SCI Counters Antis’ Lies About Federal Commission
Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
A bloom of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Pinellas County, background to low concentrations in six samples collected from Manatee County, very low to high concentrations in 30 samples collected from Sarasota County, very low to medium concentrations in nine samples collected from Charlotte County, background to medium concentrations in seven samples collected from or offshore of Lee County, and very low to low concentrations in two samples collected from Collier County. Read more
Huntsville, AL – Born of the same competitive spirit that set the Model 1911 apart from all others more than a century ago, the Model 1911 R1 Limited is built for performance, match after match.
The new Model 1911 R1 Limited Series has been engineered end-to-end for championship performance. With its PVD coating, the 5-inch match-grade stainless steel barrel, slide and frame deliver silky smooth operation in heavy use. The ambidextrous extended thumb safety makes for easy operation in either hand. An adjustable match grade skeletonized trigger for a clean crisp break. Its ?ber optic front sight and fully adjustable LPA target rear sight are built for rapid target acquisition and shaving split seconds off your score. Read more
• New world and national records of 88.61mph set by Jaguar Vector Racing V20E.
• Breaking previous electric best of 76.8mph set in 2008.
• Developed in partnership with Jaguar Racing’s technical partner
Williams Advanced Engineering using Formula E technology.
London, UK, Friday 15 June 2018
Jaguar Vector Racing have broken the outright world and national electric speed
records in a battery-powered boat. The unique Jaguar Vector V20E recorded
an average speed of 88.61mph across the two legs of the famous 1km course
on Coniston Water, England.
The electric boat was designed and constructed by Jaguar Vector in partnership with
Jaguar Racing’s technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering. Jaguar Vector
co-founder and technical director Peter Dredge piloted the V20E. Read more
BOSTON — The Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of a man aboard ocean rowboat Alba Friday after he activated his emergency position indicating radio beacon about 530 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
Niall Macdonald triggered his EPIRB around 12:30 a.m.Friday, alerting Coast Guard watchstanders to his distress.
Due to sporadic connectivity, Macdonald was able to call watchstanders at the United Kingdom Mission Control Center via satellite phone. He reported facing 36 hours of rough seas causing his rowboat to take on water. He abandoned the ocean rower for his life raft.
Watchstanders from the First Coast Guard District in Boston coordinated with the United Kingdom Mission Control Center to relay satellite phone messages. Coast Guard watchstanders sent out an urgent marine bulletin to vessels in the area requesting assistance and coordinated with the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Canada, to launch a Canadian C-130 aircraft to assist in the rescue due to the distance offshore. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
With summer knocking on the door, summertime priorities make their way to the top of one’s list. As a gardener, I understand Michigan’s short growing season and take full advantage of the warm weather, just as boaters, golfers, campers and other outdoor aficionados do. And, then there are chores such as car washing, lawn mowing, exterior painting, etc. that garner their fair share of attention. Meanwhile, our hunting firearms are collecting dust, never to be thought of until hunting season begins.
Here are some thoughts that can make hunting season more productive.
A good trigger is a good place to start. Optics have improved immeasurably over the years with electronics and good cheap glass. However, without a clean-breaking and lightened pull weight, a piece of $600 glass will only show a shooter where his misses are hitting. As an ex-shooting range officer, I’ve seen and heard it all when it comes to excuses. Some perplexed shooter were glad to hand off their unworthy firearm to me to test shoot. I’ve handed them back, as soon as I’ve discovered the malady in their marksmanship: poor triggers. No thanks.
Fortunately, there is no better time than the present to upgrade that inaccurate shooting iron, because gunsmiths are typically not as busy now, as they will be when deer season arrives. With this in mind, you may want to consider dishing off that deer gun for a trigger “massage” or replacement.
For liability reasons, many modern firearms have heavy-pulling triggers as a means to minimize exposure to lawsuits relative to accidental discharge. On the other hand, some newer models employ adjustable triggers that can perform quite well for hunting firearms.
Hunting firearms can and should be tools used for a specific purpose, although some can double as varmint and deer guns. Apart from that, when discussing big game guns, we need to understand there is a difference between how they perform compared to quality target guns. Think of it this way: A target gun can hit dime-sized targets consistently at 100 yards, whereas a big game gun only needs to hit dinner-plate sized targets at the same range.
Doing so, doesn’t mean inconsistency is to be considered “good enough” when groups are best described as patterns. Smaller groups are still better than larger ones, but we must be cognizant of trade-offs if we get caught up in precision alone. That’s because target triggers set below 2.5 pounds or less can be downright dangerous in hunting firearms – especially, in the colder weather inherent in fall seasons.
The first consideration is that cold conditions can lessen feel in fingers. Extremities are the first to suffer from the effects of cold and operating a trigger that is set too light can mean that a bullet is sent downrange before a shooter is actually on target.
Secondly, gloves are often worn and that complicates matters for the same reason: feel is compromised.
Thirdly, many big game hunters just are not very familiar with their chosen firearms – sometimes not shooting them at all from season to season. Although a good trigger pull is paramount to the notion of being surprised when a trigger breaks, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that it becomes dangerous. Handing such a firearm to another shooter for any reason should never be done for the same reason, unless it’s done at the firing range under close supervision and in a controlled environment.
No doubt, too much of a good thing can be bad and next week a discussion on hunting optics will follow the same logic.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division officials said Thursday the state’s wolf population has remained relatively stable over the past four wolf surveys, the most recent of which occurred this past winter.
DNR wildlife biologists estimate there was a minimum of 662 wolves found among 139 packs across the Upper Peninsula this past winter. The 2016 minimum population estimate was 618 wolves.
“Based on our latest minimum population estimate, it is clear wolf numbers in Michigan remain viable and robust,” said Russ Mason, chief of the DNR’s wildlife division. “A similar trend is apparent in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The western Great Lakes states’ wolf population is thriving and has recovered.”
Fifteen more wolf packs were found during this past winter’s survey than in 2016, but pack size has decreased slightly and now averages less than five wolves.
The survey was conducted from December through April, before wolves had produced pups, and when the population is at its lowest point in the annual cycle.
“As the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula has grown and spread out across the region, packs are situated closer together,” said Dean Beyer, a DNR wildlife research biologist who organizes the sampling and generates the wolf population estimate for the biannual survey. “This makes it harder to determine which pack made the tracks that were observed in adjacent areas.
“Movement information we collect from GPS-collared wolves helps us interpret the track count results, because these data allow us to identify territorial boundaries. The minimum population estimate we generate is a conservative estimate, which takes these factors into account.”
The wolf survey is completed by DNR Wildlife Division and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff who search specific survey areas for wolf tracks and other signs of wolf activity, such as territorial marking or indications of breeding.
In 2017-2018, approximately 63 percent of the Upper Peninsula was surveyed.
After wolves returned naturally to the U.P. through migration from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario in the 1980s, the population rebounded remarkably over time. The pronounced long-term increase in wolf abundance is evident, despite human cause-specific mortality, such as poaching.
However, over the past few years, Michigan’s minimum estimate has hovered between 600 and 700 wolves, which could be indicative of a stabilizing population.
“Research suggests prey availability and the geographical area of the U.P. are the key limiting factors of wolf population expansion,” said Kevin Swanson, a wildlife management specialist with the DNR’s Bear and Wolf Program in Marquette. “This is proving to be true.”
Since the winter of 1993-94, combined wolf numbers in Michigan and Wisconsin have surpassed 100, meeting federally established goals for population recovery. The Michigan recovery goal of a minimum sustainable population of 200 wolves for five consecutive years was achieved in 2004.
Wolves in Michigan remain a federally-protected species which may only be killed legally in defense of human life.
WESTFIELD, Massachusetts –– When the stakes are high, settle for nothing less than the extreme precision, unflinching performance and industry-leading adaptability of the new Savage 110 Tactical. Caliber options include 308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor. Shipments of these firearms are currently being delivered to dealers.
The 110 Tactical’s revolutionary AccuFit system lets tactical and competitive shooters perfectly customize comb height and length-of-pull for the utmost consistency in all situations, while the user-adjustable AccuTrigger provides a light, crisp pull.
Together with the AccuStock, which secures the action three-dimensionally along its entire length, the 110 Tactical provides the fit and function of a custom rifle—right out of the box. It also features a suppressor-ready threaded barrel, a one-piece scope rail and 10-round detachable box magazine. Available in right- and left-hand models.
Features & Benefits
• AccuFit system lets shooters quickly adjust comb height and length-of-pull
• User-adjustable AccuTrigger
• AccuStock rail system secures the action three-dimensionally along its entire length
• Detachable 10-round Magpul AICS magazine
• Threaded heavy barrel with end cap
• 20 MOA EGW rail
• Gray or Desert Tan synthetic stock
• New Model 110 design and ergonomics
• Tactical oversized bolt handle
Part No. / Description / MSRP
110 Tactical (Gray)
57006 / 308 Win., 20-inch barrel / $784
57007 / 308 Win., 24-inch barrel / $784
57232 / 6.5 Creedmoor, 24-inch barrel / $784 Read more