Heritage Manufacturing Introduces the Range Side Lever Action Rifle

[Bainbridge, GA] – Heritage Manufacturing proudly unveils its latest offering, the “Range Side” Lever Action Rifle, embodying the timeless essence of the Old West with the precision demanded by modern shooters.

The Range Side is not merely a rifle; it’s a legacy reborn, designed to be the steadfast companion of the contemporary Westerner. Its classic design, paired with advanced functionality, ensures it stands out as a symbol of tradition and performance.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the Range Side features a beautifully crafted walnut stock and forend, delivering both durability and authenticity. Its robust construction guarantees reliability in any scenario, from the crack of dawn on the ranch to the twilight hours in the field.

With a range of finish options available, the Range Side allows shooters to personalize their firearm without compromising on its rugged functionality. Equipped with a brass bead front sight, this rifle offers quick and accurate targeting, making it ideal for the fast-paced scenarios encountered in various shooting activities.

Designed for comfort and control, the Range Side boasts a leather-wrapped lever that ensures a secure grip as users cycle through the .410 bore rounds, whether for target practice or small game hunting. From the vast expanse of the range to the rugged terrain of the frontier, the Range Side is more than just a firearm—it’s a testament to the Western spirit, always by your side. Read more

Firearms

Some ‘Re-Leaf:’ Limited and Declining Spongy Moth Populations Continue in 2024

The warm spring weather means it’s time for open houses, outdoor weddings and picnics in the park. Sometimes, these occasions can be less fun with some uninvited guests – spongy moth caterpillars. Nature’s literal “party poopers,” these very hungry caterpillars cluster on oaks and other deciduous trees to munch on their leaves, raining BB-sized pellets of frass (droppings) on humans gathered below.

The good news for those planning outdoor events is that spongy moth populations will continue their downward trend in many areas in 2024. The outbreak that started in Michigan in 2019 and peaked in 2021 has been steadily declining for the last few years.

In 2023, the Department of Natural Resources conducted aerial surveys of nearly 20 million acres across the state, mapping 156,000 acres of defoliation, or leaf loss, due to spongy moth caterpillar feeding. While the number may seem high, it is less than half of the 386,000 acres recorded in 2022, and far short of the 1.3 million acres damaged in 2021. Read more

Wildlife

Delta Waterfowl Expands Predator Management to Produce More Ducks

The Duck Hunters Organization conducts annual field work in the prairie pothole region during nesting season

As ducks begin to breed and nest in the prairie pothole region this spring, Delta Waterfowl’s Predator Management trappers are again hard at work to boost the hatch and increase duck production.

Delta Waterfowl continues to increase its impact for ducks and duck hunters, operating a program-record 46 Predator Management sites during the 2024 breeding season, up from 31 sites in 2023. The program expansion is an incremental step in Delta’s delivery of the Million Duck Campaign, a $250 million fundraising initiative with a goal to produce 1 million ducks annually.

“We are now operating in all five prairie pothole region jurisdictions (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota) at the same time,” said Mike Buxton, waterfowl programs director for Delta Waterfowl. “We’ve added 15 more sites this season, which establishes the base for continued growth of Delta’s Million Duck Campaign.”

Delta’s Predator Management trappers—all of whom are professionals with extensive trapping experience—begin work in early spring. Some years, they are met with deep snowdrifts that hamper access, while other springs afford easier mobility to set traps for duck nest predators.

“It’s important to have as much time as possible for the traps to do the job ahead of when ducks start nesting,” Buxton said. “During those gigantic snow years, the water is really good for ducks when all of the snow melts, but it inhibits our trappers’ ability to get everywhere they need to be right from the start. We just go about our work a different way.”

The goal of Delta’s Predator Management is to produce ducks.

“We strategically deploy this tool in landscapes where duck production is low and not reaching its full potential,” Buxton said.

Raccoons and skunks, duck nest predators that were uncommon or absent across much of the prairie prior to the 1950s, have become overly abundant in many areas because of changes in land use and agriculture. The effects have been devastating for ducks. Studies have shown that up to 90 percent of the failed nests are destroyed by predators. Read more

Wildlife

Firearm Industry Surpasses $17 Billion in Pittman-Robertson Excise Tax Contributions for Conservation

Firearm Industry Surpasses $17 Billion in Pittman-Robertson Excise Tax Contributions for Conservation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, celebrates firearm and ammunition manufacturers topping $17 billion in excise tax contributions to the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund since its inception in 1937. When adjusted for inflation, the total is more than $27.38 billion. The latest Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) Collection report released by the Department of the Treasury, covering the 4th Quarter Calendar Year 2023, indicates that firearm and ammunition manufacturers contributed more than $222 million.

“The entire firearm and ammunition industry celebrates this milestone that demonstrates our commitment to wildlife conservation for all Americans,” said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. “The firearm and ammunition industry knows the conservation of wildlife and the habitats in which they thrive are invaluable. They are critical to future generations taking part in hunting and the recreational shooting sports traditions and learning about their vital importance. This manufacturing industry, which produces firearms and ammunition for law-abiding citizens, also produces the funding upon which our wildlife depends and is vital for future generations to enjoy.”

The firearm and ammunition industry added $1 billion in conservation tax contributions in just one year. NSSF announced Firearm and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) contributions have totaled more than $1 billion annually for the past three years. Read more

Firearms, Fishing

USDA Black Vulture Study Taking Flight in Arkansas, Missouri

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture need the public’s help collecting sightings of black vultures outfitted with special tags fitted to their wings. The birds are part of a multi-year study to better mediate conflicts with black vultures.

Birdwatchers, livestock owners and landowners are encouraged to report any tagged birds to the United States Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab online at reportband.gov. Sightings can also be emailed to USDA Wildlife Biologist Eric Tillman at Eric.A.Tillman@usda.gov.

Black vultures and turkey vultures both play an important role in nature by eating dead animals and removing disease from the landscape. The more aggressive black vultures, however, can cause issues for cattle ranchers and other livestock producers. The species can prey on calves, vulnerable cows, and smaller farm animals such as lambs and goats. Black vultures also are known to cause property damage to vehicles, boats and houses. Read more

Wildlife

Kayak Fishing Fun – The Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing – Available Now on Newsstands

120-Page Publication Plus Hours of Digital Content on YouTube, MyOutdoorTV & kayakfishingfun.com

Outdoor Sportsman Group’s (OSG) Kayak Fishing Fun is a specialized magazine that ushers both novices and experienced anglers into the exciting world of kayak fishing. This comprehensive, 120-page publication is set to hit the newsstands on May 7, and available across OSG’s esteemed print and digital platforms. Additionally, Kayak Fishing Fun extends its reach beyond print, offering dynamic video content accessible at www.kayakfishingfun.com and the Florida Sportsman Kayak Fishing Fun YouTube playlist. Fans can also stream exclusive content on MyOutdoorTV, bringing the thrilling world of kayak fishing into homes worldwide. Read more

Fishing

Win a Custom LaRue Tactical OBR from Primary Arms

HOUSTON, TEXAS – This month, Primary Arms is giving away a LaRue Tactical OBR 7.62, upgraded with a GLx® 3-18×44 FFP Rifle Scope, Harris bipod, and more! This rifle package is valued at over $4,000 and would be a fantastic addition to any enthusiast’s collection, offering performance, ballistic power, and long-range precision.

Click here to see the Monthly Giveaway Page: [Click Here]. Read more

Contests, Firearms, Optics

WIN A 5-DAY BEZOAR IBEX HUNT IN TURKEY

Ever dreamt of hunting Bezoar Ibex in Turkey? Here’s your golden opportunity!

Enter sweepstakes to win a 5-day one-on-one guided Anatolian (Bezoar) Ibex hunt in Turkey with world famous outfitter Kaan Karakaya of Shikar Safaris. The Anatolian Ibex, which has the world’s longest horns in relation to body weight (140 lbs), is the most handsome of the Ibex species with horns as long as 55.” The hide of the male Ibex is decorated in a wonderful harmony of black and white during the rutting season.

About the Hunt Read more

Contests, Hunting

Michigan DNR asks anglers to report tagged brown trout for new Rifle River study

DNR asks anglers to report tagged brown trout for new Rifle River study

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking Rifle River and Saginaw Bay anglers to keep an eye out for brown trout with a tag or clip and to report information about these fish as part of a new study.

This spring, the DNR initiated a pilot study to gauge brown trout movement in the Rifle River and their exchange between the river and Saginaw Bay. Over the next two years, approximately 20 brown trout in this vicinity will be tagged with an internal acoustic telemetry tag. Acoustic tags, also called transmitters, send a series of pings to nearby receivers, which essentially act as underwater computers anchored to the lake bottom. These tags connect with the network of receivers in Saginaw Bay and the main basin to collect fish movement information.

Local anglers recently have reported an increase in catch rates of lake-run brown trout. The Rifle River is annually stocked with the Sturgeon River strain of brown trout to create a resident stream fishery, but this strain of the species can exhibit lake-run behavior, meaning that they migrate from the river to the Great Lakes. This pilot study will provide preliminary data to determine the extent to which this may be occurring and assist the DNR with future management decisions. Read more

Fishing

Smallbore, Air Matches Return to CMP’s 2024 Camp Perry Open

By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Register now for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) 2024 Camp Perry Open! The annual event is set to be held May 31-June 3, and offers a full schedule of air gun and smallbore rifle competitions – all held at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Facility in Port Clinton, Ohio.

Matches at the 2024 Camp Perry Open include a junior 3×20 air rifle match and 60 Shot air rifle and air pistol competitions for adults and juniors, with adaptive athletes encouraged to attend all events. Additionally, a free air rifle clinic will be available to attendees. All air gun events will be held within CMP’s Gary Anderson Competition Center indoor electronic range.

Outside, a 3×20 smallbore rifle match will take place on Camp Perry’s Petrarca Range, conveniently located next to the air gun facility and also equipped with an electronic target line.

Adding even more excitement to the Camp Perry Open will be the celebrated Super Final elimination event – featuring costumes, music and other elements that bring fun to the match. Read more

Firearms
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