Meopta MeoStar S2 82 HD 20-70x Spotting Scope Named Editor’s Choice by Outdoor Life

Meopta’s MeoStar S2 82mm HD Spotting Scope with removable 20-70x eyepiece has been named “Best Overall Spotting Scope” and winner of Outdoor Life’s 2023 Editor’s Choice Award in the full-size spotting scopes category.

The MeoStar S2 82 features premium, extra-low dispersion, fluoride-treated HD glass that eliminates chromatic aberration to give the sharpest resolution, contrast, and color fidelity possible. The Outdoor Life test team noticed the outstanding performance citing the MeoStar’s best-in-class optical resolution and image quality, extremely tactile focus and power changing controls, sharp edge-to-edge clarity, excellent internal coatings, and outstanding price among other factors that made this premium spotting scope stand out in the test.

“The price—the real-world street price is around $3,000 for both the body and the 20-70-power eyepiece—is about $1,000 lower than its European peers, but you get the same vivid image, the stunning edge-to-edge clarity, and the velvety controls. In short, the MeoStar is an investment-grade spotting scope that is a relative bargain when considered against its competitors.”

“The Meopta easily won our low-light test, and topped the field in optical resolution. The test team especially liked the long-range detail it produced, even at higher magnifications.”

  • Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life Hunting, Conservation, and Optics Editor Read more
Optics

Barnett’s Hyper Raptor Crossbow

New for 2023, the Hyper Raptor™ leads the way with premium features, performance-driven innovation, and industry-leading technology to produce the smoothest, fastest, and easiest shooting experience on the market. Best of all, Barnett® offers all of this at an incredible retail price!

At the heart of every Barnett crossbow is quality and dependability. As the leading pioneer of the modern crossbow movement, Barnett’s never-compromising focus on precision, safety, and performance has earned the trust of hunters from every walk of life and every corner of the world. With over 60 years of experience and scrutinizing every aspect of every crossbow, Barnett is proud to be the world’s #1 manufacturer of crossbows.

The Hyper Raptor excels in every aspect of performance-inspired design and technology. With a lightweight composite riser and measuring just over seven inches axle-to-axle when cocked, the crossbow provides excellent maneuverability in tight-quartered hunting applications. Its pivoting limb pockets put less weight on the front of the crossbow while making a more durable shooting platform with reduced recoil and vibration. With its compact and energy-efficient design, the Hyper Raptor sends small-diameter HyperFlite™ arrows down-range with incredible speed – up to 410 feet per second and 142 ft. lbs. of energy for maximum bone-crushing penetration. Read more

Archery

Burris Thermal V2 Riflescope Now Available

GREELEY, CO – Burris Optics, a trailblazer in precision optics, announces that the Burris Thermal V2 Riflescope is now shipping. Engineered to deliver best-in-class thermal imaging capabilities, the Thermal V2 Riflescope delivers a Simple, Fast, and Powerful experience revolutionizing the way predator and hog hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, and professional users experience the great outdoors.

Designed with advanced thermal imaging technology, the Burris Thermal V2 Riflescope provides users with a thermal imaging solution that enhances situational awareness, detection, and tracking—even in the dead of night. With its exceptional performance, the Burris Thermal V2 Riflescope empowers users to uncover hidden targets and detect heat signatures with remarkable clarity and accuracy.

Equipped with Burris Cyber Core, a state-of-the-art thermal processing system, the BTS V2 combines a 12mm 35MM Objective lens, 400×300 thermal sensor and an advanced image processor, to deliver clear and detailed images. Users are able to identify objects and targets such as pigs and coyotes at distances better than ever. Read more

Optics

CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT Model

Kansas City, KS –

CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT – A Smaller, Lighter, Optics-Ready DA/SA Competition Pistol

The new CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT is the latest member in the CZ family of high-performance pistols. Designed with the same instinctive fit as CZ’s full-size flagship sport pistol – the

CZ SHADOW 2 – the CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT has been specifically engineered for shooters who want a top-tier, highly accurate pistol that is easier to handle and carry. And as with all models in the CZ SHADOW 2 series, it is constructed from advanced materials and comes with match-ready features.

The CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT retains the key, competition-proven features, accuracy, ergonomics, and handling that made its big brother so popular among elite sport shooters and contributed to its status as a world championship firearm, with numerous world championship titles under its belt in the IPSC Production and Production Optics divisions. The overall size of the CZ SHADOW 2 COMPACT is 7.5 (L) × 1.4 (W) × 5.4 (H) inches. A light and strong forged 7075 aluminum frame shaves precious ounces off the total weight, bringing its weight down to 2 lbs. As a result, it’s the perfect choice for all-day carry and concealed carry. Read more

Firearms

CCRKBA: “Seattle Mayor Exploits Triple Murder to Attack State Preemption”

BELLEVUE, WA – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s immediate reaction to Sunday’s triple homicide at a hookah lounge in the city’s Mount Baker area “was a predictable launch pad for an attack on Washington State’s model firearms preemption law,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Instead of encouraging people to help police solve this terrible crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “Mayor Harrell reminds us he is ‘partnering’ with state lawmakers to ‘end state preemption over firearms’ so the city can adopt policies which, experience tells us, will only impact law-abiding citizens and not prevent a single tragedy.

“Bruce Harrell was on the city council in 2015 when they hastily adopted the city’s notorious tax on gun and ammunition sales,” Gottlieb recalled. “In the years since, homicides have more than doubled in Seattle, the gun tax revenue has never come close to the forecast and the mayor and his allies continue blaming guns when they should be blaming the people misusing those guns.

“Mayor Harrell seems to forget that Seattle did adopt a policy—the gun tax—on the promise it would help prevent gun-related violence and the past eight years have shown it to be a total failure,” he added. “Instead of talking about getting guns off the street, how about focusing on getting criminals off the street? Read more

Gun Control

Boat Sales Volume Down, Inventory Up Post-Pandemic

MIAMI, FL — The demand for boats remained strong during the first half of the year as inventory levels continue to recover from the pandemic-era buying surge, according to the latest market report from Boats Group. The global leader in online boating marketplaces analyzed data from its top sites, Boat Trader, YachtWorld and boats.com, from the first half of the year through 2019.

“Early indicators like days on the market, number of listings and overall boat value are contributing factors to understanding the health of the boating industry, and what we are seeing is a very positive trajectory,” said Courtney Chalmers, vice president of marketing at Boats Group. “Consumers have continued to show a high level of interest in boating, creating a favorable position for brokers and dealers as inventory levels ramp up.”

The industry continued to overcome inventory shortages, specifically in the larger boat segments, as the total volume of boats sold was down 9.8% compared to 2019. On the other hand, recovery is well underway as Boat Trader, YachtWorld and boats.com have collectively seen a growth of 56% in listings compared to the first half of 2022. Read more

Fishing

More Power for 2024 Yamaha WaveRunners

A new 1898cc (1.9L), four-stroke, four-cylinder, 16-valve High Output marine engine replaces the Yamaha 1.8L High Output motor that previously powered the FX Cruiser HO, FX HO, GP1800R HO and VX Cruiser HO models. This more powerful engine provides quicker and smoother acceleration and higher top-end speed. This is achieved through the engine’s increased displacement, optimised intake and exhaust paths, and a 10-percent larger throttle body for more power and torque. This new engine is paired with a new top loader intake grate on the FX HO and VX HO models for improved pickup and acceleration.
FX Series Upgrades Read more

General

AG Composites Privateer Stock on Field & Stream magazine’s Best New Rifle of 2023

Field & Stream magazine’s Best New Rifle of 2023, the Wilson Combat NULA Model 20, features an AG Composites hand painted Privateer composite stock in Kodiak Rogue camo. The “best new rifles of 2023” were announced in the magazine’s online version on August 16, 2023.

“We are more than excited both to have our stock chosen to be standard fare on the incredible NULA rifle, and that its contribution to the rifle’s overall accuracy and ease of handling has been recognized by the editors at Field & Stream,” said Matt Tandy, AG Composites owner. “This custom-crafted stock allows Wilson Combat to add a hinged floor plate, get the rifles out the door faster than ever before while maintaining world-class accuracy, and bring the price down more than 20 percent over the rifle’s original version. That’s a win for both the manufacturer and consumer.” Read more

Firearms

Annual Breeding Waterfowl Population Survey Estimates 32.3 Million Ducks

Total ducks and mallard numbers decline, but pintails and canvasbacks increase

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — The breeding population of ducks declined 7% this spring, while pond counts dropped by 9% compared to last year, according to the 2023 Waterfowl Population Status report released Friday by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Those numbers resulted from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, which has been conducted annually by the USFWS and Canadian Wildlife Service since 1955, except for 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 concerns. The survey, which is used to set hunting regulations throughout North America, estimated a breeding duck population of 32.3 million ducks in the traditional survey area, which is 7% less than 2022 and 9% below the long-term average. Importantly, the May pond count, a key indicator of duck habitat and potential production, showed 4.98 million ponds, a 9% decrease and 5% below the long-term average.

The numbers might seem discouraging on the surface, but Dr. Frank Rohwer, president and chief scientist of Delta Waterfowl puts forth an important reminder: “We don’t hunt the breeding population. We hunt the fall flight, which is made of the breeding population plus this year’s duck production. Duck production is the key to the upcoming hunting season.” Read more

Wildlife

Wisconsin: DNR Stocks Great Lakes to Improve Angling

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to help enhance fish populations in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior through its 2023 stocking efforts.

“The fisheries of the Great Lakes provide world-class fishing opportunities for our stakeholders,” said Brad Eggold, DNR Great Lakes District Fisheries Supervisor. “We continue to assess the fish populations of the Great Lakes and stock appropriate numbers and species of fish to build on the success that started over five decades ago.”

Stocking efforts will continue throughout the year, including stocking 50,000 brook trout, 44,468 brown trout and 258,228 coho salmon into the Great Lakes, to ensure the 2023 stocking quotas are fulfilled.

Since the start of 2023, DNR fisheries staff have stocked the following fish into the Great Lakes:

LAKE MICHIGAN

    • 405,532 brown trout
    • 1,386,492 Chinook salmon
    • 241,772 coho salmon
    • 7,681 muskellunge
    • 522,852 rainbow trout

LAKE SUPERIOR

  • 174,906 brown trout
  • 58,300 lake trout
  • 40,816 splake
  • 100,000 walleye

During this year’s data entry, DNR staff discovered that approximately 4,200 additional steelhead yearlings stocked into Lake Michigan in 2022 had not been recorded in the database. The database has since been updated to reflect this addition to the fishery.

Read more fast facts about our Great Lakes stocking efforts on this DNR publication.

You can find previous years’ fish stocking information for Lake Michigan and Lake Superior on the DNR fisheries webpage.

Fishing
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