Vermont Nesting Loons Have a Record Year

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont’s loons are thriving with a record 109 nesting pairs recorded in 2021, the highest since loon monitoring began in 1978, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE).

“Across Vermont, 77 loon nests produced 125 chicks this year, and 84 of those chicks survived through August,” said VCE wildlife biologist Eric Hanson.

VCE leads the Vermont Loon Conservation Project in partnership with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

“We are very grateful to Eric Hanson and the many volunteers who help monitor Vermont’s nesting loons,” said Fish and Wildlife’s bird biologist Doug Morin. “The loon has been the flagship species of our nongame work ever since the nongame tax checkoff and conservation license plate programs have been helping to fund these efforts.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: two important upcoming DNR meetings to be held next week in Mackinac County

Meetings of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Council and the Wolf Management Advisory Council will be held on consecutive days next week.

The Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Council will meet from 6 to 8:30 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 6 at the Little Bear East Arena, 275 Marquette Street in St. Ignace.

Among its agenda items, the council is scheduled to receive updates on the recent firearm deer hunting season, state park statistics, deer wintering complex treatment planning efforts, DNR Wolf Management Advisory Council activity and projections for the upcoming snowmobile season.

In accordance with local health department recommendations, participants are strongly encouraged to wear masks. If you are feeling ill, please do not attend.

For public comment instructions or additional details please, contact Kristi Dahlstrom at dahlstromk@michigan.gov or 906-226-1331. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

DWR and partners launch first desert bighorn sheep nursery in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is partnering with Young Living to create the first “nursery” for desert bighorn sheep in Utah in an effort to help grow the species’ population in the state.

The new desert bighorn sheep nursery will be located on roughly 1,800 acres of private property — the SkyRider Wilderness Ranch — owned and managed by Young Living in Hanna, Duchesne County. The area provides a water source and good habitat for bighorn sheep, and it is properly fenced to prevent them from wandering off the property.

While Antelope Island has served as a nursery herd for several years for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, this will be the first nursery area for desert bighorns in the state.

“We are really excited about this area and the opportunity it will provide to grow our desert bighorn populations in Utah,” DWR Once-In-A-Lifetime Species Coordinator Riley Peck said. “There have been some disease issues with our bighorn sheep populations in the past, and this fenced area will provide a place for our herds to safely grow. This nursery herd allows us to have long-term viability of desert bighorn sheep in Utah. Whenever we have a need to supplement or create new populations in the state, we will have our own internal bighorn sheep population and can be self-sufficient in maintaining healthy herds. The benefit of this nursery area cannot be overstated.” Read more

Wildlife

TriStar Arms Bristol Side by Side Available in 16 Gauge

TriStar Arms is known for bringing high-value, quality firearms to market at affordable prices. A year ago that talent was expressed with the Bristol side-by-side shotguns which offer the traditional elegance and functionality of a classic side-by-side shotgun at an achievable price that doesn’t deter field use.

Now the beautiful English-stocked, color case-hardened model and the gold-adorned, laser-engraved Silver model are available in a fifth gauge. Like the rest of the Bristol line, the16 gauge model is on a true-to-gauge receiver. The new 16ga models include the same features as the rest of the line: Read more

Firearms

Humminbird Introduces Innovative Ice Shuttle as Part of the New Lineup of ICE HELIX Fish Finders

RACINE, Wis.–– Humminbird has elevated its already best-in-class ICE HELIX lineup with even more intuitive Humminbird technology and a brand-new premium ice shuttle design, available on the all-new ICE HELIX 7 G4 and ICE HELIX 9 G4N models.

“The Humminbird ICE Shuttle was completely redesigned to create the best ice fishing experience possible,” said Humminbird Brand Manager Matt Cook. “The design was based on the experience and input from many accomplished ice anglers and guides, and the end result is a shuttle that is loaded with features and custom options for anglers to make the ICE HELIX their own.”

Additionally, the new ICE HELIX 7 G4 delivers an upgraded HD display, extended runtime, and the new Humminbird ICE Shuttle, along with industry-leading CHIRP sonar, Interference Rejection and built-in GPS and mapping capabilities.

Humminbird Ice Shuttle

The new Humminbird ICE Shuttle will help anglers keep gear and equipment within arm’s reach, while providing a platform that can be customized to how they fish.

  • Master Power Switch: Easily turn power on and off, without disconnecting the battery.
  • Quick-Connect SAE Power Cables: Power your ICE HELIX and optional accessories using quick-disconnect leads and charge the battery without removing any connections.
  • Large Carry Handle: The large handle is designed for easy carry, even while wearing winter gloves easy.
  • Modular Design: With multiple 1?4″-20 mounting points, you can customize the shuttle with the accessories you need, right where you need them.
  • Dual Rod Holders: Keep your rods organized and secure while on the ice, in transport or storage.
  • Transducer Cup: The moveable transducer cup also provides cable management to dial in cable length for varying ice thickness and fishing scenarios.
  • Battery Protection: Keep your battery secure and out of the elements.
  • Compatible with HELIX 7, 8, 9, and 10 CHIRP models
    • Included on all ICE HELIX G4/G4N models

Humminbird ICE HELIX 7 G4

The new ICE HELIX 7 G4 models now include the new Humminbird ICE Shuttle, a 15Ah Norsk lithium battery, and a higher resolution HD display (1024 x 600).

Cook mentions, “The ICE HELIX 7 G4 The ICE HELIX 7 G4 is a powerful fish finder in a popular screen size. And when the ice melts, the All Season model includes everything you need to use it on a boat.” Read more

Fishing

Michigan: late archery deer hunting

GW:  I’ll just wait a few days so that I can use my .450 Bushmaster in the Muzzleloading season.  And, following that, the late-antlerless season begins and runs through January 1st, 2022.  Same firearm then, too.

The late archery deer hunting season is open through Jan. 1. Valid licenses for this season include a deer hunting license, a deer combo license or an antlerless deer hunting license. Hunters in the Upper Peninsula may not use a crossbow during the late archery season unless hunting in the Chronic Wasting Disease Core Area or possessing a special permit to hunt with a modified bow.

Urban deer management archery season

The urban deer management archery season will be open Jan 1-31 in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. Licenses for this season include a deer hunting license, a deer combo license or an antlerless deer hunting license. All rules and regulations for the archery season apply.

Hunters should check local ordinances in the communities they are interested in hunting to make sure hunting is allowed and to see whether only specific areas are open for the extended season. State game and wildlife areas in all three counties are open to hunting during this extended season.

Archery, Hunting

FPC Responds to Ninth Circuit Decision Upholding California’s Magazine Ban

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) has issued the following statement in response to today’s misguided Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Duncan v. Bonta, which held that California’s law banning so-called “large capacity magazines” (those that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition) is permissible under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, Takings Clause, and Due Process Clause:

Today’s misguided decision makes it crystal clear that the Ninth Circuit will not respect the Constitution until the Supreme Court requires it to. Rather than following the binding Supreme Court’s D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago opinions, the Court of Appeals again used legal gamesmanship to avoid the constitutionally required result just as it has for over a decade. Read more

Firearms, Gun Control

Gun Talk Media Announces High-Cap Christmas Giveaway

Mandeville, LA – Gun Talk Media is pleased to announce the details of their High-Cap Christmas Giveaway, offering entrants fourteen days of different prizes, ranging from ammo to handguns to rifles to optics, and everything in between.

Starting Wednesday, December 1st and continuing until Tuesday, December 14th, a new prize or prizes will be released daily, with the winner or winners being chosen from entrants on that day only. Entrants can sign up daily for the opportunity to win one of 23 different prizes. All of the information, including which prize is on which day and how to enter, can be found at https://www.guntalk.com/win. Read more

Firearms, Optics

Knives Live 2021: A 24 Hour YouTube Marathon Benefitting Knife Rights

Gilbert, AZ –Starting at 6:00 PM Eastern on Friday, December 3rd, a 24 hour marathon is being held on YouTube to support Knife Rights.

Knife Rights Founder and Chairman Doug Ritter said, “Knife Rights is honored that all these YouTube knife community influencers have joined together to help Knife Rights. Thanks so much to all involved. Together we will continue to Rewrite Knife Law in America, forging a Sharper Future for all Americans.”

These channels will be having epic giveaways for the entire 24 hours! Culminating with a slew of Grand Prize drawings including any in-stock Doug Ritter Full-size or Mini-RSK Mk1-G2 Folder of the winner’s choice! (donated by Knifeworks) Grand Prizes to be drawn from all who donate a minimum of $10 or join Knife Rights by December 8th. Full Details on how to enter the Grand Prize Drawing at: https://kniferights.org/knives-live-2021/

Doug Ritter will be LIVE with Christine on Women Carry Knives at 2:00 PM Eastern on Saturday, Dec. 4th. Read more

Cutlery

Background Checks Top 687,000 During Black Friday ‘Week’

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the firearm industry trade association, revealed that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) processed 687,788 background checks during the week leading up to and including Black Friday. FBI’s NICS recorded 187,585 on Black Friday alone, ranking it among the Top 10 Highest Days for NICS checks and a .50 percent increase from Black Friday 2020 (186,645). The NICS checks are unadjusted, representing raw data from the FBI and are inclusive of all background checks related to firearms.

NSSF has worked with firearm retailers to spread out special sales offers to customers throughout the week leading up to Black Friday so as not to overwhelm FBI NICS on Black Friday which can result in longer than normal wait times.

“This figure of over 687,000 background checks is truly remarkable,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “This year has already been shaping up to be the second strongest year for firearm sales on record, second only to 2020’s record-breaking number of 21 million background checks for a firearm sale. We anticipate, based on annual data, that firearm sales will rise during the final month of the year coinciding with hunting seasons and holiday sales. This figure, though, underscores the appetite for lawful firearm ownership in America and the resilience of the firearm and ammunition industry to meet that demand.”

Below are the breakout tables for each day of unadjusted FBI NICS background checks and The Top 10 Highest Days of FBI Background Checks. Read more

Firearms
1 … 557 558 559 560 561 … 1,907