iSportsman: JBER Tragedy A Reminder For Us All

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA?— On May 12, a soldier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) died of injuries sustained in a bear attack on May 10 while working in a JBER training area. Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, an infantryman from the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment was a dedicated servicemember who lost his life in an untimely tragedy.

iSportsman, having worked with JBER for many years and proud to have supported many men and women who dedicate their life to the service, would like to extend our condolences.

This week we sat down with bear safety expert Kim Titchener of Bearsafety.com and Recsafewithwildlife.com to discuss the best outdoor practices when it comes to bear incidents and encounters. Our interview can be found on www.iSportsman.com and www.iSportsmanarx.com. Reminders of the article release can be found on our social media pages, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About iSportsman: iSportsmanTM is the leading recreational program management tool by ASciS Solutions in the nation. serving as the enterprise-level provider for the U.S. Army’s and U.S. Air Force’s hunting, fishing and firewood permit sales programs, as well as providing services to the U.S. Marine Corp, Army National Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. ASciS has been delivering SaaS and customized solutions to meet the needs of large-scale recreational programs for more than 12 years and currently manages permit sales, access control, reporting and more for more than 10.6 million acres of forest, fields, trails and waterways across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Visit isportsman.com for more information.?

Wildlife

Michigan: Conservation Boosted on Imperiled Habitat

The NWTF recently secured $358,000 in funding, thanks to a generous grant provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources via the agency’s Wildlife Habitat Grant Program.

The newly acquired funding allows the NWTF and partners in Michigan to restore and enhance imperiled oak ecosystems and other high-priority habitats, delivering conservation work on over 1,050 acres and totaling more than $550,000 in project costs over two years.

Once one of the most abundant ecosystems in the Midwest, oak savannas have dwindled drastically since European settlement and are now one of the rarest plant communities on the planet.

It is estimated that less than one percent of the oak savanna habitat that existed before European settlement exists on the landscape today.

But what does this have to do with wild turkeys?

Oak savanna ecosystems are characterized by large expanses of grasses and forbs such as wildflowers interspersed with oaks and covered in insects. The herbaceous vegetation provides excellent brooding and foraging for wild turkeys, and the oaks provide shade, important hard mast, and roosting habitat.

Simply put, more oak savanna habitat equals more wild turkey habitat.

However, wild turkeys are not the only species that depend upon this unique ecosystem. Read more

Wildlife

Typical Velvet Mule Deer Topping the Charts as New World Record

On Saturday, May 14th, Pope and Young convened a Special Panel of Judges in Ogden, UT for a potential World’s Record Typical Velvet Mule Deer. Bowdy Gardner’s Typical Velvet Mule Deer scored an incredible 218 2/8” and is now the largest bow-harvested Typical Velvet Mule Deer in North America. This amazing deer was taken and entered into the records program nearly ten years ago and is now recognized as the new world’s record after the original score was upheld by a panel of measurers.

Measurers present at the Special Panel were Larry Streiff, David Nielsen, Stan Zirbel, Pope and Young’s Director of Records, Tim Rozewski, and Pope and Young’s Records Chairman, Roy Grace. With a confirmed final score of 218 2/8” Gardner’s buck is officially the new Pope and Young World Record.

PICTURE
Pictured: From Left to Right: Jason Rounsaville, Executive Director, Larry Streiff, Roy Grace, Records Chairman, Stan Zirbel, David Neilsen, and Tim Rozewski, Director of Records. Read more

Hunting

Boat Launching Made Easy

— Frank Sargeant

I spend a lot of time these days on Lake Guntersville in northern Alabama, which has to have some of the busiest boat ramps in America during the spring, summer and fall bass tournament seasons. It’s routine for some ramps to have 50 to 75 boats launched in the first hour of daylight as anglers from all over the country come to the big lake for tournaments and for fun fishing.

The amazing thing about it is that the vast majority of this action goes off very smoothly and with minimal backup, because most of the guys who come here are hard-core veterans of hundreds of previous launches and they do what works best to keep the line moving.

It also helps that most of these guys are on the water for serious fishing, and there’s no alcohol aboard most boats. The ramp arguments and occasional fisticuffs that are becoming pretty common in coastal south Florida and many other places are rarely seen here.

Given that, as we approach the peak of the boating season across most of the nation, it might be a good idea to take a look at how it’s done right, with minimal damage to equipment or egos, and with no need for EMS assistance.

Launching and loading a boat is simple if you follow a few tried and true procedures. (Frank Sargeant photo).

First, of course, is to be sure your boat is ready to launch when your turn in line comes—drain plug in, tie downs released, motor trimmed up, bow line in place, key in the boat’s ignition, and all the stuff from the truck already moved to the boat.

Second, when your turn comes, back in just far enough to float the transom, again make sure you’re got a bow line on the bow eye, and then unhook the winch strap. Read more

Fishing

Michigan: Blue Lakes Fire 98% Contained

The Blue Lakes Fire in the northeastern Lower Peninsula is now 98% contained. As a result, all road closures in the fire area have been lifted. The stretch of the Black River that was previously closed has also been opened.

However, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources still is working to connect remaining gaps in the containment line and mop up within the fire area, which is northwest of Atlanta and spans Montmorency and Cheboygan counties. People who enter the area are urged to be cautious.

“If you are in the area, stay on roads,” said Kerry Heckman, DNR fire public information officer. “There may be hot spots or snags, which are trees that can fall over without warning. There may be smoke, and fire crews will still be working in the area.” Seeing smoke within the fire area is not necessarily cause for alarm and is to be expected.

The final estimate of the fire’s size is 2,516 acres. Estimates can change throughout the course of the fire based on input from fire crews on the ground and high-tech tools such as drones, which were used Monday. Read more

Wildlife

CCRKBA: ‘Buffalo Shooting Shows Need for CCW Reform in New York’

BELLEVUE, WA – While anti-gun politicians exploit the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York supermarket to demand stricter gun laws, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said such tragedies might be averted or stopped if New York state law allowed more people to exercise their right to carry.

“New York politicians want tougher gun laws in a state that already has some of the toughest laws in the country,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb observed. “Yet those laws did not prevent what happened Saturday, and never will. New York’s current gun control laws make it difficult to impossible for law-abiding citizens of all races to obtain carry permits. Apparently the shooter staked out this particular market, because he knew there would be no resistance to what is a despicable hate crime.

“To suggest stricter anti-gun-rights laws are the answer to such an evil act is absurd,” he continued. “Instead of making it possible and affordable for average citizens to obtain carry permits for personal protection, New York authorities have stubbornly maintained a permit system that reeks of political favoritism, demagoguery and elitism. It is no wonder this system is now facing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that we hope will overturn the current law.

“Every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or economic condition, deserves better than they’ve gotten from lawmakers in Albany for generations,” Gottlieb stated. “The victims in Buffalo had no chance at all. It is deplorable that the only idea from Gov. Kathy Hochul is to ask for even more restrictions on New York gun owners, and to suggest more gun control on a national scale. That’s not a plan, it’s the perpetuation of an already failed strategy disguised as a plan, and anyone with an ounce of common sense knows it. Read more

Gun Control

Ruger Reintroduces the Marlin Model 1895 Trapper Lever-Action Rifle

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is pleased to announce its reintroduction of the Marlin® Model 1895 Trapper.

The receiver-mounted Skinner Sight™ system is as accurate and rugged as the rifle itself. Machined from solid stainless steel bar stock, this durable, no snag, fully adjustable sight system promotes rapid target acquisition while adding to the aesthetics of the rifle.

The black laminate stock and forend feature a crisp checkering pattern

The Marlin 1895 Trapper was conceived by hunting and fishing guides in Alaska who needed a big-bore rifle that was short, quick-handling and optimized for hunting or protection from dangerous animals. Chambered in .45-70 Govt., this latest Marlin offering from Ruger features a 16.17”, cold hammer-forged barrel with a 1:20” twist. The threaded barrel (11/16”-24), comes with a match-polished thread protector and will accommodate common muzzle devices.

The stainless steel receiver, lever, magazine tube and barrel feature an attractive non-glare, satin finish – as do all of the small, nickel-plated parts. The bolt is spiral-fluted and nickel-plated for an attractive appearance and very smooth cycling.

The receiver-mounted Skinner Sight™ system is as accurate and rugged as the rifle itself. Machined from solid stainless steel bar stock, this durable, no snag, fully adjustable sight system promotes rapid target acquisition while adding to the aesthetics of the rifle. Read more

Firearms

Meopta MeoStar S2 82 HD Spotting Scope Takes Award

TAMPA, FL – Meopta Sport Optics is pleased to announce the MeoStar S2 82 HD spotting scope has been named ‘Best Value’ by Outdoor Life in its April 2022 spotting scope test. Outdoor Life’s Andrew McKean tested a variety of spotting scopes from premium glass to budget options to help guide readers on important aspects to consider before buying a spotting scope. He notes that spotting scopes are “indispensable for many purposes like assessing distant animals during a hunt, determining whether you hit or missed a steel target at a mile, and whether the bird you’re glassing is a rare specimen or a common species.”

The MeoStar S2 82 HD tested was the straight-body model. It also comes in an angled body. Eyepieces are interchangeable and available in 20-70x or 30-60x WA (wide angle). The S2 82 features extra-low-dispersion fluoride glass that eliminates chromatic aberration and delivers sharp resolution, outstanding contrast and color fidelity.

The following excerpts are from Outdoor Life’s ‘The Best Spotting Scopes of 2022’ article.

“A product-line extension following Meopta’s successful angled MeoStar S2, this 82mm spotter has the optical horsepower for just about any hunting situation, and the straight-barrel design makes it easy to slide into a backpack sleeve. Read more

Optics

SDS Imports VP-12 AK Pattern Shotgun with Magwell

Knoxville, TN

SDS Imports LLC is proud to announce the VP-12 Shotgun to their line of quality imported firearms. The VP-12 combines elements from the classic Kalashnikov® design with many modern enhancements shooters demand. The VP-12 utilizes the standard 12-Gauge VEPR pattern magazine, which allows a direct insert into the integrated magazine well, allowing for faster reloads. Ergonomics are improved with the left-side charging handle with an oversized knurled knob and enhanced AK style safety, allowing the shooter to maintain a firing grip while manipulating the weapon. Optics are easily attached to the dust cover using the integrated M1913 style picatinny rail. The VP-12 is supported with a variety of after-market parts and accessories including furniture, muzzle devices and magazines.

For additional information about SDS Imports products and distribution opportunities, visit the SDS website.

Firearms

Florida FWC to Allow Arrow Shooting Airguns for Harvest of Alligators

HELENA, MT (May 17, 2022) – The Airgun Sporting Association, the trade organization of the airgun industry, today announced that beginning with the 2022 alligator season, Florida will allow the use of arrow shooting airguns for alligator hunting.

During their May 3-4 meeting in Gainesville, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission approved the use of arrow shooting airguns for alligator harvest. The only requirement is that the airgun be a pre-charge pneumatic (PCP) and that the arrow be tethered to a restraining line to allow recovery of the alligator.

Commission staff will be working on incorporating this new opportunity into their 2022 alligator season regulations. You can read more about alligators and the new regulations at MyFWC.com/alligators.

“Florida has been a long-time supporter of airgun hunting and this is another step forward for the Commission” stated Mitch King, ASA President. “Allowing the use of arrow shooting airguns will provide another great recreational harvest opportunity for Florida hunters.” Read more

Firearms, Hunting
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