Monitoring Raptor Migrations

The migration of Broad-winged Hawks is underway across much of the eastern region of North America (photos by Paul Konrad).

It’s that time of the year when Broad-winged Hawks, American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and many other birds of prey are being counted as they migrate south by the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands daily. Broad-winged Hawk migration has been building across the Upper Midwest during the past week and migrants are funneling down to count sites in Texas already. This year the largest numbers are being counted on the west and east sides of the Detroit River, where it meets the northwest corner of Lake Erie.

The specific count sites are the Detroit River Hawk Watch located in the Metropark on the American side of the river, and the Holiday Beach HawkWatch in neighboring Ontario, Canada. Yesterday at the Metropark, biologists counted 20,929 Broad-winged Hawks, and by the end of Tuesday the September total was 106,609 Broad-wings, along with 3,003 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 785 American Kestrels. On the other side of the border at Holiday Beach hawk counters added 23,246 Broad-wings Tuesday, along with 768 Sharp-shins and 117 American Kestrels!

Other hawkwatch hotspots across the Upper Midwest and Appalachian regions in recent days have been Hawk Ridge at Duluth, Minnesota; Hawk Cliff Hawk Watch in Ontario, Allegheny Front Hawk Watch and Little Gap in Pennsylvania, Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch and Harvey’s Knob in western Virginia, Montclair HawkWatch in New Jersey, Mount Watatic in Massachusetts, and Wachusett Mountain in Maine. Read more

Wildlife

Casting to a Fly Rod to Apache Trout is a Testament to Perseverance

I’m standing knee deep in the cold crystalline waters of a narrowgravelly stream in the highest headwaters of the White Mountains of southeast Arizona.  Apache trout live here.

Apache Trout live in the cold, clear waters of the White Mountains in southeast Arizona.

A spindly 2-weight fly rod and a barbless hook ornamented with fur and feather are the ligaments to the object of my affections.  Fresh lime-green fronds of streamside grasses arc over the water pooled behind a downed ponderosa, its cooling shade make a lair for the pretty trout.  A short cast lands an Elk-hair Caddis along a seam of flow. The fly wafts downstream toward trout who face upstream waiting for the groceries to come to them.  A darting flash and a splash and the trout is transmogrified in the tug I feel in my forearm through the bent rod.

It’s exhilarating. An eight-inch lemony-yellow Apache troutpeppered with haloed black spots lying in my net is really something to witness. It’s a trophy, but not for its size. Catching an Apache trout on a fly rod is a testament to the diligence of a good many people who cared about this rare trout over the span of decades. If not for their conservation work, this experience would not be possible.

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On August 10, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to delist the Apache trout at an event with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Trout Unlimited at Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery. The Apache trout stands to be the first sport fish species to be recovered and removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. Read more

Fishing

Duck Stamp Modernization Act Passes House

CSF Leads Effort with Senate CSC Leadership to Pass Duck Stamp Modernization Act

Washington, D.C.– The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act (H.R. 2872) on a voice vote, a sign of the unanimous support for the bill thanks to Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) leadership Vice-Chair Rep. Garret Graves (LA) and CSC Member Rep. Mike Thompson (CA). Prior to the House floor vote, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) worked with the bill sponsors and key offices in the House to see that this bill was added to the House floor calendar.

The Duck Stamp Modernization Act will bring the Federal Duck Stamp process into the 21st century by providing that the electronic Federal Duck Stamp is valid for the entirety of the hunting season. Under current law, when a hunter purchases an electronic Federal Duck Stamp (e-stamp), the e-stamp is only valid for a period of 45 days to allow for the actual stamp to be mailed to the purchaser. Once the actual stamp is received by the e-stamp purchaser, the actual stamp must be signed by the respective hunter across the face of the stamp and be in the hunter’s possession while afield.

Specifically, this legislation will allow hunters who purchase a Federal Duck Stamp electronically to have the duck stamp on their smartphone while hunting without requiring the signed physical stamp to be on their person. To maintain the integrity of the Federal Duck Stamp, the bill requires that physical stamps will be mailed to those who purchased the e-stamp after the latest waterfowl season in the country has closed. Hunters will still be able to purchase the physical stamp from the U.S. Postal Service or from other locations that sell the physical stamp. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

SDS Imports Announces TISAS USA’s Model 1911A1 Aviator

Interest in the iconic Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol is approaching an all-time high, especially those which truly look like and reflect the “feel” of the original gun designed by John Moses Browning back in the late 1890’s. The Tisas’ Model 1911A1 Aviator is such a firearm, true to the original in many ways, and arguably even better! This affordable handgun is ideal for home defense, personal protection, law enforcement, or simply to shoot at paper at the local range, and, it easily fits into any family’s budget.

The Tisas Model 1911A1 Aviator is chambered in .45 ACP & 9MM. Its frame is made of aluminum which has a H-151 Satin Aluminum Cerakote finish. The grips are overmolded black rubber grips which are highly functional allowing for a comfortable, yet solid grip.

The gun’s hammer forged steel barrel is 4.25-inches in length and the smooth-action slide is made of 4140 hammer forged steel, and all the gun’s exterior parts have the durable, practical and attractive H-146 Black Cerakote finish. The Tisas Model 1911A1’s barrel slide’s newly designed front brass bead and rear sights makes for a 5.65-inches line of sight for quick target acquisition, but also nicely accurate shooting. The magazine can be loaded with 7 rounds. Read more

Firearms

RISE Armament Offering Limited-Edition Topographic-Pattern Watchman AR-15 Rifle

RISE Armament, a premier manufacturer and supplier of triggers, components, and firearms is pleased to announce that for a limited time only, and in limited quantities, it is offering the Topo WatchmanTM AR-15 rifle.

The Topo Watchman features a special topographical pattern lasered design and is equipped with premium upgrades, including the bestselling RISE RA-535 Advanced-Performance Trigger for improved accuracy and faster follow-up shots. It also includes the RA-701 Compensator to reduce muzzle rise and recoil to help you stay on target.

Like the original and standard Watchman rifle, it is a chambered .223 Wylde and is a high-performance lightweight rifle, weighing in at 6.5 pounds. It is well-balanced to help improve the shooters’ accuracy and control.

Its 16-inch 416R stainless steel barrel has a mid-length gas system for more manageable recoil, delivers superior accuracy and proprietary weight reduction, and shoots sub-MOA with most factory ammo. Read more

Firearms

SAF Files Reply Brief in Challenge of Delaware Gun, Magazine Ban

BELLEVUE, WA — Attorneys representing the Second Amendment Foundation and its partners in a challenge of Delaware’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large capacity magazines” have filed a reply brief with the U.S. Third District Court of Appeals in a consolidation of cases.

SAF is involved in two of the three cases, known as Graham v. Jennings and Gray v. Jennings. SAF is joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, DJJAMS LLC and individual citizens Owen Stevens, Christopher Graham, William Taylor, and Gabriel Gray. They are represented by attorneys Bradley P. Lehman at Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown in Wilmington, Del., and David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson and William Bergstrom at Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C.

In their brief, SAF and its fellow plaintiffs tell the court that Delaware’s law banning firearms and ammunition magazines, which are possessed by millions of Americans, is “flagrantly unconstitutional.”

“Under binding Supreme Court precedent, the law-abiding citizens of this country have an absolute right to possess arms that are in common use,” stated SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Arms possessed by millions of citizens easily meet that description.” Read more

Gun Control

3 On-Water Safety Tips for Fall Boating

Plus, a deep dive into choosing your winter boat cover from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — For some boaters, fall is the best time for boating. Summer’s steamy days have surrendered to more comfortable temperatures, angling improves, and winds are stronger for sailing. It’s also time to embrace extra boating safety efforts for the season and look ahead to how you’re going to store your boat this winter. The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has three boating safety tips to consider, as well as some test results on the four main types of winter boat covers.

  1. Take safety seriously. If you ask the U.S. Coast Guard about boating safety and drowning, they’ll tell you that three of every four boaters who drowned in 2022 were using vessels less than 21 feet in length at the time (when boat length was known in the accident statistics). The BoatUS Foundation says Read more
Fishing

Gather Milkweed Pods this Fall to Support Migrating Monarchs

Gathering milkweed seeds now helps support future populations of monarch butterflies.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As fall approaches, eastern monarch butterflies are migrating through Ohio on their way to overwintering sites in Mexico, and milkweed seed pods are ready to be picked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Monarchs travel between 50 and 100 miles per day on a journey that may cover several thousand miles in total. By gathering dried milkweed pods this fall and planting the seeds, you can support next year’s monarchs.

Various species of milkweed are the sole host plants for monarch caterpillars. Each spring, eastern monarchs lay eggs on milkweed as they migrate north from Mexico. After several generations, monarchs reach their northernmost range in southern Canada. By the fall, a super-generation migrates all the way to southern overwintering sites.

Migrating monarchs rely on adequate food resources along their journey. Native flowers provide monarchs with the fuel needed to reach overwintering areas. Look for monarchs in the coming weeks in forests, fields, gardens, and waterways as they migrate through Ohio. Migrants may travel individually or in groups.

Monarch butterflies are in decline across their range, as are many other pollinating insects, because of the loss of prairie and grassland habitat. One of the most important ways to help declining butterflies and other pollinating insects is by conserving tracts of unmown grasslands. The Division of Wildlife manages habitat on many of Ohio’s state wildlife areas to provide these grasslands that provide nectar-producing plants.

All Ohioans can play a role in supporting monarchs by planting milkweed. Read more

Wildlife

CCRKBA Rips Newsom’s “Gun Control” Constitutional Convention Plan

BELLEVUE, WA – Passage by California lawmakers of anti-gun Democrat Gov. Newsom’s call for a constitutional convention to push a 28th Amendment dictating gun control measures is a horrible move which should be rejected by all other states, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says.

Newsom’s proposal, announced earlier in the summer and explained by the Los Angeles Times, would mandate “universal background checks” on all firearm purchases, raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21 years, create a “reasonable waiting period” on gun purchases and ban the sale of modern semiautomatic firearms—the so-called “assault weapons” anti-gunners despise—in a package that would essentially destroy the Second Amendment, which has been their goal for decades.

“Gavin Newsom’s proposal would effectively turn the right to keep and bear arms into a government-regulated privilege,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb stressed. “As we just witnessed in New Mexico, an anti-gun-rights governor could use such a constitutional amendment to effectively disarm the citizenry as a ‘public health emergency’ without any recourse of legal challenge. We’re actually very fortunate that New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham attempted such an outrageous infringement on Second Amendment rights, just so the nation could see how extreme she, Newsom and other like-minded politicians would become if they could legally get away with it.

“Newsom and his ilk are pushing this scheme under the guise of ‘gun safety,’ when we all know better,” he continued. “This is a poorly disguised attempt to nullify the right to keep and bear arms and underscores the need for every gun owner in America to tell their state lawmakers to oppose Newsom’s resolution. This is nothing more than an effort to fool the people into surrendering their gun rights, which have been protected for more than two centuries, and recently affirmed and reinforced by three consecutive Supreme Court rulings. Read more

Gun Control

Streamlight Introduces Speedlocker Portable Locking Storage Container

Securely Stores Valuables; Patented Mechanical Keypad Provides Quick Access

Eagleville, PA – Streamlight®, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting, launched the new SpeedLocker®, a portable storage container with a secure, non-electronic keypad locking system that provides fast, one-handed direct access to valuable items at home or on the go without the need for batteries or a power source.

Measuring 12.4 inches long, 8.2 inches wide and 2.78 inches high, the lightweight container is designed to carry a variety of items that require safe, secure storage, including various compact firearm models. The container’s foam insert helps to protect and secure stored items.

“Streamlight developed this portable storage container to help ensure that customers’ personal items are protected and out of reach from unauthorized persons, while still providing fast, one-handed access,” said Michael F. Dineen, Streamlight’s Chief Revenue Officer. “It securely stores personal items, such as a wallet, car keys, travel documents, or compact pistols.”

The SpeedLocker’s patented mechanical keypad provides for 31 lock combinations, and comes with an Allen key to change the combination.The container is air-travel suitable when used with the supplied padlock. It also comes with a front name plate that can be personalized for ownership identification. Read more

General
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