Birder’s Field Guide & Binocular

“What’s that bird in our yard?” You might need your field guide and binoculars to figure this one out (female Scarlet Tanager photo by Paul Konrad).
The importance of a good look with binoculars before you consult a field guide, Merlin, or another bird ID source would emphasized when you located this bird in one of your trees. Same species? No, look at that beak … the key is to be prepared (immature Summer Tanager photo by Paul Konrad).

There are two essential pieces of birding equipment that everyone should have within reach – a field guide and a binocular. Even at home, whether you’re seated in your favorite chair with your feeding station in sight, or on your front porch, back deck, or balcony, it’s always a good bet to keep your binoculars close to check out the moment to moment potential of a bird’s appearance that catches your attention and imagination. You can always check your field guide moments later, but don’t underestimate the importance of having a good field guide within easy access.

It may seem early, but some birds are already beginning their southbound migrations – including new fledglings that have different plumages than adults, possibly with unfamiliar plumage coloration for you. If you are really lucky, you may even find a “rare bird,” a species that is a thousand miles beyond its normal range.

If you take a look at this week’s Rare Birds article you will see that rare birds are making record-breaking appearances in many states, including a Lark Bunting that’s visiting a feeding station in New Hampshire, a Beryline Hummingbird that frequents a feeder in Arizona, and a Mexican Violetear that stopped at a nectar feeder south Texas. At the same time you may see a species you’ve never seen in your yard before – a newbie for your Yard List. That’s always fun, and personally significant. Read more

Wildlife

Whitetails Unlimited Awards $10,000 to Student Air Rifle Program

Whitetails Unlimited awarded a $2,500 grant to the Student Air Rifle Program which was developed by the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance. This brings the total WTU has contributed to SAR to $10,000. The SAR is a national school-based air rifle program that promotes safety, teamwork, focus, self-esteem, and marksmanship.

Since its inception 5 years ago, the program has trained instructors in more than 75 schools reaching more than 11,000 students. It uses school aligned units of study, teacher training, universal whistle commands, positive language, and standardized equipment. Students use .177-claiber pellet rifles, shooting at reactive and paper targets at 10 meters, in front of a safety backstop.

“WTU has been a partner of the SAR program since the start,” said Whitetails Unlimited Program Services Director Russ Austad. “It has been very exciting to see how far the program has come in the past 5 years.” Read more

Firearms

Springfield Armory Releases Emissary 1911 Pistol

GENESEO, ILL. – Springfield Armory® is proud to announce the newest addition to its award-winning family of 1911’s—the Emissary. Bridging the gap between duty and custom handguns, the Emissary delivers a bold and capable 1911 pistol with defense-minded features intended for serious use.

The new Emissary blends form and function seamlessly in a firearm built for defense and loaded with custom-grade features. It’s constructed with a forged stainless steel frame and forged carbon steel slide, with a beautiful two-tone finish. The blued carbon steel slide pairs with a stainless steel frame featuring a distinctive squared trigger guard with additional room for ease of operation with a gloved hand.

The slide’s “Tri-Top” cut gives the Emissary custom styling, while a flattened top strap is finished with 40 LPI serrations to diffuse light and reduce glare. On top, the tritium and luminescent front sight on the Emissary pairs with a Tactical Rack U-Dot™ rear sight for easy target acquisition in all lighting conditions.

Inside the slide, a bushingless heavy stainless steel bull barrel delivers maximum accuracy while reducing felt recoil and muzzle flip. In addition, the Emissary’s skeletonized hammer delivers ultra-fast lock times and combines with a solid-body, flat-faced trigger for top-end performance.

The forged stainless frame’s front strap and mainspring housing are wrapped in a grenade-pattern texture for firm engagement in adverse conditions, which are matched with slim line grip panels by VZ Grips® machined from G10. At the front, a Picatinny accessory rail is integrated into the steel of the frame and is ready to accept a light, laser or combo of your choice.

Each pistol comes with two top-quality 8-round stainless steel magazines with base pads. MSRP is $1,279. Read more

Firearms

Cyclops Announces New Multi-Function Waterproof Spotlight

Irving, TX- Cyclops, an innovator in personal and field lighting solutions, has just introduced a new handheld spotlight designed to serve as both a conventional, high-intensity spotlight as well as a flood light/lantern for close range illumination.

The new Waterproof LED Spotlight is built on the standard pistol grip/lamp body configuration for balanced ease of operation and fatigue-free deployment. The chassis is comprised of a combination aluminum, PC, rubber, and TPR materials to protect the unit from hard impact and to provide a comfortable, no-slip grip in the most austere conditions. What’s more, the housing construction is waterproof, dustproof (IP67), and floats in water.

The front spotlight is powered by an exceptionally bright 20W XHP50.2 Cree LED that allows the user to switch between high, low, SOS, and off via a magnetic trigger switch with a locking mechanism. In back is a 6W Cree XP-G3 LED that serves as a flood light or a lantern. This light is controlled by an IC chip-monitored battery saver mode that automatically reduces output to extend run time.

The Cyclops Waterproof LED Spotlight is an ideal solution for anyone requiring diverse, high-output illumination in a field setting, and its multi-function lamp system is especially advantageous for hunters and boaters who often require spotlight and lantern operations in a single outing. Read more

Optics

The Ultimate Double Scrape-Dripper® Kit

Due to the extreme interest in mock scrape hunting and the high consumer demand for the Magnum Scrape-Dripper®, Wildlife Research Center® has introduced Ultimate Double Scrape-Dripper® Kit for even better value and mock scrape results.

Two is better than one and this serious combo includes 2 of the best Scrape-Drippers and 2 bottles of the best scrape scent you can use at a mock scrape location.

The Magnum Scrape-Dripper® is the smart dispenser that keeps a scrape fresh and working. It drips daytime only, to get bucks to come in during daytime hunting hours. The Magnum Scrape-Dripper® can operate for up to 2 – 3 weeks on 4 FL OZ of scent depending on temperature swings and gradually intensifies scent output to get bucks even more riled up! It’s the change in temperature that makes it work, no batteries are required.

Golden Scrape® with break-through Scent Reflex® Technology is a perfect blend of Golden Estrus® and intruding buck scents combined with subtle tones of freshly scraped earth and Territorial Musk™. With a powerful fresh scrape smell and a Special Time-Release Formula, it really heats up a scrape. It will make your scrape more appealing to the bucks in the area, especially that trophy buck! Read more

Hunting

Wildgame Innovations Launches New Encounter™ Cell Camera and Updates HuntSmart™ App

As many new players have entered the ring for smart technology trail cameras, Wildgame Innovations are coming in swinging with the launch of the Encounter cellular trail camera and updated HuntSmart app. The newest release is designed to work on ALL cellular networks regardless of the service provider, allowing for connectivity anywhere cellular signal is available.

The new Encounter trail camera is designed to work on all cellular networks regardless of the service provider in the US or Canada, which means connectivity anywhere you have a signal. The unit incorporates red, yellow, and green cell signal strength indicator lights so you know immediately if the camera is set up in an optimal transmit/receive location. Best of all, the Encounter can send images straight to a mobile device via the HuntSmart app and even access accounts directly from any computer via the HuntSmart website.

The Encounter provides 20-megapixel image captures with a .5-second trigger speed and illumination extend to 80 feet. For optimal concealment, the Encounter is built around a brown, bark-textured case that blends well in any field environment. Read more

Hunting

Yamaha Unveils New EF2200iS Generator with CO Sensor

Yamaha Enters the Next Generation of Generator Protection Standards

KENNESAW, Ga. – Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, today announced the new EF2200iS inverter generator, highlighted by the addition of a new Carbon Monoxide Sensor (CO Sensor) integrated into a detection and shutdown system.

Designed for emergency home backup portable power use, RV and camping power needs, and as a power source on many DIY home projects, the EF2200iS is the first in Yamaha’s upcoming lineup of generators exclusively equipped with CO Sensor technology to meet the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association’s™ (PGMA®) ANSI/PGMA G300-2018 standard to monitor carbon monoxide emissions. When the CO Sensor detects elevated levels of carbon monoxide, the EF2200iS automatically shuts off and will remain off for approximately five minutes, with indication that the generator needs to be moved to a well-ventilated space. A new CO Sensor graphic and LED indicator lights on the control panel notify the user of carbon monoxide emission levels or system malfunctions. Read more

General

SIG SAUER Gears Up With the NSSF for National Shooting Sports Month

NEWINGTON, N.H., (July 27, 2021) – National Shooting Sports Month begins in August and SIG SAUER, Inc. is pleased to announce support for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) annual initiative to celebrate the shooting sports. Beginning August 1st – 31st, SIG SAUER, in conjunction with the NSSF, is offering an exclusive SIG SAUER Shooting Sports Gear Box.

The SIG SAUER Shooting Sports Gear Box includes a SIG SAUER CROSS Bolt-Action Rifle, a SIG SAUER Electro-Optics SIERRA3 BDX combo kit including rangefinder and riflescope, SIG SAUER Elite Hunter ammunition, and exclusive SIG SAUER Hunt Like A Warrior Gear. To enter for a chance to win the SIG SAUER Gear Box visit letsgoshooting.org.

“SIG SAUER is proud to support NSSF and all of their safety, shooting, and hunting initiatives during National Shooting Sports Month, and throughout the year, to raise awareness and participation in the shooting sports,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER,Inc. “With a record number of Americans becoming firearm owners, active participation across the industry in National Shooting Sports Month, and all of the important NSSF initiatives, is essential to ensuring that the shooting sports, and our 2nd Amendment rights are protected and enjoyed for generations to come.” Read more

Firearms

Whitetails Unlimited Awards Grant to Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors

Wichita, KS – Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors was recently awarded a grant from Whitetails Unlimited. These funds will be used to expand the rapidly growing Shooting Sports Outreach Program to engage participants in high school and college shooting sports in hunting activities.

Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors has been engaged in recruiting mentors for at-risk youth since its beginnings in 2002. In the second year of our new Shooting Sports Outreach Program, Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors more than doubled the number of hunts and participants from the first year of the program, fielding over 200 hunts with over 550 participants.

Brittany French, Director of Field Operations commented, “This has been a really exciting year. We have been able to show that our Shooting Sports Outreach Program can be scaled and yields the kind of results needed to create more hunters. We have athletes, volunteer mentors, and landowners flocking to us wanting to get involved.”

Russell Austad, Program Services Director for Whitetails Unlimited Inc., commented “Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors does a wonderful job introducing individuals to shooting sports and the outdoors. Our partnership is mutually beneficial.”

“One of the keys to our Shooting Sports Outreach Program model is our partnership with conservation organizations like Whitetails Unlimited who recognize that we need to cultivate new hunters as much as we need to cultivate habitat if we are going to insure the future of the North American Model of Conservation,” commented Mike Christensen, President of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors. “We rely on the volunteers and mentors from Whitetails Unlimited and other organizations to share their love of the outdoors with all of these new hunters.”

About the Whitetails Unlimited:

Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization that has remained true to its mission and has made great strides in the field of conservation. We have gained the reputation of being the nation’s premier organization dedicating our resources to the betterment of the white-tailed deer and its environment. Whitetails Unlimited’s mission is to raise funds in support of (1) educational programs, (2) wildlife habitat enhancement and acquisition, and (3) preservation of the hunting tradition and shooting sports for future generations.

To learn more about Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc. please visit their website at http://www.outdoormentors.org

Hunting

Sevr Robusto: Tested Best for Crossbow

After extensive field testing, HuntStand Media revealed the three award-winning crossbow broadheads from the 2021 HuntStand Crossbow Broadhead Field Test. HuntStand’s rigorous crossbow broadhead analysis rated the SEVR Robusto as top all-around choice. The Robusto was the only broadhead to place first, second, or third in all seven tests and earned the 2021 Editor’s Choice Award. And true to its name, the Robusto was the only broadhead to remain operable after HuntStand’s grueling “destruction” test. Also placing first in affordability, the SEVR Robusto can be purchased for $13.99 each at sevrbroadheads.com

To see the full HuntStand 2021 Best Crossbow Broadhead Test visithttps://www.huntstandmedia.com/hunting/scoutdoors/posts/22907/best-new-crossbow-broadheads-of-2021-field-test

Archery
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