Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Littleton, CO — You always wear a safety harness when you hunt from a treestand, which is smart. But, is it enough? To put it simply, no, and that’s why you need Primal Treestands’ new Emergency Descender. Read more
The all-new MASADA pistol is made to survive any condition and provide unmatched accuracy
Middletown, Pa. – IWI US, Inc., a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., is excited to announce it has begun shipping the ALL NEW MASADA Optics-Ready Pistol today.
The IWI US MASADA 9mm polymer framed striker-fired pistol was developed in order to provide an advanced solution to the modern battlefield requirements. This pistol takes user preferences to a new level, with each feature carefully selected based on input from military personnel, law enforcement officials, and gun enthusiasts alike. The MASADA is ergonomically designed with fully ambidextrous controls and three interchangeable back-straps, enabling the MASADA pistol to fit a wide variety of hand sizes. The MASADA was designed with a low bore axis for reduced perceived felt recoil. Overall, The MASADA was engineered to endure all elements while maintaining IWI legendary attention to detail and reliability. Read more
(Accokeek, MD) Beretta is excited to announce the launch of our brand-new line of 90 series pistols, the 92X Family. The 92X family was created to evolve the proven Beretta 90 series to fit the needs of today’s shooters.
The 92X is the latest addition to the 90 series pistol platform, which has seen 50 years of refinement and has been tested, used, and abused in some of the most demanding environments any sidearm has been subjected to. As the official sidearm of the U.S. Military for over 30 years, numerous variants of the 90 series have been made in response to military, law enforcement, and civilian needs, including the M9A1, 92G-SD, 92 Vertec, 92FS Compact, 92G Elite LTT, and M9A3 models to name just a few. Read more
Waupaca, WI — Media 360, publisher of Deer & Deer Hunting, Turkey & Turkey Hunting, Trapper & Predator Caller, Ice Fishing, and Living Ready, is excited to announce the premiere issue of GUNS DIY, Journal for the Do-It-Yourself Firearm Enthusiast. The magazine is now available on newsstands around the U.S.
GUNS DIY is the shooting and hunting industry’s first publication to provide expert and expanded step-by-step instructions for the DIY firearm enthusiast on a wide range of gun topics. Each article is rated according to the level of difficulty so that readers can know what to expect when they engage the projects on their own. All articles provide expert tips and procedures by professional gunsmithing and outdoor sport veterans to ensure readers are presented with proven tactics and industry best practices.
The premiere issue of GUNS DIY includes:
The inaugural issue of GUNS DIY, Journal for the Do-It-Yourself Firearm Enthusiast is available on newsstands while supplies last.
San Antonio, Texas – Blaser USA is pleased to announce a special promotion in partnership with Minox Optics. From July 15, 2019 through December 31, 2019, customers who purchase any new Mauser or J.P. Sauer and Sohn rifle from an authorized dealer’s in-store inventory will receive a coupon code for 50% off the online purchase of one Minox optic. This discount applies to any of the riflescopes, binoculars, monoculars, spotting scopes, night vision devices or surveillance cameras found on the Minox USA website with potential savings of up to $1,750. Read more
GW: Similar to the old Polychoke – before choke tubes were invented.
TRUGLO, Inc. has announced a new dual-position choke tube designed specifically for dove hunting. The DOUBLE•THREAT™ lets hunters quickly change between two choke tube setting:
DECOY: optimized for close-range shooting with more open patterns
PASS: optimized for longer-range shooting with tighter patterns.
A simple “twist and click” operation changes patterns in seconds without any tools. The DOUBLE•THREAT will initially be available for several popular hunting shotgun models, including Remington®, Mossberg®, Winchester®, Benelli®, Beretta®, and more.
For most dove hunters, carrying multiple chokes into the field is a hassle. The DOUBLE•THREAT allows hunters to easily change from a long-range open field set-up to a fast-action evening pond set-up. “As a Texas company, we love dove hunting. This choke tube gives hunters more options in the field and adapts to changing conditions through the hunt.” Said Pliny Gale, Product Marketing Manager. “We’d rather spend our time bagging birds than changing choke tubes, or wishing we had another choke option on the gun instead of in the truck.” Read more
Long-range illumination, extended battery life, and extreme durability highlight model features
Irving, TX – Serious predator hunters know that some of the best coyote hunting is a night game, and reliable equipment performance is often the decider in extreme conditions. That’s why Hunting Made Easy developed the Coyote Light Pro. No light on the market today offers the desirable combination of light weight, high output, and user configurability in a compact unit that can light up a predator’s eyes to over 1,000 yards.
Powered by rechargeable and replaceable lithium ion batteries, the Coyote Light Pro utilizes a solid-state LED rated for up to 65,000 hours and capable of delivering variable runtimes based on light color and intensity. The intensity is fully adjustable from 0-100%, allowing hunters to find the optimal balance between illumination distance and run time based on specific hunting conditions and environments. At 25% power, the Coyote Light Pro boasts a runtime of over 48 hours, with full intensity providing 5.5 hours with red, green, or infrared and 3 hours with white. Read more
Mitchell, S.D. – Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks leads the aftermarket gunstock industry with the largest selection of gunstocks than any other stock manufacturer on the planet. Included in this list is the Thompson/Center T/CR22.
The T/CR22 is Thompson/Center’s new semi-automatic rimfire rifle in 22 caliber. The integrated picatinny rail section and the fiber optic front sight add modern traits to this very recognizable design. The T/CR22 is popular among plinkers and small game hunters that are looking to build a rifle that has style and function to fit their personality.
Rob Carstensen, Boyds’ Sales Manager, explains, “We want everyone to have a rifle that fits their style as well as their shooting preferences. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with an aftermarket Boyds Stock.”
Boyds offers 9 different stock shapes for the T/CR22. From the modular At-One stock with its highly-sought after push-button adjustability to the traditional Monte Carlo-style of the Rimfire Hunter stock, Boyds has a stock that will fit you better and make your shooting experience much more successful.
Personalizing your Boyds stock for your T/CR22 rifle is easy: choose from 14 different colors and several styles of laser engraving. If your T/CR22 sports a .920 bull barrel, no problem; Boyds has a stock to fit that, too! Read more
(Greeley, PA) – Kahr Firearms Group, a leader in innovative firearms design and manufacturing, is pleased to announce that the Limited Edition 25th Anniversary K9 pistol is now shipping.
Kahr Arms first introduced the Limited Edition 25th Anniversary K9 in April during the NRA Show. Each 25th Anniversary gun starts out as a proven K9 pistol, chambered in 9mm and made entirely in the United States from stainless steel. The guns are then custom machined with front and rear slide serrations, slide cut-outs and an engraved commemorative “25 Years” logo. The barrel and trigger are brightly polished. The finish is highly durable Sniper Grey Cerakote. Hogue® aluminum grips are custom engraved with aggressive stippling and the new Kahr logo. Tru-Glo® tritium sights add a functional touch, angled to allow one-handed slide retraction.
As a limited edition piece, only 500 production models of the 25th Anniversary K9 will be made. They will each be engraved with their number in the series of 500. Each pistol ships in a plastic case, with three magazines, a certificate of authenticity and a matching custom 1791 leather holster. The 25th Anniversary K9 (K9094NC1) has an MSRP of $1649. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
The well-drained, sandy loam soil in my remote vegetable garden has been the perfect full-sun location – a place where melons and root crops have flourished over the years. But, this wet and cool spring weather was not favorable to the pumpkin and melon plants, which thrive in warmer ground temperatures. Those early plants that managed to sprout lived for a week or so only to succumb to the uncooperative conditions. With our relatively short growing season, it remains unclear if the effort to replant them will result in anything fruitful. It’s been that kind of season.
At the same time, however, I was able to seed a few small food plots last week and the brassicas have already germinated. The tropical conditions we’ve experienced recently have been ideal and, if the sugar beets follow suit, these plantings should be deer magnets by fall.
With the rains have come mosquitos in large numbers, but interestingly the number of dragonflies is astonishing. Routine trail riding on an ATV kicks them into action at every turn by bunches. Dragonflies, which are similar to mosquitos in that they require standing water to hatch from eggs, are Mother Nature’s answer to mosquito control.
Perched Dragonfly Carrying Eggs
These bug-eyed, aeronautical acrobats are every outdoor person’s friends, because they have a voracious appetite for up to 100 mosquitos per day. That may not sound like much, but when one considers the sheer number of these predators this season, it has to make a difference.
Dragonflies possess extraordinarily sharp vision aiding them to detect movement of potential flying fast food. Courtesy of two huge compound eyes, the dragonfly has nearly 360° vision and can move their four wings to maneuver in any direction. Much like a bluebird, they’ll hunt from a perch for prey and can strike and return in less than 2 seconds.
Another friendly inhabitant of the area is the monarch butterfly. Monarchs are dependent on milkweed plants, which the butterflies’ larvae eat nearly exclusively. It is for this reason that I’ve left a section of land with weak soil to grow indigenous milkweed plants.
The soil is simply too sandy to produce anything but weeds, but the symbiotic relationship between the poisonous milkweed and the similarly poisonous monarchs is reason enough to let nature take its course.
The late-summer versions of monarchs are born to fly – all the way to Mexico or California and back! The monarchs begin to return north in the spring, feeding on nectar along the route home. Eggs are subsequently laid only on milkweed plants, and a new generation hatches. They flutter about without fear from birds which instinctively know to leave the poisonous beauties to themselves.
If that’s not enough reason to leave some milkweed to grow in selected areas, consider the fact that milkweed seed is in demand. In fact, a recent check of milkweed seed for sale on Ebay found that a half pound goes for $150.
Once the flowers are finished blooming, they form a pod of milkweed floss with the seeds attached. A piece of tape wrapped around the pod will keep it intact until it’s time to use it afield. That white floss material (with seed removed) is the perfect wind indicator for any hunter concerned with air currents. Better than any store-bought puffer or smoking iteration, the floss can be seen for a hundred yards or so giving the wise hunter an edge over scent-sniffing game.
Sometimes we have to look for that silver lining but it’s here among us.
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