Alaska’s Bristol Bay Region Receives Protections

EPA Final Determination preemptively revokes Pebble Mine permit under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON – A massive industrial mine proposed for the fish- and wildlife-region of Bristol Bay, Alaska, has been blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency, which announced it is proactively rescinding an industry fill and dredge permit under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act that will prevent development of the Pebble Mine.

The EPA determined that mine waste, including dredged or fill material, would have “unacceptable adverse effects” on Bristol Bay’s renowned wild salmon fishery, the largest remaining in the world, including the permanent loss of 8.5 miles of streams. This determination would necessarily preclude development of the Pebble Mine – thereby preventing more than 10.2 billion tons of waste from being disposed of in the Bristol Bay watershed in Alaska.

For more than a decade, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been fighting to conserve Bristol Bay, joining a diverse consortium of hunters, anglers, commercial fishermen, Tribal members, business owners and others in advocating for the region. Bristol Bay supports robust recreational, subsistence and commercial salmon fisheries as well as undisturbed habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Read more

Wildlife

DNR Wildlife Habitat Grant application period now open

Jan. 31, 2023
Contact: Clay Buchanan, 517-614-0918

Now through , the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Habitat Grant Program will be accepting applications.

“We are excited to support those who want to increase habitat and enhance existing habitat through the Wildlife Habitat Grant Program,” said DNR Wildlife Division Chief Jared Duquette.  “Healthy and abundant habitats not only benefit wildlife, but also benefit Michigan residents.”

Funding is available for local, state, federal and tribal governments, profit and nonprofit groups, and individuals through an open, competitive process. The minimum grant amount is $15,000, and the maximum is the total amount of funds available for the grant cycle, which is approximately $1 million for 2023. Read more

Wildlife

Federal Excise Taxes Help Turn Former Cranberry Bogs into Haven for Wildlife and Fish

A great number of species make a home in a restored wetland at the former Tidmarsh Farm. Bill Perry USFWS

Brook trout, alewife, warblers and wood ducks dwell where cranberries were once the commodity.

Like any commodity, cranberry production is subject to changes in the markets. Cranberries, a native plant that naturally grows in soggy bogs in the Northeast United States have been commercially farmed on large scale for a century and a half, perhaps longer. But farming the berry is not so economically viable anymore—and that has afforded opportunities to put federal excise taxes paid by fishing tackle manufacturers to work for conservation.

Using funds from National Coastal Wetland Grants derived from the Sport Fish Restoration Act, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have engaged in a number of restoration projects in what had been known as the cranberry capital of the world. The group embarked on an endeavor to return a well-used farm into a mosaic of natural wildlife habitat. It’s the largest freshwater ecological restoration project yet to be accomplished in the northeastern United States.

The large Tidmarsh Farm located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, operated since the 1890s. The owners recently dedicated the farm not to development but to conservation, to restore the land to its soggy soils, forests, uplands, and open waters—for fish and wildlife and for people to enjoy.

Some 480 acres of farmland have been converted back to the natural maple-cypress woodlands, lowland bog, and miles of stream. The lands have been reshaped and contoured and revegetated with native trees as well as upland and wetland plants.

Gone are nine dams, dikes, and water control structures that formerly regulated flows and flooded the cranberry marshes on a seasonal basis. Their removal offers unfettered ocean-to-headwater access to upstream spawning habitat for alewife and blueback herring—fishes that spawn in freshwater and live the majority of their lives in salt water. They are a favored fare of striped bass while they too cruise the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more

Fishing

Versaring Introduces New Ultra Low-Profile Scope Rings

Versaring has released its ultra-low-profile universal scope ring design. The Hinge is a patent pending design & kit that produces an incredible grip on the scope with a rock-solid double fastener base. This universal design has low, medium and high height settings in every package. Everyone understands the frustration of selecting the wrong scope ring height. The wasted time and money on the wrong purchase is finally a thing of the past. By simply selecting Versaring you are guaranteed the correct height. The scope ring design process extends two and half years with sixteen months of sampling and testing. It has the highest thread count in the industry and with its high strength screws you can be assured rugged reliability. The Hinge design comes in 1” and 30mm sizes. They are machined from high grade aircraft aluminum and come with a lifetime warranty. The designs’ versatility allows you to change scopes or guns and still have the correct fit. Versaring has removed the uncertainty and replaced it with a guarantee.

To learn more about Versaring visit www.versa-ring.com.

Optics

Mauser Introduces M18 Bolt-Action Rifle in Camo Patterns

San Antonio, Texas – Blaser Group is pleased to introduce the award-winning Mauser M18 bolt-action rifle in two camo patterns – U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and Fred Bear Old School Camo. These newest M18 models have the same features as the Savanna tan version – a rugged composite stock with grip inserts and a threaded barrel for the addition of a suppressor or muzzle break.

Recognized for its accuracy and durability at an exceptional price point, this popular hunting rifle features a cold hammer-forged German-steel barrel, three-position safety, and adjustable trigger that allows you to set your own preferred pull weight from 2.25 – 4.25 lbs. The 60-degree oversized bolt with three locking lugs and two ejector pins allows for quick and smooth cycling of cartridges from the standard five-round magazine. Ten-round magazines are also available.

The Mauser M18 rifles are backed by a sub-MOA performance guarantee and 10-year factory warranty.

“The new Mauser M18 models in USMC and Old School Camo give hunters even more options in this award-winning rifle that embodies the advantages of German engineering and manufacturing,” said Jason Evans, CEO, Blaser Group. “The M18 is an ultra-rugged hunting rifle and a true value delivering superior reliability, durability, and accuracy in its class.”

The Mauser M18 Savanna accepts Remington 700 LA-style mounts and is available with a 1/2 x 28 threaded barrel in .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, and 7mm Rem Mag chamberings and a 9/16 x 24 threaded barrel in .30-06, .300 Win Mag and .308 Win. For more information visit: www.mauser.com.

MSRP: $949.99 Read more

Firearms

Henry Repeating Arms Donates to Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Emmitsburg, Md. – With the hallowed and historic Memorial Chapel as the backdrop, Henry Repeating Arms, one of America’s leading firearms manufacturers, presented a $25,000 donation to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).

Chartered by Congress in 1992, the nonprofit relies on private donations to help provide programming and support for the families and co-workers of the dozens of line-of-duty deaths that occur each year.

Part of this support includes the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, which pays tribute to the firefighters who died in service the year prior and brings together the immediate family members for additional programs. “The mission of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is to honor America’s fallen firefighters; support their families, colleagues, and organizations; and work to reduce preventable firefighter death and injury,” said Chief Ron Siarnicki, NFFF’s Executive Director. “Without the generous support of partners like Henry Repeating Arms, it would be impossible for us to continue this important work to ensure that our nation’s fallen fire heroes will never be forgotten.” Along with helping departments cope with losing a valued team member and colleague, the Foundation also awards education and job training scholarships to spouses/life partners and children of fallen firefighters. Read more

Firearms

NWTF Tennessee Helps Add New Dimension to Wild Turkey Research

(UT students attach transmitters to hens. Photo courtesy of UT.)

When we think of the NWTF and Tennessee, we can’t help but think about our 50th anniversary celebration in Nashville just on the horizon, but that’s not the only thing to celebrate in the Volunteer State — the Tennessee NWTF State Chapter recently helped expand research efforts that will ultimately benefit turkeys and turkey hunters.

The new research extends the work of an active six-year research project led by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the University of Tennessee.

Over the project’s six years, it has helped the TWRA manage wild turkeys with the best available science and has helped garner essential information for wild turkey management, including population vital rates (such as estimates of reproductive success and survival), habitat use, hunter attitudes and effort, disease ecology and the effects of habitat management.

“We are excited to continue this research partnership with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the National Wild Turkey Federation to address several important questions that have arisen during the past few years,” said David Buehler, Ph.D., UT professor of wildlife science. “Because of the intensive monitoring we have conducted over the past six years of over 700 radio-tagged hens and gobblers and over 225 poults, we are uniquely positioned to address contemporary questions such as the effect of the two-week season delay on turkey productivity and populations. Tennessee’s science-based approach to turkey management should serve as a model for others to follow.“

“This project has provided our agency important information,” said Roger Shields, TWRA wild turkey program coordinator and NWTF Technical Committee representative. “Foremost is an understanding that the observed decline in the turkey population here is not due to poor survival of adults, it’s being driven by low productivity. Almost across the board, we’re seeing reproductive rates are lower than we’d expect for a stable turkey population.” Read more

Wildlife

HAWKE Optics Brings Turkey-Hunting Optics to NWTF

Hawke® Optics, a worldwide leader in quality sporting optics that perform outstanding in the field while maintaining optimum value for the consumer, is coming to the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Convention February 15-19, 2023 (booth #2156) in Nashville, TN, and they are bringing the best turkey-hunting shotgun optics you’ll find anywhere. Hawke is set to take over the turkey hunting market and you will not want to miss it. With more turkey hunters adding an optic to their shotguns every year, now is a great time to increase your accuracy for better hunting.

“We’re excited for this year’s NWTF Convention, and for our customers to get hands-on with the best range of turkey-hunting shotgun optics available,” said Kevin Sheehan, Hawke Optics VP of Sales & Marketing. “Our new Vantage IR 1-4X20 Turkey Dot shotgun scope sets a new standard for hunting sight performance, and for hunters looking for something else, we have the Reflex Circle Dot Wide-View sight and the 1x Prism Red Dot sight. Regardless of what style of sight you want for your turkey gun, we have you completely covered.”

The new Vantage IR 1-4×20 Turkey Dot scope was designed from the ground up to be the ultimate turkey scope. It uses Hawke’s new Turkey Dot IR reticle for extremely fast target acquisition. Being a multi-power scope, you can use it on 1x for reflex shooting when the bird is in close. However, you also can zoom in at longer distances with up to 4X magnification. The 4 MOA illuminated center dot is surrounded by a circle that measures 10 inches at 25 yards, when on 1x magnification. The floating non-illuminated posts at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock give additional guides and level confirmation for improved accuracy and rapid target identification. Read more

Optics

HatsanUSA High-Powered .62 Caliber PileDriver

Rogers, AR – HatsanUSA® is proud to announce its largest airgun – the .62 caliber PileDriver. The PileDriver is designed exclusively for high-powered hunting applications. Capable of producing over 700 ft-lbs. of kinetic energy in .62 caliber, it is also available in .45 and .50 caliber models. Although this rifle utilizes a 33-inch barrel, its bullpup design keeps the maximum length under 4 ft. The side-lever cocking mechanism is easy to reach and operate.

A 480 cc carbon fiber bottle fills to 4350 PSI and will provide up to 6 high-powered shots on a single fill. A built-in pressure gauge aids in monitoring pressure in the cylinder, and a quick-fill nozzle allows easy refilling. The PileDriver’s unique, patented hammer design eliminates traditional steel coil springs in favor of a smoother, easier-to-cock, gas piston mechanism. This top-loading single-shot rifle also features an extra-large loading port that will accommodate ammo up to 34mm in length.

The rifle’s 14-inch-long scope rail is cut to accept both picatinny and 11 mm dovetail mounts, offering plenty of real estate for various optics. Three picatinny accessory rails are attached around the air bottle for added customization. The high-strength steel barrel is precision rifled for long-range accuracy, and the absence of a shroud allows for sabot rounds, further expanding one’s ammunition options. The fully adjustable 2-stage Quattro trigger is another customizable feature the .62 Caliber PileDriver offers. The receiver is anodized in black, and a manual safety is included. Read more

Firearms

NSSF Files to Block Enforcement of Illinois Gun & Magazine Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block state authorities from enforcing HB 5471, the recently-enacted “Protect Illinois Communities Act,” which bans the sale of several hundred of the most commonly-owned semiautomatic rifles in America, including all rifles on the very popular Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) platform. That same law also bans the possession of standard-capacity magazines and certain models of semiautomatic handguns. This unconstitutional law unquestionably violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Illinois citizens and the state should be enjoined immediately from enforcing it.

“NSSF filed this motion for a preliminary injunction because every day this unconstitutional law is on the books, law-abiding citizens are being denied their right to keep and bear arms of their choosing for self-defense and other lawful purposes,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This ban on MSRs and other commonly-owned rifles, standard-capacity magazines and certain handguns was passed in open defiance of the Supreme Court’s Bruen and Heller decisions. The Second Amendment protects the right of a citizen to freely approach a gun counter to legally purchase commonly-owned firearms, unless, as the Supreme Court held in Bruen, the state can prove its law is part of a historic, national tradition and heritage of banning such arms – something the state obviously cannot do.” Read more

Gun Control
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