All 22 designated backcountry campsites within Craig Lake State Park will transition to reservation-only sites beginning with the 2023 camping season to help combat park natural resource degradation and make it easier to locate campers in emergency situations.
The 2023 backcountry camping season will run from through Nov. 1, 2023. Reservations are available six months in advance, which means camping reservations will become available beginning Nov. 20, 2022. Reservations can be made at midnrreservations.com or by calling 1-800-44PARKS.
Annual visitation for Craig Lake State Park has continued to climb the last few years seeing just shy of 69,000 visitors in 2021.
“These changes will help to alleviate some of the natural resource degradation issues that are tied closely to unauthorized, dispersed camping,” said Craig Lake State Park Supervisor Debra Gill. “By visitors being able to reserve the campsites in advance, they can plan their trips and see what sites are, or are not, available. We are hopeful that this will help eliminate the unauthorized dispersed camping we are seeing when campsites are full.” Read more
They’re all young ones but ingenious enough to lift the lid on the feed can. They sure didn’t want to leave but I convinced them they couldn’t stay there.
NEWTOWN, Conn. — NSSF®, the firearm industry trade association, condemns the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, as amended. The legislation ignores the Constitutional right, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, for law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms that are in common use. NSSF estimates that there are over 24.4 million Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) in circulation in America between 1990 and 2020.
“This legislation is as dangerous as it is revealing of the contempt for which the House Democrats hold for the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Chairman Jerrold Nadler admitted during debate in his committee that he didn’t care the legislation was unconstitutional and defied Supreme Court precedent. Democratic representatives are not fulfilling the interest of ‘the People,’ instead representing special-interest gun control groups that seek to disarm law-abiding citizens and scapegoat them for crimes committed by others.” Read more
GENESEO, ILL. (08/01/22) – Springfield Armory® is proud to announce the release of two-tone stainless steel Hellcat® and Hellcat® OSP™ micro 9mm pistols, exclusive variants developed specifically for sale by distributor Sports South.
The Hellcat and Hellcat OSP (which stands for “Optical Sight Pistol”) have proven themselves to be class-leading concealed carry options. The 3? barreled micro compact pistols feature an impressive capacity of 11+1 with their patented magazine, and 13+1 with the included extended mag. Both offerings ship with one 11-round magazine with pinky extension and optional flush-fitting floorplate as well as the 13-round extended magazine.
In addition, the OSP version features a removable cover plate that allows direct mounting of a micro red dot in the Springfield Micro™ footprint for the lowest possible profile. This allows for co-witnessing with the pistol’s U-Dot™ sight system, made up of a high visibility tritium and luminescent front sight paired with a tactical rack U-notch rear. The U-Dot sights are offered on both the OSP and standard model. Read more
Tampa, FL (August 1, 2022) – B&T USA is excited to announce it has teamed up with The Armories headquartered in Orlando, Florida to present its customers with a very special SD version of our popular GHM9 model. This package has been tuned to function as a system and is equipped with B&T’s state-of-the-art RBS suppressor system coupled with a cold hammer forged, ported barrel for long and effective service life, along with all of the other modern features that make the GHM9 the sub gun that it is.
“B&T USA is very excited to work with The Armories, a highly-respected B&T dealer, on this exclusive GHM9 SD pistol project,” said Jon Scott Vice President of Sales, B&T USA. “This soon to be coveted GHM9 SD pistol features our newest RBS suppressor technology coupled with clean lines and premium feature sets the GHM is known for, and we couldn’t be happier to create this model for The Armories dedicated customers base.”
“The Armories is proud to be able to provide B&T USA’s high-quality firearms and silencers to our customers for the last 4 years. The B&T brand has rapidly grown into one of the most coveted amongst our customers and gun lovers nationwide, so this opportunity to provide a product that is exclusive to The Armories is a true honor” said Robbie Motes, The Armories. Read more
The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 ineffectively addresses violent crime and punishes law-abiding citizens
West Bend, WI – The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), which is one of the fastest-growing organizations in the country representing responsibly armed Americans, released the following statement on the House passage of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022:
“The fundamental, natural-born right to defend yourself and your family should not be subject to what the federal government deems ‘acceptable’ for private civilian use,” said USCCA President and Founder Tim Schmidt. “The arbitrary label ‘assault weapon’ was created and perpetuated by anti-gun politicians and the media. Guns are inanimate objects and do not possess the ability to hurt people on their own.” Read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to the House vote on H.R.1808, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2022”:
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R.1808, which would, if enacted, criminalize the lawful and constitutionally protected conduct of millions of Americans.
In a time of economic recession, gross overreach and abuse of power by the federal government, and cascading governmental policy failures at all levels, 217 depraved representatives, including the deciding votes cast by Republicans Jacobs (NY) and Fitzpatrick, voted to violate natural rights and our Constitution, choosing to promote policies that would imprison peaceable people who have done no wrong.
There is no world in which American gun owners bend the knee and comply with this evil legislation. Further, if H.R.1808 is enacted, FPC Law will swiftly and aggressively take all actions necessary to fight and enjoin the bill.
Individuals who would like to Join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to theFPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. Read more
State law enforcement officers are seeking the extradition to Michigan of a Wisconsin man recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on several charges resulting from a July 22 incident in Dickinson County.
The 30-year-old Wausau man pointed a rifle at conservation officers during an attempt to flee on an all-terrain vehicle. His name is being withheld pending arraignment in Dickinson County District Court.
Charges authorized against the man include discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, which is a 10-year felony; fleeing and eluding police, a 5-year felony; felonious assault, a 4-year felony and a 2-year felony firearms violation.
At 12:56 p.m. July 22, a conservation officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was patrolling along U.S. Highway 2, when he saw an all-terrain vehicle operator traveling north on Upper Pine Creek Road with an expired off-road vehicle license.
The officer conducted a traffic stop to address the ORV license violation and the possession of an uncased firearm. The ATV had three long guns secured to the equipment rack. Two shotguns were contained in a case with a .22 cal. rifle partially covered by a blanket.
The ATV operator lacked proper identification and agreed to have the officer follow him back to a hunting camp, reported to belong to a family member. Before leaving the traffic stop, a second conservation officer arrived to assist.
While on the way to the reported family member’s camp, the ATV operator attempted to flee the officers. At one point during the pursuit, the ATV operator removed the rifle from the blanket and pointed it back towards the officers. Read more
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
In any successful management cycle, the first step is planning. With that in mind, any good management plan must begin with obtaining a wide range of facts; to proceed otherwise is to do so blindly. Therefore, it is commendable that our Natural Resources Commission is seeking relevant statistics from its cooperating partners – Michigan’s hunting community. Beginning this year, Michigan deer hunters are required to report successful harvests online at www.Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport within 72 hours or before transferring possession of the deer (to another person, a processer or taxidermist).
The once-optional reporting is now mandatory. Hunters must continue to attach a paper kill tag to a harvested deer. The kill tag should remain with the head, if the head and body of the deer are separated. Anyone in possession of a deer after the harvest reporting timeframe expires should be able to present the confirmation number.
Hunters can easily submit the required harvest data through eLicense, Michigan’s online license system. This can be done via computer or mobile device. Simply enter your deer kill tag/hunting license number and hunter’s date of birth to begin the report. If you don’t have your license/kill tag number, you can log in to DNR eLicense, and click on the Harvest Report tab to see the tags available to report. On eLicense, you can use your driver’s license and birthdate, use an existing ID and password or create an account to enter your report.
You will be asked questions about your hunt and the deer you harvested. There is also space to leave a comment. Once your harvest report is completed, you will be given a confirmation number and the option to receive a copy by email.
Hunters are allowed to have their deer reported online by a family member or friend. The family member or friend will need the successful hunter’s deer kill tag number and birthday, and information about the hunter’s harvest and hunting location.
Although the voluntary method of reporting has been in existence for years, there simply is not enough compliance to gain the most comprehensive information to determine sensible rules. Many surrounding states already require similar deer hunting reporting and have done so for decades – even before the prevalence of cell phones.
However, that hasn’t prevented some outspoken resistance, which seems largely based on the fact that mandated reporting requirements are more of an inconvenience than any type of reasonable hardship. Where there’s a will, there’s a won’t.
No doubt there are regions of our state where cell phone service is not available. Heck, some folks don’t have cell phones, either. However, allowing successful hunters three days to get with the program, is quite lenient compared to other states where the time limit is a scant 24 hours.
We can do this, if we choose – even in our most remote areas with a bit of planning. Cumbersome? Maybe so, but if there is a better way to take charge of our deer herd management, it’s yet to be invented.
Change is as inevitable as resistance to it. By understanding that we hunters are the best fact finders in this never-ending search for better deer management, a little cooperation will help us all.
State law enforcement officers are seeking the extradition to Michigan of a Wisconsin man recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on several charges resulting from a incident in Dickinson County.
The 30-year-old Wausau man pointed a rifle at conservation officers during an attempt to flee on an all-terrain vehicle. His name is being withheld pending arraignment in Dickinson County District Court.
Charges authorized against the man include discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, which is a 10-year felony; fleeing and eluding police, a 5-year felony; felonious assault, a 4-year felony and a 2-year felony firearms violation.
At 12:56 p.m. July 22, 2022
A conservation officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was patrolling along U.S. Highway 2, when he saw an all-terrain vehicle operator traveling north on Upper Pine Creek Road with an expired off-road vehicle license.
The officer conducted a traffic stop to address the ORV license violation and the possession of an uncased firearm. The ATV had three long guns secured to the equipment rack. Two shotguns were contained in a case with a .22 cal. rifle partially covered by a blanket.
The ATV operator lacked proper identification and agreed to have the officer follow him back to a hunting camp, reported to belong to a family member. Before leaving the traffic stop, a second conservation officer arrived to assist.
While on the way to the reported family member’s camp, the ATV operator attempted to flee the officers. At one point during the pursuit, the ATV operator removed the rifle from the blanket and pointed it back towards the officers.
This action caused the ATV operator to come close to losing control of the ATV, which he was able to correct and continue fleeing. After traveling farther along the remote forest road, the subject stood up on the ATV and delivered a self-inflicted gunshot under his jaw.
Both officers stopped and, after securing the suspect, immediately administered emergency first aid, while awaiting EMS and other responding law enforcement officers.
Because of the severity of his injuries, the man was airlifted to a trauma center in Wisconsin.
The subject was identified during the ensuing investigation and found to have multiple outstanding warrants for prior charges in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Michigan State Police assisted at the scene and determined that several articles, that were in possession of the suspect, were reported to have been recently stolen from nearby camps, including the firearms on the ATV. Additional stolen property and a stolen vehicle have since been recovered in the area as well, which MSP is investigating.
Conservation officers were also assisted by Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office. No officers were injured during the incident.
