ALPS Mountaineering Aura System Sleeping Bag System

New Haven, Mo. – ALPS Mountaineering, manufacturer of performance-driven technical support gear for wilderness exploration, trekking, and family camping, has just introduced a one-and-done sleeping bag system that meets the needs of multi-climate campers. The new Aura System is an ingeniously designed sleeping bag that offers three different configurations to keep campers comfortable in everything from cold to warm-weather climates.

The Aura System is based on a 30°F mummy bag featuring two-layer offset construction to eliminate cold spots. Quilted between the polyester liner and nylon ripstop outer layer is TechLoft Micro insulation, which delivers the base 30°F rating. Insulated chest and zipper baffling further eliminates cold air intrusion for a comfortable night’s sleep.

When temperatures take a dive, the Aura System can be converted to a 15°F mummy bag by installing the quilt top with enclosed foot box. This adds an additional layer of heat-trapping insulation to the bag and foot box. Simply slip the quilt’s foot box over the base bag and secure the quilt to the bag via dual #8 zippers and hook-and-loop patches along the chest baffle.

An incidental feature of this system is the space created between the bag and quilt. If even more warmth is desired, the camper can insert clothing between the layers. It’s also the perfect solution for dressing on cold mornings because clothing stays warm while layered in the bag. Read more

General

Michigan DNR says fish kills may be common during spring thaw

After ice and snow cover melt on Michigan lakes early this spring, it may be more likely for people to discover dead fish or other aquatic animals. While such sights can be startling, the Department of Natural Resources reminds everyone that this is normal, since winter conditions can cause fish and other creatures such as turtles, frogs, toads and crayfish to die.

“Winterkill is the most common type of fish kill,” said Gary Whelan, DNR Fisheries Division Research manager. “As the season changes, it can be particularly common in shallow lakes, ponds, streams and canals. These kills are localized and typically do not affect the overall health of the fish populations or fishing quality.” Read more

Fishing

2,000-Mile Wild Turkey Journey

 This conservation feature was submitted to us by the National Wild Turkey Federation. 

(Photo Credit Brittany Peterson)

Wild turkeys are known to fly from time to time, mainly to and from the roost, but on occasion, a wild turkey will take a longer flight, to escape a precarious situation, for instance. The recent journey of 15 birds from Buckport, Maine, to Angelina County, Texas, however, entails a bit of a longer flight.

These cold-hardy birds from the Northeast were transported to Texas as part of the acclaimed East Texas Super Stocking project, an ongoing project, since 2014, to restore the Eastern Wild Turkey population to its historic range in east Texas.

(Photo Credit: Brittany Peterson)

Capturing these particular birds and relocating them to east Texas is a collaborative effort between the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the NWTF. Numerous other state agencies have supplied birds to the Texas project in recent years. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: DNR Collecting Walleye Eggs on Muskegon River This Spring

Muskegon River anglers should be on the lookout for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam this spring.

Walleye will be collected with electrofishing boats starting as early as the week of March 20 and concluding by April 14. The date these collections begin will depend on water temperatures, the presence of ripe fish and other factors. It is anticipated most work will be completed from the last week of March through the first week of April. Five days of electrofishing are planned, with four of those being egg-take days.

“This adult population consists of mostly stocked fish,” said Ed Pearce, DNR fisheries technician supervisor who coordinates the egg take. “The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed south of Green Bay.” Read more

Fishing

Primary Weapons Systems March Madness Promo

Boise, ID – Primary Weapons Systems announces new promotion for March Madness

Hoops, there it is! PWS announces a MAP holiday on all MK116 models through April 15. This includes the MK116 MOD 2-M, MK116 MOD 1-M, and MK116 PRO, available as complete upper or complete rifle configuration. All lines use the PWS long-stroke piston driven operating system. To find your nearest PWS dealer, please visit www.primaryweapons.com/locator. You can also purchase PWS products online at www.primaryweapons.com/.

The MK1 MOD 2-M features a PicLok handguard, lightweight upper receiver with eliminated forward assist and ambidextrous controls. The MK1 MOD 1-M starts with MilSpec forgings, has forward assist and an M-LOK® handguard. The MK1 PRO line is built with an extruded upper receiver and M-LOK® handguard. All PWS lines utilize the same quality of parts, maintain a lifetime warranty and an MOA accuracy guarantee.

For more information, please contact brittany@primaryweapons.com Read more

Firearms

U.S. LawShield to Address Road Rage & Self-Defense

Houston, Texas –– U.S. LawShield®, industry leader and America’s largest provider of Legal Defense for Self Defense® coverage, announces a live YouTube event on Tuesday, March 22 at 11:00 AM CT to address road rage & self-defense.

According to U.S. LawShield CEO P.J. Hermosa, “Road rage is a serious problem plaguing drivers across the country. When an incident turns deadly in the blink of an eye, you need to know how to handle the situation safely and responsibly. U.S. LawShield hosts these events on YouTube as a way to educate the population on all matters of self-defense—in this case, to educate drivers on how to avoid road rage incidents while remaining safe and law-abiding.”

The U.S. LawShield YouTube event Fast & Furious: Road Rage & Self-Defense will give viewers answers to questions like:

·What should you do in a road rage shooting?

·Is road rage a criminal offense?

·How do you handle a road rage incident?

·Can you avoid road rage violence? Read more

Self Defense

Primary Arms Joins the NSSF in Support of Ukraine with Combat Supply Donation

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Following the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s recent call for support, Primary Arms has prepared a shipment of combat supplies for the Ukrainian military and is now asking its partners to join the initiative.

As the war in Ukraine continues to develop, the Ukrainian military has called for support through donations of mission-critical battlefield supplies. This includes armaments, gear, and equipment for Ukrainian soldiers, and the American firearms industry is prepared to offer its support. The gun industry’s foremost trade organization, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), recently called on its members to provide aid packages for quick shipment. Specifically, the NSSF requests shipments of firearms and ammunitions, as well as magazines, optics, and parts.

As a leading retailer and optics manufacturer, Primary Arms is proud to support this initiative and has already prepared a shipment for the Ukrainian defense.

“The defense of Ukraine deserves the support of the American firearms industry,” says Marshall Lerner, Founder and CEO of Primary Arms. “Primary Arms is proud to join the NSSF in its assistance initiative, and we call on all our partners to do the same.”

For others in the industry willing to join the push, please refer to the NSSF’s guidelines, included below: Read more

Ammunition, Firearms

CMP Seeking Junior Rifle Camp Counselors for Summer 2022

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is in search of qualified individuals to fill counselor positions for its Junior Rifle Camps program. This premier program has an established history of providing the highest quality three-position and international air rifle and smallbore instruction in the country for high school athletes and not only positively supports the careers of campers but the counselors who lead instruction as well.

Camp Counselor positions are open to college students who have completed at least one year of school and are members of an NCAA or college club rifle team. Applicants must be available to work and travel throughout the 2022 summer for camps, though accommodations will be made for applicants competing in International Competition.

These are highly competitive positions, and selection will be based on a number of criteria including academic performance, shooting experience, coaching/youth leadership experience and references. All Camp Counselors who are selected for hire will be required to pass a background check and drug test before beginning employment.

Job duties will primarily consist of working with groups of five or more high school-aged athletes of various skill levels at five-day camps, three-day clinics and three-day advanced standing position camps. Additional duties include range set-up, break down, general cleanup, various range activities, assisting with camper registrations and check-in as well as working various CMP events outside the camps. Read more

Firearms

Conservation’s Most Unsung Hero: John F. Lacey

By PJ DelHomme

spotlight-lacey-header.jpg
In a speech promoting passage of the Lacey Act of 1900, Lacey told Congress that, “I have always been a lover of the birds, and I have always been a hunter as well, for today there is no friend that the birds have like the true sportsman—the man who enjoys legitimate sport.”

No lawmaker to walk the halls of Congress has done more for wildlife than John F. Lacey, a member of the Boone and Crockett Club from 1898 until his death in 1913. His name is attached to the most important pieces of conservation legislation of our nation.

Hundreds of books have been written about Theodore Roosevelt. George Bird Grinnell has a few biographies himself, plus a melting glacier named after him. Gifford Pinchot’s name is attached to an entire national forest in North Carolina. And then there’s John F. Lacey, a congressman from Iowa who has a few pieces of legislation with his name on it. To be fair, John F. Lacey should have something akin to the Lincoln Memorial because of his conservation efforts. Yes, that’s a bold statement. Allow us to explain.

John F. Lacey grew up in what is now West Virginia and then moved to Iowa with his family in 1855. In his youth he attended no fancy East Coast boarding schools, instead being taught to read and write at home by his mother. He earned money as a paperboy. He joined the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War, and by 1865, he had worked his way up the ranks to Major. He studied law in the evenings, got married, and had two daughters who survived past infancy. He became a lawyer for the railroad and traveled across the West’s changing landscape. He fell in love with the wildlife and despised the way in which it was being systematically exterminated. Lacey was a sportsman and became a member of the Boone and Crockett Club in 1898. Why does all of this even matter?
Read more

Wildlife

The High Cost of Food Plots

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there are no shortcuts to creating and maintaining healthy and viable wildlife food plots.  Recently, I’ve learned something else:  It’s going to be much more difficult and expensive in these times of high inflation and scarcity of supplies.

In a local farm supply store last week, I met a man toting a 2 ½-gallon jug of non-selective herbicide (glyphosate).  Curious, I asked him the price he was about to pay for the liquid costing less than $40 last year.  He didn’t seem to know exactly, but mentioned it was something north of $100.  This bit of wisdom was imparted soon after I had looked into the empty bins where turnip and clover seed used to be.

I didn’t want to settle for a blend of pre-packaged food plot seed that contained a substantial amount of annual plants for which I had no use.  However, it contained some perennial clover seed that I was after, so I snatched it from the shelf before it vanished.

At least fertilizer was well stocked in the farm store and the good news was that it was on sale.  Only a year ago, the 19-19-19 blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium was approximately $22 for a 50-pound bag; now it had become $35 for the same material.  In addition, pelletized lime was on sale, but the price was still high enough I balked in hopes of finding it for less somewhere else.

I then began to chat with the man with the weed killer and he stated that the Ovid elevator (989-834-2282) had food plot seed in bulk.  I then made a call to the Ovid elevator and confirmed that clover seed was available and I made the trek.

Sure enough, near the front door was not only clover in red and white varieties, but turnip, rape and radish seed fully stocked in the bins.  The ladies in the store were helpful and bagged some Ladino clover seed for me at $4.75 per pound.  When I asked the price of lime I was stunned, once again:  $7 for a 40-pound bag – another whopping setback close to double what it has been for many years.

When I inquired about the cost of glyphosate, the news got worse.  They were out of stock and informed me that they couldn’t get any from their supplier; however, a price of some $150 was tossed into the conversation.

When the cost of fuel is factored into the expense of planting anything this season, many folks are going to sit out this season of wildlife planting.  Those that remain committed must pay the inflated prices.

Cutting back on the size of food plots may be one alternative to reduce expenses and it may very well be the best solution with limited resources.  Cutting back on weed control or fertilizer to minimize overall expenses is never a good idea, because so doing will waste time, effort and money in a feeble attempt to be economical.

Similarly, when it comes to grocery shopping, prices are higher than ever and have yet to reach any reasonable leveling off.  When we understand the plight of farmers, we may begin to understand how we – the consumers – will find today’s prices a bargain.

Wildlife
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