ThinkingAfield.org

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!

FINDLAY, OH -Two Seneca County men were sentenced in July for the illegal taking of a deer in the 2009 deer hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Restitution of $4625 was ordered paid by Judge Mark Repp of the Tiffin Municipal Court. The revised restitution law went into effect March 2008 and allows the ODNR Division of Wildlife to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested wildlife.

Tyler J. Nye, 22, and Derek M. Depinet, 20, of Republic, Ohio pled no contest in the Tiffin Municipal Court. Nye was charged with aiding another in jacklighting, failure to immediately attach a temporary tag, provide false information to a check station, use a falsified temporary deer tag, hunting before/after hours, hunt deer with an unlawful firearm, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway, and from the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office receiving stolen property (for stolen Wildlife Area signs). Depinet was charged with jacklighting, possession of an untagged deer, aiding another in the hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, and aiding another in shooting from the roadway. Nye paid $1656 in fines and court costs, was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 40 days suspended (20 days jail served), lifetime revocation of his hunting rights, and restitution of $4625 for the deer. Depinet paid $1513 in fines and court costs, was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, and a 2 year revocation of his hunting rights. A deer head and a New England Firearms .22-250 rifle with scope were forfeited to the state.

Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Laporte County, Indiana
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect that kills ash trees, has been detected in LaPorte County. Infested ash trees were detected during an inspection of a nursery and, after the insect was confirmed, the trees were destroyed.

State entomologist Phil Marshall has recommended that movement of regulated ash material and hardwood firewood within LaPorte County be limited to reduce further spread of the insect. The process to quarantine LaPorte County has been started. The start of the official quarantine will be announced later. To view quarantined areas and EAB sightings in Indiana, see http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/5349.htm

The EAB quarantine in LaPorte County will restrict the movement of regulated ash materials outside of the county, including whole ash trees, limbs, branches or debris of ash trees 1 inch or more in diameter, ash logs or untreated ash lumber with bark attached, and cut firewood of any hardwood species. These materials may be moved within the LaPorte County, but special permission in the form of a signed compliance agreement must be obtained from the Indiana DNR to move regulated materials outside the county borders. A compliance agreement can be applied for by contacting the Indiana DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at (317) 232-4120.

EAB, first found in Indiana in 2004, has now been identified in 38 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Brown, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Noble, Orange, Porter, Randolph, Ripley, St. Joseph, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Washington, Wells, White and Whitley.

In addition to the state-level quarantine, all of Indiana is under a federal quarantine that prohibits the movement of regulated material out of Indiana without a compliance agreement or permit from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For a federal compliance agreement application, contact USDA-APHIS at (765) 497-2859.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Work on this season’s deer food plots began a few months ago – in May to be exact – when last year’s annual plots ran their natural course and weeds took over. With a non-selective herbicide application in mid-May, followed with another approximately two weeks later, all but the toughest weeds succumbed, although some desirable clover survived. Another venture into farming for deer was well under way.

Once the ugly weeds turned brown and were undeniably dead, it was time to disk the food plots. According to Ed Spinazzola, author of Ultimate Deer Food Plots, disking no deeper than 4 inches is the way to go. Plowing is not advised in Ed’s book and we have found that it is unnecessary. While plowing is understandable to break up tangled weed structure and heavy soil, it has a way of moving valuable top soil to lower levels where it cannot be utilized. And, when soils are weak and contain substantial amounts of sand, a little topsoil can sure help to hold much-needed moisture for germination and beyond. It doesn’t help to bury it!

That’s why we go along with the light disking operation to cut up the fully decomposed weeds and their roots. In years past, fertilizer and lime applications were made at planting time, but this year I managed to get the job done immediately before disking, which is the preferred method. Oh, how the weeds began to flourish shortly thereafter; they must have loved all the fertilizer and lime, because they shot up like Jack’s beanstalk. Never fear, however, one more spray was in order before planting, but no more tillage. Although the final and third spray could be applied the day of seeding, it was done one week prior.

The disking operation had left the ground somewhat uneven – certainly not conducive to a good, smooth seedbed, so I began the seeding day with a pass of the cultipacker behind my 62-year-old Farmall Cub. With the new hard-maple, wood bearings recently installed, which had been soaked in boiled linseed oil and then thoroughly greased, the cultipacker smoothed out the ground without any further tillage. This is important if you want to minimize weed growth. Tillage at this point may make the soil look “clean”, but it also gives dormant weed seeds a better chance at life.

The next step was to broadcast the brassica mix (and even some winter peas and forage oats) over the soil with a hand-held spreader. If you are up for a brisk workout, time can be minimized by a quick pace and fast hand-cranking. Seed is spread about 8 feet from one end to the other. It’s important not to overdo the seeding however, because too many plants only crowd each other and stunt growth. It’s best to set the gauge on the light side and have some left over. The remaining seed can then be cut back a little more and broadcast again. Since the peas and oats are much larger seeds than the tiny brassica mix, a second pass with a calibration change on the spreader was necessary.

The final step simply involved one more pass with the Cub and cultipacker. With fingers crossed, I now wait for Mother Nature’s help. Some people question the rationale of planting in August, but we know better and so do the deer and other wildlife that feast on the bounty throughout the fall and winter.