Free fishing, off-roading and state park entry – enjoy it all during Michigan’s ‘Three Free’

The Department of Natural Resources has three big reasons for you to get outdoors Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13. Michigan’s “Three Free” weekend – two full days when residents and out-of-state visitors can grab a fishing rod, ride the off-road trails and visit state parks – is back and all free of charge.

“Michigan is home to some of the best outdoor recreation opportunities and most beautiful natural spaces you’ll find anywhere,” said DNR Director Dan Eichinger. “Whether you’re already an avid outdoors-person or someone just beginning to explore all the options, our ‘Three Free’ weekend makes it easy to discover a new hobby, visit a new park or introduce friends to an outdoor experience you love.”

These two days include:

  • Free Fishing Weekend. Residents and nonresidents can enjoy two days of free fishing without a license. All other fishing regulations apply. To get more details or find a local event, visit Michigan.gov/FreeFishing.
  • Free ORV Weekend. Michigan residents and nonresidents legally can ride 3,800 miles of designated routes and trails and the state’s six scramble areas without purchasing an ORV license or trail permit. Visit Michigan.gov/ORVinfo for the latest ORV trail, safety and closure information.
  • Free Recreation Passport. To encourage people to pursue free fishing and other outdoor fun, the DNR waives the regular Recreation Passport entry fee that grants vehicle access to Michigan’s 103 state parks and 1,300 state-managed boating access sites. Visit Michigan.gov/RecreationPassport to learn more about all the Passport provides.

Free Fishing and Free ORV weekends take place twice a year on back-to-back days.

Protect yourself and the outdoors

view of a single-file row of off-road vehicles, driven by people wearing helmets, heading away from the camera, on a tree-lined trailFor the best outdoor experiences, the DNR urges everyone to put safety first when they’re enjoying Michigan’s woods, water and trails. Helpful safety tips – for ORV, boating, beach, fire and other topics – are available at Michigan.gov/DNREducationin the Safety Information section. The DNR also encourages anglers to review fishing safety tips and other helpful information at Michigan.gov/HowToFish.

Additionally, the DNR encourages people to recreate responsibly. Before you head out on the trails or water, visit our Do Your Part website to learn more about how you can stay safe and protect the health and beauty of our great state. Read more
Fishing, General, Wildlife

QUWF Designs Wild Turkey Nesting Box -Free Plans Available Soon

BUFFALO, MO – June 8, 2021 – In response to the plight of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations across their range, Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, Inc., (QUWF) designed and built wild turkey nesting boxes and are now offering those nesting box building plans for free. “The wild turkey decline is cause for serious concern, and we’re delighted to offer this option to help the turkey during this perfect storm,” stated QUWF Executive Director, Craig Alderman. “Nesting site survival rates have decreased steadily due to many factors including extreme weather changes, cold and heavy spring rains, and loss of habitat. Also, due to longer nesting periods, wild turkey nests, hens and their eggs are increasingly exposed to opportunistic predators,” Alderman stated.

Nesting boxes have shown success for many wildlife species and, where utilized, seem to be strong indicators of improved nest survival. Similar nesting boxes have been used on farms and ranches, not on commercial turkey farms. The QUWF wild turkey nesting box is based on a compilation of those designs. Scientific data has yet to be recorded to determine the efficacy of the nesting box, but helping nature out a little, can’t hurt.

“Key design benefits of the nesting box include stable legs – which elevate the box off the ground – and closed sides, back, and top which limits predator approach, especially avian. The box is vented, but prevents access through the vents and due to weather-resistant construction design, averts water saturation of the nest. The center hold-down ground anchor further stabilizes the unit during intense weather conditions, and the box should be positioned with its back to the prevailing winds,” says Nick Prough, Chief Wildlife Biologist of QUWF. “The design incorporates a natural roost bar for easier poult access and egress, and also includes a means by which to attach limbs and branches to the sides of the box, helping conceal its location,” Prough said. Read more

Wildlife

Sellmark $10K Summer Sportsmans Gear Giveaway

The Sellmark Corporation’s most popular brands, Pulsar, Sightmark and Kopfjäger are partnering with Sniper Hog Lights, ICOtec and the Googan Squad to give away over $10K worth of gear in an all-inclusive hunting and fishing package!

One lucky contestant will receive:

Pulsar Accolade 2 LRF XP50

Sightmark Wraith 4K Max

Kopfjäger K700 Reaper Grip Kit

Sniper Hog Lights 66LRX IR light package

ICOtec OUTLAW Programmable Game Call

Googan Squad Gear Package

This contest is available in the USA only. After clicking the link, contestants can multiply their entries by completing several action steps! There are over 30 ways to enter to win over $10K work of top-notch outdoors gear!

Entry Link >>> https://gleam.io/widIV/a-complete-all-outdoor-sportsmens-summer-giveaway

Fishing, Hunting

SAF Files Legal Challenge to Minnesota Ban on CCW by Young Adults

The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a federal lawsuit in Minnesota, challenging that state’s ban on concealed carry by young adults between the ages of 18 and 21, alleging the ban violates the Second and 14th Amendment rights of those citizens.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S District Court for the District of Minnesota. The case is known as Worth v. Harrington.

Joining SAF are the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition and three private citizens in the affected age group. Defendants are John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, plus three county sheriffs, Mille Lac County Sheriff Don Lorge, Douglas County Sheriff Troy Wolbersen and Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry, in their individual and official capacities.

“We recognize the rights of law-abiding young adults to vote, join the military, sign contracts, start businesses, get married and do other things,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “but when it comes to exercising one of the most basic fundamental rights protected by the Constitution, suddenly we treat them like children. You shouldn’t be able to have it both ways. Read more

Self Defense

Michigan: Fire Dangers High Across Northern Michigan

With high temperatures and limited rainfall expected for the next several days, fire danger is high or very high across much of northern Michigan. That means taking precautions to prevent wildfires through the weekend when working or playing outdoors.

“With conditions this dry, a lot of different things can set off fires,” said Jeff Vasher, fire specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “A spark from a campfire can do it. Heat from an ORV or equipment can do it. A chain dragging from a trailer can do it, or a downed power line.” Read more

Wildlife

Mepro Offers FRBS With Hyper-Bright Front Sight

Meprolight’s engineers made the immensely popular Mepro FRBS even better by offering it with a Hyper-Bright™ front sight featuring an extremely bright colored ring with tritium illumination in your choice of green, yellow or orange. The contrasting sight color enables shooters to acquire the front sight faster and improves target acquisition in all lighting conditions. Choice of two dot or four dot rear sight is available in black or tan.

The durable, tritium enhanced, secondary sights are designed to lay flat against the Picatinny rail to maintain a low—out of the way— profile until needed. They are constructed of fiberglass reinforced with high-grade polymer and metal with a rearward operating spring that allows you to quickly flip them forward into place. Windage and elevation adjustments are easy, no special tools required. The Mepro FRBS with Hyper-Bright™ front sight is the only backup sight on the market that incorporates tritium in the sights to improve the sight picture day or night. The night-time illumination is designed bright enough to see them but not too bright to impact sight picture. Read more

Optics

Sharkbanz Zeppelin Turns Sharks Away

The world’s first and only shark deterrent tackle makes a cool utility gift for fishing fathers.

CHARLESTON, SC – Serious fishermen know the routine. Drop your line to the bottom, tighten up the slack, and set the hook on a solid grouper, snapper or other bottom species that’s sure to provide some tasty fillets. Now comes the hard part, cranking your catch to the surface before a shark takes half (or all) of it for lunch.

When sharks attack a fish at the end of an angler’s line, it’s called shark depredation, and it’s become a major problem in recent years, especially in Southern and Gulf Coast waters. As the fish struggles on the hook it sends erratic electrical impulses through the water that the ocean’s Taxman properly interprets as a distress signal, prompting it to move in for the kill. Reef fishermen, in particular, endure plenty of disappointments from these attacks, often losing more than half their catch to the sharped-toothed predators. In some areas, sharks even key on the sound of boat engines, gathering before vessels get their lines in the water.

Fortunately, the Sharkbanz Zeppelin, the world’s first and only shark deterrent fishing tackle, can turn the tide. A new, science-based product that generates an electromagnetic field to fend off Nature’s eating machines, it’s already winning acclaim from veteran bottom bouncers wherever sharks may roam. Read more

Fishing

TOP STORY: Judge Says California “Assault Weapon Ban” Unconstitutional

BELLEVUE, WA — The Second Amendment Foundation has won a significant court ruling in the case of Miller v. Bonta , which challenged the constitutionality of California’s ban on so-called “assault weapons,” with U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez declaring the state’s statutes regarding such firearms to be unconstitutional.

SAF was joined in this action by the Firearms Policy Coalition, California Gun Rights Foundation, San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, Poway Weapons and Gear, Gunfighter Tactical, LLC, and several private citizens including James Miller, for whom the case is named.

“In his 94-page ruling, Judge Benitez has shredded California gun control laws regarding modern semi-automatic rifles,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “It is clear the judge did his homework on this ruling, and we are delighted with the outcome.”

In his opening paragraph, Judge Benitez observes, “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle, the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) and United States v Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939). Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR- 15 type rifle. Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional.”

Later in the ruling, Judge Benitez observes, “The Second Amendment protects modern weapons.” A few pages later, he adds, “Modern rifles are popular. Modern rifles are legal to build, buy, and own under federal law and the and the laws of 45 states.” Perhaps most importantly, the judge notes that California’s ban on such firearms “has had no effect” on shootings in the state. “California’s experiment is a failure,” Judge Benitez says.

“There is not much wiggle room in the judge’s decision,” Gottlieb stated. “Today’s ruling is one more step in SAF’s mission to win back firearms freedom one lawsuit at a time.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

Gun Control, Self Defense

Michigan: ‘Lodge and Learn’ about walleye fishing with Outdoor Skills Academy

Starting this month, the DNR Outdoor Skills Academy will offer classes at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Roscommon – commonly known as the RAM Center – giving you an opportunity to add an overnight stay on the shores of on Higgins Lake to your outdoor recreation education experience.

The first class at the RAM Center will be the June 19 Walleye Fishing Clinic.

Pro walleye tournament angler Dan Miller will cover the ins and outs of walleye fishing in this class that will go through how Outdoor Skills Academy pro-staffers, Pure Fishing pros and others spend their day chasing trophy walleye. Learn about seasonal activities, how to set up your boat and more. DNR staff will be on hand to answer any rules and regulations questions you may have. Plus, tips from a master taxidermist on how to care for your trophy fish when you catch it and want to have it mounted.

Cost for the class is $45, which includes lunch and instruction. To register, go to Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and click on the “Purchase a license” button. Sign in (using either a username and password or your ID and birthdate), and find the class under the Outdoor Skills Academy tab. Read more

Fishing

Michigan ‘Three Free’ Weekend: Fishing, ORV riding and Recreation Passport

June 12-13, residents and out-of-state visitors can fish, ride Michigan’s off-road trails or visit state parks and state-managed boating access sites – all for free.

Free Fishing Weekend: Two days twice a year, families and friends can enjoy one of Michigan’s premier outdoor activities, Michigan fishing, for free! All fishing license fees will be waived for two days. Residents and out-of-state visitors may enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes waters for all species of fish. All fishing regulations will still apply. This year’s weekend includes a 4-H Youth Virtual Fishing Derby for kids ages 5-19 (no need to be a 4-H member).

Free ORV Weekend: Twice a year, residents and nonresidents legally can ride without buying an ORV license or trail permit during Free ORV Weekends (the second one is set for Aug. 21-22). All other ORV rules and laws still apply. Riders will have access to nearly 3,800 miles of off-road trails and the state’s six scramble areas.

Waived Recreation Passport: A Recreation Passport will not be required for entry into state parks and boating access sites during ‘Three Free’ Weekend.

Fishing, Wildlife
1 … 625 626 627 628 629 … 1,911