SAF Condemns ACLU Tweet After Rittenhouse Verdict

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today condemned the American Civil Liberties Union for what it called a “deplorable reaction” to the not guilty verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse by a jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Following the verdict, the ACLU posted this message via Twitter: “Despite Kyle Rittenhouse’s conscious decision to travel across state lines and injure one person and take the lives of two people protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake by police, he was not held responsible for his actions.”

SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb was stunned at the ACLU’s reaction.

“While the ACLU should have been complaining about the conduct of prosecutors in the Rittenhouse case,” Gottlieb stated, “the organization instead is calling Rittenhouse a deliberate killer, perpetuating the myth that he deliberately crossed state lines to kill people. It is shocking for the ACLU, which has a long record of defending the rights of individuals against government prosecution to make such an outrageous statement.

“Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted by a jury of seven women and five men for defending himself against multiple attackers in the middle of a riot,” Gottlieb continued. “By being tried in court, he essentially was being held responsible for his actions, which the jury’s verdict clearly indicates were justified under the circumstances.

“We saw the same video evidence everyone else did,” he added. “Any reasonable person who viewed the videos and heard the testimony would easily conclude Kyle Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.” Read more

Self Defense

Michigan’s Wolf Management Update

The November Wolf Management Advisory Council meeting consisted of recommendations to the 2015 Wolf Management plan. Check out MUCC’s recap of the meeting here.

The council is scheduled to meet again on December 7 at the Little Bear East Arena in St. Ignace. DNR Law Enforcement Divison is expected to present before the council.

The wolf attitude survey is wrapping up, and survey researchers are expected to present on the results of the survey at the January meeting.

Hunting, Wildlife

New and Improved Primos Custom Mill Shop Now Taking Orders

Primos Hunting, a pioneer in game calls and hunting accessories, has recently launched updates to its Custom Mill Products online store, which allows customers to create their own unique box calls, pot calls, owl calls, grunt calls, euro mount plaques and more.

The new site improves customer experience for easier customization and streamlined ordering with one convenient checkout. Customers can easily build multiple custom mill products with personalized messages for each product. They can even add a custom product to their cart while shopping for Primos’ top rated ground blinds and shooting sticks.

In addition to the updated website design, the Custom Mill Products shop has added a new custom owl call and new scene engraving options for the custom boot pullers, pot calls and box calls. All Primos Custom Mill Products are handcrafted in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

“We’re excited to keep building on the success of the Custom Mill Products lineup right in time for the holidays,” said Jason Harris, Director of Marketing and Product Management at Primos Hunting. “Primos Custom Mill Products really speak to the heart of all Primos Hunting gear – craftsmanship, attention to detail and one-of-a-kind memories in the outdoors.” Read more

Hunting

Court Agrees Wisconsin DNR Infringed on Wisconsin Hunters Constitutional Rights

Kansas City, Mo. – A Jefferson County Court agreed with Hunter Nation today by ruling that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) infringed on Wisconsin’s hunters right to hunt by delaying Wisconsin’s statutorily required wolf hunt. The permanent injunction granted to Hunter Nation against the DNR means the agency must follow the law when it comes to administering a wolf hunt in Wisconsin.

In a historic ruling, the judge agreed with Hunter Nation’s argument that Wisconsin’s hunters constitutional right to hunt had been infringed upon.

“This is a historic day for Wisconsin’s hunters and for everyone who supports our constitutional rights,” said Hunter Nation President and CEO, Luke Hilgemann. “This ruling means that no rogue government agency, no anti-hunting special interest groups, and no politician can infringe on our constitutionally guaranteed right to hunt. Thanks to Hunter Nation’s efforts in court, we can be sure that our hunting heritage can be secured for generations to come.”

Hunting

Bond Arms’ Backup

Granbury, TX – Bond Arms builds the smallest, most powerful personal protection pistols in the firearms industry. The Texas gun maker loaded the Backup, its powerful yet ultra-compact derringer, with concealability and personal defense features that have quickly made it one of the company’s best-selling models.

There are many reasons why the Backup is the perfect choice for a secondary weapon. The Backup weighs only 19-ounces and is a mere 4.5-inches long—ideal for all-day carrying comfort. Its 2.5-inch barrels shortens the overall length for ultra-concealability.

Bond Arms listened to their customers’ request for a concealed carry gun that doesn’t draw attention. To accomplish this, they first bead-blasted all exposed stainless parts, including the barrels, trigger, trigger guard, and hammer, creating a discrete matte finish. Next, they added a black crinkle powder coating on the frame, further muting the pistol’s appearance. Bond installed an upgraded black rubber grip that matches the frame, improves control, and indexes the gun perfectly in the shooter’s palm. Finally, Bond Arms topped the pistol with a durable and reliable front blade and a fixed rear sight for rapid target acquisition.

The Backup is chambered for one of two popular cartridges—9mm and .45ACP—offering ammo compatibility between a primary weapon and the Backup; both cartridges have the stopping power necessary to neutralize a threat. Read more

Firearms

Michigan: Van Buren County suspect charged in poaching of nine trophy bucks

Police investigating an October domestic violence complaint discovered nine poached bucks in a barn located in Decatur.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers determined the illegal, trophy deer belonged to a previously convicted felon who is suspected of driving his truck through fields, shining and shooting deer.

Justin Ernst, 33, Decatur, faces up to $59,500 in reimbursement to the state if convicted of the more than one dozen violations he was charged with. He was arraigned Nov. 9 in 7th District Court in Paw Paw.

Ernst has a prior DNR conviction from 2018 for illegally taking or possessing whitetail deer. Previous felony charges on record for Ernst include possession of methamphetamine or ecstacy, third-degree fleeing a police officer and third offense (felony) operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor.

“It’s a shame that this criminal ruined the chance for ethical, legal hunters to have their opportunity to take one of these trophy deer,” said Lt. Gerald Thayer, of the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division. “Not only did this felon steal from the natural resource, he also damaged agriculture crops, and has been doing so for some time. The financial penalty is the minimum he should serve.”

The 15 DNR charges pending against Ernst include:

  • Two counts of firearm possession by a felon.
  • Two felony firearms violations.
  • One count of hunting with a revoked hunting license.
  • One count of applying for, or obtaining, a hunting license when ineligible.
  • Nine counts of taking game illegally.

Read more

Poachers

An Arctic Ambassador

A beautiful portrait of a richly colored Rough-legged Hawk was possible due to the trusting nature of the raptor while the photographer positioned between the sun and hawk.

After 3 days of rain, snow, and intense wind, as the sun tried to break through the light veil of clouds I was interested in what might have ‘blown in’ on the windless Sunday afternoon. Just a half-mile south of my office, even before reaching ice-covered Melody’s Marsh I could see a hawk perched atop a lone cottonwood along the road – likely a Rough-legged Hawk fresh from the Arctic. You never know how a bird will react as you approach it, but this colorful raptor’s attention was focused in the opposite direction, so I slipped into the best location to take advantage of the afternoon sunlight, which was filtered by an ever-changing veil of light clouds.

This Arctic hawk proved to be one of those remarkable birds we all hope for when we encounter a bird with photographic potential – an individual that I like to call a “species ambassador” – a bird that allows you to spend time with it and photograph at will, as though you were invisible. In reality though, the hawk was accepting a white van with a zoom lens poking out of an open window. The van was obviously larger than a person, but less concerning than me standing in the same position.

After catching a rodent and feeding on it, the Rough-legged ruffled its feathers when it returned to its preferred perch.

Read more

Wildlife

What Birds Can You Expect This Winter?

Northern Cardinals are one of the most common and most popular seed-eating birds (photo by Paul Konrad).
White-winged Crossbills would be a great addition to any birder’s feeding station or evergreen trees.

Anticipation – we find ourselves thinking about what birds we can expect as the season progresses toward winter, and what kinds of birds we can hope to attract. For any birders, the answer is a product of geography, the winter range of the species in question, and having the right stuff – a variety of foods and water. Foods include a quality seed mix that emphasizes black oil sunflower seeds, a tube feeder filled with nyjer thistle seeds, suet, peanuts and other nuts, and in some areas where hummingbirds overwinter, a nectar feeder. But what birds can you really expect?

A great way to get an understanding of what birds might filter into your feeding station is to refer to the information analyzed and provided by FeederWatch, where you can find out the Top 25 species that traditionally visit feeders in your state or province (see the link below). That’s one of the many ways FeederWatch has contributed to our understanding of winter bird populations and monitored variations in annual bird movements, migrations, and irruptions.

You can also check your “region” out for the Top 25, but that information will be less accurate than the state or province list due to the much larger expanse of land included. Even the state list will probably surprise you with some birds that are not on your radar due to variations in habitat types and geography within a state. But it’s a great place to glean a little more information, and maybe even to contribute your own feeder visitor counts as a FeederWatch participant.

Check out your Top 25 lists at Top 25 Feeder Birds (feederwatch.org) Read more

Wildlife

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission allocates $500,000 for Kaycee to Buffalo wildlife crossing project

RIVERTON — The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met in Riverton this week for their last meeting of 2021. Concluding a big year for wildlife management, the Commission allocated $500,000 to the Kaycee to Buffalo wildlife crossing initiative on Interstate 25, which fully-funds the $3.8 million dollar project. The planned fencing and underpasses will reduce accidents with mule deer and white-tailed deer on a 15-mile stretch of road. Support came from 17 different funding sources, including partners, local government and donations from the public.

Wildlife

X-Vision Optics Rangefinding Binoculars

The X-Vision Optics 10×42 Rangefinding Binoculars boast a true range finding distance of 2200 yards. With four different ranging modes and its OLED display, even the harshest of landscapes and weather conditions won’t stop you from getting an accurate and clear reading.

Our X-Vision Optics RB1042 Rangefinding Binoculars provides the distance data needed to get the job done. It has 10x magnification for precise readings to your target whether you’re hunting, golfing, or using for recreational purposes. The extremely effective RB1042 has an angle measurement range of +/- 90 degrees that is accurate within 0.5 degree. Read more

Optics
1 … 570 571 572 573 574 … 1,916