Buck Knives Offers EDC Options

POST FALLS, ID— More and more Americans are finding reasons to own an EDC knife—and be better prepared in today’s unpredictable world. These knives are the ones that fit into a pocket along with car keys, cellphone, a small flashlight, wallet—and possibly a concealed carry firearm.

There are choices when selecting the best EDC knife. You need to determine what the knife will be most often used for, how long the blade and handle should be, your budget, and how the knife feels in your hand. Many EDC knife owners also prefer a knife with a pocket clip and textured handle that aids with grip. Additionally, some knife owners and users seek the perfect knife with thumbstuds on the blade or possibly a push-button deploy assist feature. Automatic opening knives are also available. Blade style and material, plus the shape and materials used in construction of the handle, all add to the performance of the knife. Read more

Cutlery

Brownells Invites Freedom Lovers to Celebrate Second Annual 2A Day

GRINNELL, Iowa — Brownells invites freedom loving people all across the United States to celebrate, advocate and join in the rights and liberties guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights during the second annual 2A Day on 2-22-23

Smith & Wesson is the co-presenting sponsor for 2A Day 2023. Other sponsors include CCI, Federal, Fiocchi, Henry Repeating Arms, SIG Sauer, Remington and Winchester.

2A Day offers three ways for participants to engage with their uniquely American Second Amendment rights. Read more

General

CMP Acquires Surplus Ammunition, Plans Sales in Coming Months

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of .30 carbine, .22 pistol, M2 ball, and .22 Long Rifle surplus ammunition supply that will soon become available to CMP customers. Currently, the items are in the cataloging and assessment stage by staff members.

“The CMP plans to make the ammunition available to our loyal constituents sometime this spring, after the surplus ammo goes through all CMP in-processing procedures,” said Mark Johnson, CMP’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of Civilian Marksmanship. “Purchase limits and restrictions will be set to ensure that the mission of CMP is well served.”

The CMP intends on maintaining a surplus ammo inventory large enough to support CMP Matches for the next several years and to provide discounted surplus ammo to competitors attending CMP events. All sales will include set limits to remain in compliance with guidelines specified in the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of the Army and the CMP. Read more

Ammunition

Deteriorating ice may prompt early shanty removal

Feb. 10, 2023
Contact: Acting Lt. Jeff Rabbers, 269-207-6976

Anglers taking advantage of winter ice fishing should keep a close watch on ice conditions, as unseasonable weather may prompt shanty removal prior to the seasonal dates required by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

“Throughout most of the Lower Peninsula, Mother Nature unfortunately didn’t cooperate with us this year,” said acting Lt. Jeff Rabbers, DNR Law Enforcement Division. “As disappointing as it is that many anglers must cut their season short, safety is the DNR’s main priority. We want to make sure that everyone has ample opportunity to remove their shanties before conditions become unsafe.”

People venturing onto ice should use extreme caution as temperatures begin to rise or fluctuate. The repeated thawing and refreezing of ice weakens its strength, decreasing its ability to support the additional weight of people, snowmobiles, ORVs and shanties. Deteriorating ice, water currents and high winds increase the probability of pressure cracks, which can leave anglers and others stranded on ice floes or at risk of falling through the ice.

Shanty owners whose structures fall through the ice are subject to penalties of up to 30 days in jail, fines up to $500, or both. If a shanty is removed by a government agency, the court can require the owner to reimburse that agency for up to three times the cost of removal.

Learn more at Michigan.gov/IceSafety.

Removal dates

Daily use of ice shanties is permitted anywhere in Michigan if ice conditions allow and if the shanties are removed from the ice at the end of each day.

Seasonal removal dates begin with Lake St. Clair, located northeast of Detroit. This year, shanties must be removed from Lake St. Clair before sunset , Feb. 26. Read more

Fishing

Upland Hunting Deepens Connection to Conservation

By Tera Baird

A covey of bobwhite quail taking to the wing is an unforgettable sight. The sound, startling and chaotic. Add a German Shorthaired Pointer named Rhett locked up like a stone staring nervously into hummocks of switch grass, followed by the dull report of a Baretta O/U .20 gauge on my shoulder, and it all makes for a treasured experience. And a pivot point in one’s trajectory.

I am a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Southeast. I have spent most of my career as a non-game biologist, and I was raised in a family that doesn’t hunt. So I’ve always felt a bit outside the realm of the hunting world. That changed when I had the opportunity develop further as a professional and participate in Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (CLfT) at Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia. The center is named after the renowned outdoor writer and the first director of Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The workshop, sponsored by the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, is an intensive five-day hunting awareness and conservation education program designed for natural resource professionals who didn’t come into the profession through the portal of hunting. The workshop aims to give natural resource professionals a hunting immersion and encourages participants to explore and discuss the past and future roles of hunting in wildlife management. The goal isn’t to create new hunters but to foster a connection to a constituency we serve and provide that context for future natural resource leaders. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Universal Scope Rings introduced by Versaring

The number one returned item in the industry finally has a solution. Versaring has developed scope rings that guarantee a correct height. Never again will you need to guess when selecting the right height for your gun and scope combination. These universal designs have created a new era in the scope ring category.

Absolutely every detail of these 3 styles has been meticulously designed and tested over a two-and-a-half-year period. Versaring paid attention to every detail. Even the selection of screws was taken to extremes. The process of finding the strongest fasteners possible spanned nine months resulting in increased strength by almost one hundred percent making them the toughest in the category. The high tolerance machining ensures constant contact around the scope perimeter. The additional thread count in every tapped hole produces an incredible grip. The aircraft aluminum guarantees a strong & lasting product backed with a lifetime warranty.

The patent pending innovation comes from the ability for the scope rings to change configurations within its design. These 3 designs vary in look and concept to cover a wide range of applications. They can be used for everything from the shooter that likes sending long range bombs to tight cover with point and shoot scenarios. Versaring produced vertical split, horizontal split, and hinge scope rings. The variety of special features will accommodate any requirement. All designs come in 1” and 30 mm with a matte black finish. Versaring has simplified optics mounting. To learn more visit our website at www.versa-ring.com .

Optics

Yamaha Fulfills $500,000 Pledge in Outdoor Access Initiative Grants

Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative’s 2022 Q4 Grants Fund Large-Scale Riding Area Clean Up and Essential Trail Maintenance Projects Protecting Access to Land for Motorized Recreation

MARIETTA, GA – Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, today announces the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI) contributed more than $500,000 in grant awards for 2022, satisfying a commitment made in honor of National Public Lands Day. The final funding cycle for 2022 in the fourth quarter provided meaningful support to a wide variety of projects – from California desert cleanup and state-wide riding trail maintenance in Washington to multiuse bridges and trail resurfacing – making public lands sustainably accessible for motorized and outdoor recreation.

“The response from the outdoor community to our call for quality projects the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative can fund is the reason we were able to fulfill our 2022 pledge. While half a million dollars will make a significant impact, we know there are more opportunities out there in need of support,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s motorsports marketing manager. “In 2023, our commitment is unchanged as we continue to invite and welcome partnerships with land managers, riders, land stewards, and anyone who relies on public land for outdoor recreation. Together we will work to protect, defend, and improve access everyone can enjoy for years to come.” Read more

General

21 communities to share $14.2 million in Michigan Spark Grants

The DNR received more than 460 applications for the dedicated American Rescue Plan Act funding

Nearly three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost two dozen of the hardest-hit Michigan communities are benefiting from $14,178,900 in Michigan Spark Grants funding – a big boost toward creating, renovating or redeveloping public recreation opportunities for residents and visitors.

“Every Michigander in every community deserves access to the great outdoors to connect with nature, exercise, and spend time with friends and family,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These Spark Grants will fund a variety of public recreation projects across our state, including accessible trails at a Flint park, a rebuilt splash pad in Muskegon, and new bike racks, picnic tables and benches at a park in Sault Ste. Marie.

“Under the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan that I signed last year, we made the largest one-time investment ever in our state and local parks,” Whitmer said. “Now, we’re delivering those resources to move dirt and make a real difference in people’s lives while supporting good-paying jobs along the way.”

Open grant awards list 

Michigan Spark Grants, administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, offer the DNR a chance to reach people in communities whose economic opportunities and public health were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This reimagined approach activates historic support for projects that provide safe, accessible public recreation facilities and spaces to improve people’s health, introduce new recreation experiences, build on existing park infrastructure and make it easier for people to enjoy the outdoors.

Two key ways these grants differ from the department’s existing recreation grant programs are that applicants can seek up to $1 million for a single project and there is no 25% match requirement.

In total, the DNR considered 462 applications requesting more than $280 million – figures that far eclipsed what the department is used to. In comparison, the DNR’s top three recreation grant programs – the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Recreation Passport and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund – usually field a collective ask of around 150 applications seeking between $50 million and $60 million annually.

“The response was more than we could have imagined,” said acting DNR Director Shannon Lott. “Clearly, the Michigan Spark Grants opportunity and outreach have tapped into a critical need in many areas of the state, and we are proud to deliver support that will help create and restore the quality public recreation resources that we know can improve public health, anchor communities and strengthen a sense of place.”

Some of the funded projects in this round include:

  • $1 million to rehabilitate the St. John Street Neighborhood Memorial Park along the Flint River, in Genesee County, through improved and accessible trails, parking and a kayak/canoe launch, plus a new playground.
  • $716,600 to revitalize Alford Park in Sault Ste. Marie, in Chippewa County, with the addition of accessible pedestrian paths and amenities such as bike racks, picnic tables and benches.
  • $475,000 for replacement of the aging boardwalk at the Covert Park Beach and Campground, located along the Lake Michigan shore in Van Buren County.
  • $393,000 to renovate the Marlette Community Park, in Sanilac County, with an accessible walking trail and playground equipment and updated pavilions.
  • $250,000 to rebuild the city of Muskegon’s existing community splash pad, in Muskegon County. Read more
Wildlife

Rare Michigan Ecosystem Restoration Underway

Hunter-driven grant provides critical funding for pine-barren restoration in NWTF’s Huron-Manistee Focal Landscape.

Pine barrens and pine-oak barrens occur throughout the East and Midwest and are what they sound like, landscapes filled with pine and oak species that are barren for agricultural production. They are characterized by their sandy, acidic soils that hardly retain moisture – terrible for growing most food crops but a haven for wildlife, including wild turkeys, and are one of the rarest ecosystems in Michigan’s Great Lakes Regions.

With their low-growing grassy species, interspersed with mature mast-producing species such as oak, barren ecosystems provide a diversity of habitat for wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and even non-game species like Kirtlands’s warbler, a recently delisted endangered species that relies heavily upon pine barren ecosystems. However, the presence of these rare communities on the landscape is not what it used to be.

“Due to increases in human development, suppression of naturally occurring wildfire and fragmentation of the landscape, we have seen a decline in the abundance and quality of these habitats,” said Ryan Boyer, NWTF district biologist for Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. “We are also losing many of the forested wildlife openings once found within Michigan’s northern forests due to changes with succession tied to a lack of disturbance, as well as an influx of invasive species which out-compete native plants.

(NWTF Staff Photo.)

Ultimately, these factors reduce the quality of these habitat types for many wildlife species.”

While these essential landscapes are increasingly rare, the NWTF is currently working to revitalize oak and pine barren ecosystems back to their former glory throughout Michigan, thanks to a generous $277,000 grant from the MDNR via its Wildlife Habitat Grant Program. Read more

Wildlife

Starting  March 1 , residents will pay $13 for Recreation Passport

Feb. 10, 2023

Passport gives year-round vehicle access to state parks and other outdoor recreation, and an easy way to help protect natural resources for generations

Packing up for a camping trip. Fishing from your favorite pier. Parking the car, ready to enjoy thousands of miles of motorized and nonmotorized trails or drop your boat in the water …

Those are just a few outdoor amenities and experiences that start with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ valued-packed Recreation Passport, which gives year-round vehicle access to 100-plus state parks and recreation areas, more than 1,000 state-managed boating access sites, 140-plus state forest campgrounds, and parking at thousands of miles of trails and other outdoor spaces.

Next month, people will see a slight increase in the cost of a Recreation Passport, but at just over a dollar per month it is still the best recreation deal around. Effective , the Recreation Passport resident vehicle fee increases from $12 to $13 (and from $6 to $7 for motorcycles) – the first such increase since 2020. Read more

Wildlife
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