DNR urges caution on trails, in state parks following northern Michigan blizzard

Winter scene near Marquette

March 20, 2026
Contact: Greg Kinser, 989-390-0431

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is advising outdoor enthusiasts in areas affected by this week’s blizzard to be cautious when planning visits to trails and state parks that may have been affected by the extreme winter weather.

“With record snowfall March 15-16 in the Upper Peninsula – some areas received more than 4 feet of snow – and snowy and icy conditions in the northern Lower Peninsula, we’re urging people to check conditions before traveling to storm-affected areas and to be aware of downed trees and branches, as well as bent or bowed trees and branches that may fall unexpectedly,” said Greg Kinser, Lower Peninsula trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.

Local officials this week reported impassable, snow-covered roads and downed trees and power lines across the region. Power outages have also been reported, with several counties initially reporting the majority of residents without power.

“In addition to trail impacts, many state parks and recreation facilities across the U.P. and the northern Lower Peninsula were rendered inaccessible by the significant snowfall,” Kinser said. “State park staff are digging out, and it will take time before some park facilities are accessible again.”

Kinser also thanked trail partner groups for their prompt, professional assistance in helping to assess trail conditions.

About 260 miles of forest roads in the northeastern Lower Peninsula remain closed due to debris from extensive tree damage during the 2025 ice storm. Cleanup efforts are ongoing.

Know before you go

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Wildlife

Bear Creek Arsenal Introduces the New BCA AK-47 Rifle Line

Bear Creek Arsenal, a trusted manufacturer of American-made rifles and components, is proud to announce the upcoming release of the BCA AK-47, expanding the company’s growing lineup of reliable, value-driven firearm platforms.

Key Highlights

  • Barrel Length: 16 inches
  • Barrel Material: 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium
  • Barrel Finish: Parkerized
  • Twist Rate: 1:10
  • Thread Pitch: M14x1 LH
  • Receiver Finish: Black Nitride
  • Receiver Feature: Integrated Rail Mounts
  • Butt Pad: Soft Rubber
  • Color Options: Three Available Variants; Black, Grey, FDE

Bear Creek Arsenal plans to officially launch the BCA AK-47 rifle line on March 31, with availability expected as production completes and inventory becomes ready for release. To find out more visit: https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/bcak47

Link: AK47

Firearms

Hornady Has Dangerous Game Handgun Bullets for Reloaders

Hornady® is proud to announce the availability of Dangerous Game Handgun (DGH™) bullets for reloaders.

Offered in 9mm 138 gr, .38 Cal. .357 165 gr, 10mm .400 200 gr, .44 Cal. .430 240 gr, .45 Cal. .452 300 gr and .50 Cal. .500 500 gr, these new component bullets provide handgun hunters with purpose-built performance for large and dangerous game applications.

Engineered for deep penetration and maximum weight retention, DGH™ bullets are designed to perform when it matters most. Built to the same exacting standards as all Hornady® components and proudly made in the USA, these heavy-for-caliber offerings deliver the strength, reliability and consistency serious handgun hunters demand in high-stakes environments.

For more information on these new offerings, please visit: https://www.hornady.com/bullets/dgh#!/. Read more

Ammunition

Anti-Hunting Groups Hijack Farm Bill to Add Hunting Ban

The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation considered by the U.S. Congress. It contains funding and sets policy on items ranging from conservation programs valued by American sportsmen to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits that help feed low-income families.

Unfortunately, thanks to significant pressure from the animal-rights lobby, the Farm Bill just approved by the House Committee on Agriculture also includes a hunting ban. Committee Democrats teamed up with a handful of Republican legislators to amend the Farm Bill by inserting House Resolution 5017, the Greyhound Protection Act of 2025 – a bill that had no chance of advancing on its own.

H.R. 5017 would ban certain types of hounds in hunting, as well as the use of “live lures” for training or field trials. While H.R. 5017 was completely portrayed by the sponsor and supporters as only focused on ending commercial greyhound racing, the language is much more broadly written and would ban the use of sight hounds in hunting. Additionally, the language included in H.R. 5017 could go so far to impact anyone that hunts with bird dogs or scent hounds by banning the use of live animals in dog training. Amendment supporters never told Committee members of the broader impacts of the bill.

Animal rights extremists, with the help of members of the House Agriculture Committee, inserted the controversial language into the Farm Bill by voice vote, despite concerns expressed by Committee Chairman GT Thompson, with no public debate or an opportunity for American hunters or houndsmen to be heard in the process. The extremists know the public is counting on passage of the Farm Bill, so they are hoping Congress will allow the anti-hunting language to remain in the bill rather than derail the huge and vital legislation.

All is not final, however. The Farm Bill will now head to the House Rules Committee, before being voted on by the full House of Representatives. Read more

Animal Rights

Spring Snow Goose Hunting in the Dakotas

The Light Goose Conservation Order (LGCO) is considered an annual tradition for many waterfowl hunters since it began in 1999. There is no other waterfowl opportunity in North America offering such latitude when it comes to regulations: There are no magazine restrictions, no daily bag or possession limit, use of electronic callers is permitted, and you can shoot 30 minutes past sunset – all sacred no-no’s across the US during regular waterfowl seasons regulated by state and federal law enforcement.

Besides the potential for high volume shoots, anybody who participates in this unique opportunity will tell you it’s the spectacle of the spring migration that keeps them coming back. On the best migration days hunters should expect to witness waves of various waterfowl and other bird species rolling past, but no other species of waterfowl surpasses the lesser snow goose in number and density during migration. It’s common to see hordes of snows and their smaller cousins Ross’s geese mob an area on the ground and in the air, in what can only be described as an incredible sight to behold.

The Mid-Continent population of light geese primarily migrate through the watersheds of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers consistently congregating in key areas within Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, eventually packing into the neck of their hourglass shaped migration corridor in North and South Dakota. Read more

Hunting

Sportsmen’s Alliance Wins Major First, Second Amendment Victory in California

After four years of litigation, California finally conceded its youth firearms marketing law is unconstitutional and agreed to pay the challenging parties $481,792 in attorney’s fees. The Sportsmen’s Alliance was the first to sound the alarm about this Constitutional nightmare, and believe this victory isn’t just for Californians, but is one shared by all Americans.

In summer 2022, California passed Assembly Bill 2571. The bill banned any marketing of firearms or accessories that might be attractive to minors. In it’s original form, the bill was so broad that advertising youth hunter education programs was illegal. Sportsmen’s Alliance opposed the bill, calling it “dangerous legislation that takes hunter education and firearm safety training off the table in California,” and criticized the bill sponsors for “worshipping anti-gun and anti-hunting dogma over firearm safety.”

The bill passed, and Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, Safari Club International, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and So Cal Top Guns, with support from the National Rifle Association, immediately sued, alleging that the law violated the First, Second, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments. It took nearly two years and an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before we were able to get a preliminary order enjoining the state from enforcing the law.

“The First Amendment provides different levels of protection to all forms of speech,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “When it comes to commercial advertising, it protects truthful, non-misleading advertising, unless those advertisements further some other illegal activity.”

The Ninth Circuit recognized the law “does not ‘directly’ and ‘materially’ further” the purported goals of “reducing gun violence and unlawful use of firearms by minors.” Instead, it bans truthful advertising — “for example, an ad showcasing a safer hunting rifle with less recoil for minors would likely be unlawful in California.”

But California was undeterred by that defeat. It prolonged the litigation by seeking an additional appeal before 11 judges on the Ninth Circuit—which was unanimously rejected. Then it fought the scope of the injunction in the district court. But after a second loss in the Ninth Circuit, California finally acquiesced. It now acknowledges what was obvious all along—it infringed on sportsmen’s First Amendment rights, and its paying a heavy price for doing so.

“This is why we have an in-house litigation team,” Jean continued. “And if California does it again, we will sue them again.” Read more

Gun Control

Beyond the Bird Feeder: The Surprising Science of Black Bear Predation

 

 

As black bear populations rebound across North America, the line between wild carnivore and human-bear conflict continues to blur. Science shows that while they are formidable predators, black bears’ preference for “easy” calories is what truly defines their complex role in our modern landscape.

By John Nettles, Boone and Crockett Club Fellow, Clemson University

Black bear hunting plays an important role in the local history and culture of much of North America. However, by the early 1900s, overhunting and habitat degradation had dramatically reduced black bear populations. Thanks to successful conservation efforts by agencies and harvest managers, populations have since rebounded. In fact, the American black bear is now the world’s most abundant large carnivore and one of the very few carnivores with an increasing population. This recovery has allowed many states to expand current seasons or reestablish hunting seasons for black bear.

The story of black bear conservation doesn’t stop there, though. Increasing numbers of both people and bears have led to greater overlap between the two populations and to a new conservation challenge: human-bear conflict (HBC). Read more

Wildlife

Boone & Crockett Member Spotlight—John M. Olin

Olin and SI cover

John Olin was a business titan who understood that if there was no game left to hunt, consumers would have little use for his company’s Winchester firearms, or Western ammunition. He stood at the crossroads of industry and science, using the weight of the Olin Corporation to help fund the future of conservation.

By Steve Wagner

Since its inception, the Boone and Crockett Club has been a bridge between science, conservation, and hunting. After all, without science-based conservation, there would be no hunters—and thus no hunting industry.

In 1887, Theodore Roosevelt’s original cast of Club members included George Bird Grinnell, owner and editor of Forest and Stream, essentially the Wall Street Journal for that era’s sportsmen. Others ran companies deeply vested in the commercial success of hunting, such as leather-goods magnate Bronson Rumsey, and Archibald Rogers, whose freight services buoyed manufacturing supply chains and retail product distribution. Today, the corporate connection continues with Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s, past-Club president Tony Caligiuri of Boyt Harness Co., and CJ Buck of Buck Knives, just to name a few.

Nestled between the Club’s early pioneers and its modern-day CEOs, there was John Olin.

Reviving Winchester

Born in 1892, Olin began his career in 1913 as a 21-year-old chemical engineer for his father’s Western Cartridge Co. Read more

Ammunition, Wildlife

Zanders Offers Distinctive Eagle Gen 2 .45ACP Iver Johnson Handguns

Zanders, a premier national distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, is pleased to announce that several color configurations of the ever-popular Iver Johnson Arms Eagle Gen 2 .45 ACP handguns are in stock and available to dealers.

Known for blending classic styling with modern performance, these models deliver both reliability and visual distinction, offering dealers unique inventory options that stand out in the display case. Each pistol features the proven Eagle Gen 2 platform chambered in .45 ACP, paired with distinctive finishes available through Zanders.

The newly available Iver Johnson models include the following: Read more

Firearms

Nosler’s ASP Loads Ideal for Today’s Lever Action Rifles

Bend, OR – Nosler®, Inc. a global leader in the manufacture of premium bullets, cartridge cases, ammunition, firearms and suppressors, is proud to highlight the versatility of its ASP™ (Assured Stopping Power) ammunition line with loads that are an excellent option for today’s lever-action rifles.

As modern lever guns continue to grow in popularity, shooters are rediscovering the versatility of classic revolver cartridges. Nosler’s ASP™ Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) loads in .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Remington Magnum provide dependable expansion, controlled penetration and consistent accuracy. These new offerings from Nosler are well suited to lever-action carbines used for hunting, personal defense, and training.

Each ASP™ bullet features a skived jacket designed for reliable expansion and effective weight retention across a wide range of impact velocities. Nosler’s tight manufacturing tolerances and strict attention to detail ensure accuracy and reliability in every round. When fired from a rifle, these classic cartridges benefit from increased velocity and improved ballistic performance compared to a revolver.

Available Now:

ASP™ Revolver Ammunition

    • 38 Special— 125gr ASP™ JHP
    • 357 Magnum— 125gr ASP™ JHP
    • 44 Rem Mag— 240gr ASP™ JHP

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Ammunition
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