Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
DNR shares 2020 deer hunting preview, regional outlook
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has released its annual deer hunting preview just ahead of the 2020 seasons, opening with this weekend’s Liberty Hunt (Sept. 12-13) for youth and hunters with disabilities. Overall, conditions are looking excellent for the upcoming seasons, and hunters can expect conditions that meet or exceed 2019. Read more
Changes near Homestead Dam on Betsie River in effect for 2020 fall salmon run
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission today adopted regulation changes to Fisheries Order 204 – in effect starting Friday, Sept. 11, and for the remainder of the 2020 fall salmon run – that closes the Betsie River Homestead Dam in Benzie County to fishing within 300 feet of the lamprey barrier and fish passage facility from Aug. 1 to Nov. 15. Read more
Making boats electric is inherently difficult. A 7,5m long planing recreational boat consumes 12-18 times more fuel than a family car. At the same time, one kg of gasoline contains ~15 times more usable energy than one kg of the most compact batteries. Because of this, electric boats are not viewed as a viable alternative to combustion engine boats. Existing models are slow or have a very limited range. The current market for electric boats is consequently small, estimated to be less than 1%. The energy equation must be solved.
Since 2015, the team behind Candela Speed Boat AB is determined to find ways to make electric boats with both range and speed. The team consist of some of the leading experts in their respective fields with backgrounds from Eurocopter (structural composite engineering), Saab Gripen (flight control electronics), Artemis and Oracle racing (America’s Cup, hydrodynamics), Scania (transmission & hydraulics) and the Technical University of Denmark (dynamic modelling and software algorithms). In addition, the company is managed by people with many years of senior management and CEO-level experience from both start-ups and large global corporations.
At the end of 2016, a full-scale prototype was launched and, after some fine tuning, the target of more than 50 nautical miles per charge in 20 knots was reached! That has never been achieved by an electric pleasure boat before. The journey up until this point can be seen here.
The achieved range is ~4 times higher than the best electric boats currently on the market and is close to or on par with combustion engine boats of the same size. Read more
BirdCast develops and maintains some remarkable tools that allow you to monitor bird migration and inform yourself about migration forecasts. Information gleaned from weather radar were essential to develop and maintain BirdCast tools. One tool provides live radar bird migration maps that show where birds are migrating in real time. Another tool maps forecasted bird migration that predicts where and when migration will take place during a given night. A third tool provides migration alerts that you can subscribe to and find out when bird migrations are forecast.
Fall migration is an exciting period for all birders, and the synchrony between weather conditions, especially wind and the movements of fronts, can be helpful in understanding and appreciating nightly bird migrations and predicting upcoming migration activities. Birders will enjoy checking in on these interesting migration maps periodically, if not nightly.
Live Bird Migration Maps: Real-time analysis maps show intensities of actual nocturnal bird migration, as detected by US weather surveillance radar network from local sunset to sunrise. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produces these live maps that you can refer to anytime online (link below).
Bird Migration Forecast Maps: Bird migration forecast maps show predicted nocturnal migration three hours after local sunset and are updated every six hours. These forecasts are created by computer models trained with the last 23 years of bird movements in the atmosphere as detected by the US NEXRAD weather surveillance radar network. In these models the Global Forecasting System (GFS) is used to predict suitable conditions for bird migration occurring three hours after local sunset. Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produce these forecasts.
Local Bird Migration Alerts: Search with the local migration alert tool to determine whether birds are passing overhead near your home tonight in low, medium, or high densities. BirdCast provides live and local bird migration alerts throughout the continental United States by employing real-time analysis of bird migration activities detected by radar.
For more about these exciting BirdCast features and other elements that are sure to enhance your interest and understanding of fall migration as its happening, see https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/
HOUSTON, TEXAS – Primary Arms Online has announced their latest giveaway for September: a fully-loaded Foxtrot Mike Products FM9 7” 9mm AR-Style Pistol. This PCC comes outfitted with top products from Primary Arms Optics, Reptilia Corp, Expo Arms, Steiner Optics, Arisaka Defense, SureFire, and Blue Force Gear. In addition, Primary Arms Online is including a bundle of range necessities from Vertx, Magpul, and Peltor, bringing the total value of the ‘Always Prepared’ Giveaway to over $3,800.
The setup starts with a special Foxtrot Mike Products Tri Lug AR Pistol with SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace. Included is the new Primary Arms Optics SLx® MD-25 Microdot on a Reptilia Corp 1.93” DOT Mount, giving it an elevated ‘heads-up’ position to supplement the MD-25’s larger window diameter. This kit goes beyond simple night vision compatibility with a suite of IR-centric illumination tools, including a Steiner DBAL-A3 Aiming Laser, a SureFire KM1 M300V head, and a Reptilia Corp TORCH M-LOK Light body with a SureFire Waterproof Dual Switch assembly. To complete the giveaway, Primary Arms Online includes a Blue Force Gear Vickers 221 Sling, an Expo Arms M-LOK QD Sling mount, and an Arisaka Defense M-LOK indexer.
This package also includes 5x 33-round Glock Magazines, a Vertx Gamut Checkpoint Backpack, Peltor Sport Tactical 500 Electronic Hearing Protection, and Magpul Terrain Polarized shooting glasses. Altogether, this setup is valued at $3,814.86, but you have a chance to win this kit absolutely free. To enter the giveaway, just visit the Giveaway Landing Page or the Primary Arms Online blog article.
This giveaway will run through the end of September, and a winner will be announced on Primary Arms Online social media in early October. No purchase necessary. Full Terms and Conditions available on the Giveaway landing page. Read more
Can Presidents Ignore the Bill of Rights?
Biden Plans “Psych” Test for Gun Ownership.
All existing arms in private hands will be subject to confiscation.
A plain reading—not “analysis”—of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s gun bill, now in both houses of Congress, will require current and future gun owners to pass psychology and character tests to continue owning the firearms they already legally possess. When asked, legal experts have been unable to describe how this would be legal, Biden has not commented. America has 100 million gun owners by most estimates. That has grown dramatically by sales to people terrified amidst urban rioting, who can’t get police protection, during the corona-virus pandemic.
The first line of the identical bills, HR5717 and S3254, requires a federal license for any American to legally “purchase, acquire, or possess a firearm or ammunition.” This is de facto infringement.
To obtain this license you would need to prove to unelected officials that you are of “sound mind and character,” you do not “potentially create a risk to public safety,” and you meet “any other requirements the State determines relevant.” No standards or guidelines are provided. Assuming anyone could qualify, authorities, “make a determination of suitability,” for your possession and ownership of firearms, including any you currently own. Orthodox Rabbi Raziel Cohen, a JPFO Ambassador and certified trainer says, “This outrageous usurpation of power, and affront to the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment could never pass muster at the U.S. Supreme Court.” Read more
NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of the P220 LEGION CARRY SAO (.45 cal) to the exclusive SIG SAUER LEGION Series product line of pistols.
“The introduction of the P220 LEGION CARRY SAO is both a unique and exclusive opportunity and brings several firsts to the market for our LEGION Series pistols. Most notably this is the first introduction of both a carry size pistol and the availability of a .45 caliber for a LEGION Series pistol,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer, and Executive Vice President, SIG SAUER, Inc. “Additionally, this is a rare opportunity to either become a member of the exclusive SIG SAUER LEGION or expand your collection as a current LEGION member, due to the n fact that this is a limited run pistol.”
The SIG SAUER P220 LEGION CARRY SAO is a carry-size .45 caliber, hammer-fired pistol, featuring a Legion Gray stainless steel slide and frame, with X-RAY3 Day/Night Sights, single action only flat trigger, and ambidextrous manual safety. LEGION enhancements include a solid steel guide rod, enhanced checkering on the front strap and under the trigger guard, front cocking serrations for easy slide operations, black G-10 checkered grips with LEGION medallion inset on the grips, LEGION Chevron engraved on the slide, and includes three (3) 8-round magazines. Read more
BELLEVUE, WA – Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation have moved for an interim injunction pending appeal by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in the continuing challenge of Grewal’s censorship relating to the publication of information about 3D gun production.
The case is in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel recently ruled unanimously that Grewal is “subject to the jurisdiction of Texas courts” because of his efforts to prevent publication of the information by Defense Distributed violates the company’s and SAF’s First Amendment rights. Grewal is one of nine Attorneys General to file suit in the Western District of Washington to enjoin the State Department from authorizing the release of Defense Distributed’s files.
The SAF/Defense Distributed motion states their case bluntly: “This appeal arises from the ongoing efforts of New Jersey’s Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and several of his peers to hamstring the plaintiffs’ distribution of materials related to the 3D printing of firearms.” Read more
COLUMBUS, GA — ? Hunt or fish in comfort, even in the coldest of conditions, with the help of the new G-Tech Heated Pouch in Realtree EDGE camo. Designed with precision, quality and care, the G-Tech Heated Pouch offers revolutionary portable hand warmth when temperatures dip, so you can stay out there longer, increasing your odds for success. For a limited time, you can buy one G-Tech Heated Pouch and get the second 50% off.
Using a lightweight, long-lasting battery, the patented G-Tech Heating Technology featured within the pouch heats your hands so you can create circulation that increases your entire core body temperature.
G-Tech’s Heating Technology, which is a flexible grip similar to a heated steering wheel, offers the fastest, hottest, most-concentrated heat directly to your hands. You can prevent the heat from escaping your hands by holding on to the Heated Handle Bar inside the pouch. The Therma-adjust button allows you to cycle through three different heat settings (high, medium and low). Read more
SALMON, Idaho (Sept. 8, 2020) — SneakyHunter Hikers Bootlamps – essentially, headlamps for your feet – eliminate many of the problems with conventional headlamps and hand-held flashlights. When wearing a headlamp, talking to your companions becomes an issue when you face them and inadvertently blind them by shining your light directly into their eyes, destroying their night vision for up to 45 minutes. Also, many hikers face depth perception issues when using a light source above the waist.
SneakyHunter Hiker Bootlamps are a unique invention, not a knockoff of a product already on the market, and are perfect for a myriad of outdoor activities by providing new solutions to common problems experienced with headlamps and flashlights. They stabilize your visual perception by keeping the light low to the ground. They place your lighting as far from your face as possible, offering more relief on your eyes. The lights operate using three AAA batteries and have three settings – white, for general hiking; red, for hiking with a soft light that will not spook animals; and green, which offers less eyestrain over time. You activate them by simply pushing the button on top – one click for white, two clicks for red, three clicks for green. The lid is rated as highly water resistant. They’re attached to your boot via an easy-to-use 18-inch long, 1-inch wide elastic cinch strap. The hook and loop strap is placed under your instep, and the two prongs on the front of the unit are slipped under your boot or shoelaces, resulting in a slip-proof attachment. The unit is made so that when it is mounted in the proper position, the light will shine where you’ll be walking. Read more