commercially reloaded ammunition.

NRA-ILA’s effort began early in 2009, when we learned that government sales of fired small arms cartridge cases to civilian vendors had been temporarily interrupted, due to the cases having been reclassified under regulations governing their disposition. That bureaucratic glitch was corrected quickly, but a year later it was learned that some military bases were scrapping cartridge cases in deformed condition, rather than making them available for sale in reloadable condition.

An effort by Senators Jon Tester (R) and Max Baucus (D) of Montana led to a voluntary reduction in the scrapping of cartridges on some bases. But some other bases continued to scrap their cartridge cases, leading Congress to adopt a rider to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill, stipulating that “None of the funds available to the Department of Defense may be used to demilitarize or dispose of M-1 Carbines, M-1 Garand rifles, M-14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M-1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components that are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under Federal law, unless the small arms ammunition or ammunition components are certified by the Secretary of the Army or designee as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.”

Section 346 achieves a more permanent solution to the problem, stipulating that “Small arms ammunition and ammunition components in excess of military requirements, including fired cartridge cases, which are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale or certified by the Secretary of Defense as unserviceable or unsafe, may not be demilitarized or destroyed and shall be made available for commercial sale.” As the section’s text indicates, it applies not only to fired cartridge cases, but also to loaded ammunition and other ammunition components. This provision should significantly expand the quantity of surplus ammunition components available to commercial reloaders, resulting in the increased availability of reduced-cost ammunition to gun owners, while maximizing the revenues that bases can derive from the sale of ammunition components in usable condition.

Other Provisions: The Act also contains language clarifying the conditions under which the government can reclaim military equipment sold to the private sector without strict adherence to regulations governing disposition of military property, and additional language introduced by Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) encouraging military installations to continue granting public access to base lands for hunting and fishing, and to provide discounted hunting and fishing permits and other accommodations to current and retired military personnel who have disabilities.

Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court made a ruling upholding Ohio’s preemption law and siding with both the state’s and NRA’s position, as outlined in an amicus brief the organization filed with the Court. The case, The City of Cleveland v. the State of Ohio, stems from the City of Cleveland’s scheme to establish a series of restrictive gun laws despite Ohio law, which clearly prohibits such municipal gun ordinances.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox said the ruling “…is a victory for law-abiding Ohioans. This ruling makes clear that preemption is the law in the Buckeye State and a patchwork of gun laws is not acceptable. If Cleveland, or any other city, wants to crack down on violence, city leaders there should focus on prosecuting criminals, not enacting new gun laws that only serve to restrict law-abiding citizens.”

The City of Cleveland filed suit against the State of Ohio in March of 2007, challenging changes to Ohio state gun laws that effectively preempted all municipal ordinances as to possession and concealed carry of handguns. Cleveland’s city council passed a never-ending stream of useless and burdensome ordinances—including forced registrations and bans on both open carry and semi-automatic firearms—that only impacted the law-abiding. The city filed suit to try to preserve its ability to impose these restrictions. The Court found that the state law in no way violates Cleveland’s home rule powers under the Ohio Constitution, as those powers are still subordinate to matters of general concern within the state.

NRA immediately moved to intervene but was rebuffed by the trial court and again at the mid-appellate level. The trial court ruled for the state, but the court of appeals reversed and ruled for Cleveland. NRA, along with Ohioans for Concealed Carry, filed an amicus brief with the Ohio State Supreme Court in support of the state’s ability to make firearm laws of general concern, and thus effectively preempt municipalities from creating a patchwork of gun laws throughout the state.

This week, President Obama re-nominated Andrew Traver to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Obama first nominated Traver on November 17, 2010, but the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to act on his nomination.

Last November, NRA strongly opposed Obama’s nomination of Traver. Our strong opposition has not changed.

Traver has been deeply aligned with gun control advocates and anti-gun activities. This makes him the wrong choice to lead an enforcement agency that has almost exclusive oversight and control over the firearms industry, its retailers and consumers.

Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose Andrew Traver’s ill-advised nomination to head BATFE. You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121.

As we reported on December 17, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has proposed that it be given emergency authority for six months to require about 8,500 firearm dealers along the border with Mexico “to alert authorities when they sell within five consecutive business days two or more semiautomatic rifles greater than .22 caliber with detachable magazines.” A Washington Post story reporting on the BATFE proposal described that definition as being applicable to “so-called assault weapons,” but it would also apply to many rifles that have never been labeled with that term. The rule change was to have started this week, but has been delayed by the White House.

According to an article on TheUSDaily.com, the White House Office of Management and Budget was expected to approve the rule change on Wednesday, but an official told Reuters that “ATF’s information collection request is still under review,” and declined further comment until the “deliberative phase is concluded.”

An animal rights activist in England has admitted that he helped attack four branches of a bank due to its apparent relationship with an animal testing lab.

Thomas Harris, 27, is a member of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC). He and two other people organized attacks on several Barclays Bank branches because of their relationship to the company Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). HLS provides animals for scientific research.

The attacks included spray painting the word “murderer” on doors. The group also vandalized the vehicle of a person they believed had links to a company supplying HLS.

All three will be sentenced on January 13.

While these attacks took place overseas, SHAC has been active in the United States as well. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance previously reported on this issue after the Washington D.C. Council passed a law preventing mask wearing animal rights activists from protesting outside private residences. The law was passed after the D.C. based wing of SHAC, Defending Animal Rights Today and Tomorrow, organized such protests in the community.

SHAC was formed in 1996 to protest HLS and any company that has a relationship with them.

The U.S. Forest Service is now accepting comments on a proposed gun hunting ban for areas of the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan.

In September, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Forest Service’s regulations required that it consider banning hunting with firearms on lands designated as “semi-primitive” within the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

The Court feels that the noise associated with gun hunting could harm the quality of the recreational experience of hikers, backpackers, and cross country skiers. Additionally, the Court ruled that the Forest Service had to consider closing these areas if other public hunting land was available for gun hunting nearby.

As a result of the court ruling, the Forest Service began a formal review to determine if it should move forward with a gun hunting ban on these areas. Currently, the Service is considering two options:

1. a “No-Action” alternative which would allow hunting to continue without change; and

2. a “Modified Closure” alternative that would implement either a complete or partial ban on hunting with guns in the semi-primitive areas.

Take Action! Sportsmen should submit comments to the Forest Service supporting the “No-Action” alternative that would continue to allow hunting with firearms on areas designated as semi-primitive. Sportsmen can mail comments to:

Lee Evison, Forest Planner, Huron-Manistee National Forests
1755 S. Mitchell Street
Cadillac, MI 49601

Sportsmen can also fax comments to Lee Evison at (231) 775-5551 or email comments to comments-eastern-huronmanistee@fs.fed.us.

Please include your name and address with your comments. Emailed comments must include “Forest Plan SEIS” as the subject line of the email. All comments must be received by February 11, 2011.

Wixom, MI – The objective was clear: enter the archery market with the most advanced aiming system available to hunters. The result was Wicked! Created by the world leaders in illuminated riflescopes, Trijicon now brings their Brilliant Aiming Solutions™ to the bow. The Trijicon AccuPin™ is a breakthrough in bow sight design and engineering.

Designed by bowhunters and target archers, the AccuPin bow sight is engineered to deliver a level of quality and performance previously unknown to archers. The heart of the innovative design lies in its triangular aiming point and clear pin. With zero MOA and zero obstructions, this one-of-a-kind configuration has an aiming tip that actually points to your target instead of obscuring it. This entirely new perspective gives archers a new level of confidence by providing increased visibility, accuracy and dependability, all resulting in precision shot placement.

For the ultimate in visibility and aiming speed, the AccuPin incorporates the acclaimed Trijicon dual-illumination/battery-free system. With a combination of fiber optics and tritium that were pioneered and perfected in their world-class riflescopes, the AccuPin aiming point is always highly visible. In fact, the AccuPin features the brightest fiber optics currently available! Whether it’s in the dark shade of the deep woods or the glaring sunrise of a damp meadow, the high contrast aiming point lets you acquire targets with speed and complete confidence.

Having designed advanced aiming systems for more than two decades, Trijicon knows that a precision sight demands a precision mount. That’s why Trijicon developed the Trijicon AccuDial™ featuring BowSync™ technology. With an infinitely variable transmission, it enables exact range adjustment and synchronization for any bow-arrow combination. Its laser etched dial makes field adjustments fast and easy-without having to rely on a clumsy strip of tape. Together, the AccuPin and AccuDial form a refined system that stands as a benchmark for sight and mount integration.

Built using only the finest materials, finishes and components, the AccuPin was engineered for real world durability. In an independent study, the AccuPin was subjected to 10 years of simulated daily field use and came out in perfect working order. If that doesn’t prove how tough it is, just consider this: The Trijicon AccuPin is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

The Trijicon AccuPin™ includes the following performance features and benefits:-Phosphor

* Tritium-Phosphor Lamp and Large Diameter Fiber Optics
* Battery-Free Illumination
* High-Contrast Triangular Aiming Point and Clear Pin
* Brightest Fiber Optics In the Industry
* High Impact Shade Shield with Hi-Visibility Aiming Circle
* Sight Level
* Laser-Etched AccuDial™ Yardage Adjustment
* BowSync™ Technology
* Fore and Aft Adjustment
* 6061-T6 Aluminum Construction
* Available in Black, Mathews Lost Camo™ and Realtree AP™
* Limited Lifetime Warranty
* Made in the USA

For more information on Trijicon’s new AccuPin, and the complete array of Brilliant Aiming Solutions™ for the hunting, shooting, military and law enforcement markets, contact Trijicon®, Inc. at (248) 960-7700 or visit www.trijicon.com.

CORBON Ammunition of Sturgis, South Dakota is pleased to announce the establishment of a strategic alliance with Dynamic Research Technologies (DRT), headquartered in Grant City, Missouri.

CORBON, known for producing some of the best ammunition in the world, is now offering the revolutionary, lead- free, accurate, long-range, frangible DRT round. The DRT bullet has been used by Special Government Agencies for over ten years, and now it will be available in the most popular CORBON law enforcement, self-defense, and hunting loads.

“Our decision to align with DRT was based on the growing need for lead-free ammunition and the remarkable performance of the DRT bullet” said Peter Pi, Sr., President of CORBON Ammunition. “The current trend across the United States is to pass legislation banning leaded ammunition. We’re staying ahead of that curve by offering the ultimate lead-free round.”

“Reputation and performance made CORBON the logical choice”, said John Worrell, President of DRT. Worrell explained that the bullet core will consistently fragment and inflict different degrees of damage on a target as it is comprised of powdered metal. The DRT bullet is encased in a copper jacket that opens when the bullet strikes fluid, exposing the bullet core, which disperses on penetration to create a massive wound cavity. Centrifugal force built up on the backside of the bullet triggers fragmentation as the bullet is halted by soft tissue. The DRT core, which is protected by 29 patents, is compressed, not bonded or sintered like other frangible bullets on the market.

Both men believe this is the perfect round for law enforcement officers to carry. The rifle bullets are very accurate at ranges exceeding 1000 yards with deep, effective penetration. In addition, ricochet injury to innocent bystanders is reduced as the bullet will not pass through the intended target.

For more information, go to www.CORBON.com or call 800-626-7266.