Baby Sturgeon to Be Released into Tennessee River

About 500 baby Lake Sturgeon raised at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute this year will be returned to their ancestral waters. Since 2000, the Aquarium and its conservation partners have collaboratively raised and reintroduced more than 220,000 of these “living fossils” into the waters from which they had all but disappeared by the 1970s due to human activity. Counting this event, Aquarium staff will have released about 1,700 Lake Sturgeon in 2019.During the event, members of the public and the media will be invited to personally release some of the sturgeon. Each fish released will contribute to long-term conservation efforts for this species, which can reach lengths of eight feet and boast lifespans of more than 150 years.

“I am excited to get the public involved and raise awareness about Lake Sturgeon recovery,” says Tennessee Aquarium Reintroduction Biologist Meredith Harris. “Hopefully, this hands-on experience with such a cool and important fish will foster an interest in native fish conservation in our youth a well.”

Each of the fish has been gently marked with a tiny coded wire tag that will assist researchers in monitoring the movement and robustness of the species as it navigates the river system.

When / Where: Saturday, Oct. 12, at noon on the Ladd Park boat ramp — 1470 N. Kentucky Street, Kingston, TN 37763.

Fishing

Supreme Court Denies New York’s “Mootness” Claim, Will Hear Gun Case Brought by NYSRPA

SAF HAILS HIGH COURT’S DECISION TO MOVE N.Y. GUN LAW CHALLENGE FORWARD

Contact: Alan Gottlieb (425) 454-7012

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today cheered the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to move forward with a case that challenges a New York City gun law that was so restrictive the city amended it, and then tried to get the high court to dismiss the case.

“We’re delighted that the Supreme Court will move this important case forward,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The Second Amendment Foundation has filed an amicus brief in support of overturning this egregious attempt to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. We are confident that the high court will ultimately rule in favor of Second Amendment rights.”

The city scrambled to change the law once the court decided to accept the case for review earlier this year. The challenge is brought by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association.

“It’s outrageous that the city has furiously tried to derail this case by changing the law,” Gottlieb stated. “That says volumes not only about the city’s fear of having to defend their restrictive gun control law before the court, but it also suggests to us that the city knew all along their law would not pass the constitutional smell test under any level of scrutiny, and they panicked.

“New York, and other state and local governments, have been getting away with adopting ridiculously oppressive gun regulations because lower courts have thumbed their noses at previous Supreme Court rulings in favor of the Second Amendment,” he added.

“Equally outrageous, if not more so,” Gottlieb observed, “was the attempt by Capitol Hill Democrats led by Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to bully the high court by filing a brief to dismiss the case or face the possibility that Democrats would pack the court. How dare Whitehouse and his associates attempt such coercion. We’re proud of the Supreme Court justices for ignoring this threat to their independence as a separate branch of government.

“The Democrats’ political demagoguery obviously backfired, and rightly so,” he said. “It just might cost them in November 2020.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

Gun Control

Michigan: Conservation Officers Catch Swan Poachers

A complaint called in to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Report All Poaching hotline resulted in two brothers being ticketed for illegally killing a pair of trumpeter swans on Sept. 28 – the opening day of waterfowl hunting season in the Upper Peninsula.Trumpeter swans are state and federally protected waterfowl, meaning they are illegal to hunt.

Conservation Officer Cody Smith, who patrols Baraga County, was on waterfowl patrol when the tip was called in to the RAP hotline.

“I received a complaint that someone had shot multiple swans in the Sturgeon River sloughs,” Smith said.

Smith contacted his partner, Conservation Officer Doug Hermanson, who patrols Houghton County, to assist. The two conservation officers met at the Sturgeon River Sloughs Wildlife Area, located south of Chassell along U.S. 41.

Several groups of waterfowl hunters were in the area. Smith and Hermanson surveyed the area and identified the suspects reported to the RAP dispatcher – two brothers in their late 20s, from Houghton.

Smith and Hermanson conducted a routine waterfowl check and found one of the hunters in possession of lead shot. Lead shot is toxic when ingested and is illegal to use for hunting waterfowl.

“We asked the hunters if they had seen any geese, which they said they had not,” Smith said. “We spoke to them for a little bit and told them about the RAP complaint.”

Upon asking the hunters where the swans were, the brothers confessed they killed two trumpeter swans and stashed the birds where they dropped. Smith and Hermanson retrieved the swans and issued the poachers tickets for killing two trumpeter swans and possession of lead shot while waterfowl hunting. Read more

Poachers

Primary Arms “Glocktober” EDC Giveaway

First of Four-Week Glocktober EventEDC Build Valued at over $2000 in Parts and Upgrades

Exclusive Strike Industries Glock 17/19 Compensator Released

New Giveaways and Sales Announced Weekly

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Primary Arms has kicked off their Glocktober Seasonal Event with two major announcements. First, this October will feature 4 pistol giveaways inspired by the venerable Glock platform, beginning with a Polymer 80 EDC build. New giveaways will be announced each week, and each pistol will be specialized for a different application. Second, Primary Arms and Strike Industries have partnered for an exclusive Glock compensator that features a unique counterweight design.

The first of four pistol giveaways, the EDC Pistol giveaway centers around a compact, 9mm handgun built from a PFC9 serialized frame and Patriot Ordinance Factory Gen 3 milled slide. With high quality components from CMC Triggers, Tango Down, and Overwatch Precision, this carry-sized pistol makes few compromises. This pistol comes equipped with a Trijicon RM06 reflex already mounted and ready, bringing the total package value above $2000. Like other Primary Arms giveaways, entry is totally free, and no purchase is necessary. To enter, just visit the Giveaway Landing Page. Read more

Firearms

Florida FWC Removes 900th Invasive Python

FWC Python Action Team removes 900th snake, captures record python from Big Cypress National Preserve

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Python Action Team has now removed 900 Burmese pythons from the wild in Florida, including a large 18 foot, 4 inch long female python – the largest ever captured by the team.

FWC PAT members Cynthia Downer and Jonathan Lopez captured the large adult female python weighing 98 pounds, 10 ounces, on Sept. 22 at Big Cypress National Preserve. In addition to being the largest snake ever captured by the PAT team, it is also the largest ever captured in Big Cypress. The snake is also the second-largest python ever caught in the wild in Florida, only 4 inches shorter than the longest wild python ever captured in Florida. Capturing large adult females is critical because it prevents them from potentially adding an average of 30 to 60 hatchlings to the population each time they breed. Read more

Wildlife

What is a Sportsman Anyway?

By Glen Wunderlich

Over the next month or so, throngs of hunters will step out of their daily routines in hopes of bagging a whitetail deer. Some will spend many hours sighting in with their chosen firearms or archery gear; some will not. Some will travel hundreds of miles or more to arrive at their hunting grounds; others hunt near home. Some will pursue only monster bucks, while others will take any legal deer – even antlerless deer. And, with the myriad methods employed, all levels of competence will be afield from expert to novice.

However, there is one term which all hunters should feel compelled to be known by and that is sportsman or woman, as the case may be. So, let’s define the word before proceeding. According to Mr. Webster a sportsman is a person who can take loss or defeat without complaint, victory without gloating, and who treats his opponents with fairness. Relative to hunting, a sportsman, it follows, is a person who can go home empty-handed and be satisfied. The sportsman, therefore, chooses only shots with a very high likelihood of his making. Adopting certain principles leads to discipline in the field, which translates into fairness to the quarry.

Nobody wants to see injured animals. Granted, it happens sometimes, but we should constantly strive to minimize bad shots. So, it behooves a sportsman to develop the single-shot mentality, knowing that some situations permit the prey to live another day. He knows there can be no wild shots and that bullet or arrow placement is the key – not firepower.

Another way of putting this into perspective is to stay within one’s personal limits. To do this, however, takes some understanding of what these limits may be. Sitting at a bench and shooting with sandbag rests at known distances will give feedback to the hunter relative to the accuracy of a gun and load. Under these ideal conditions, the shooter/hunter gains knowledge that can be translated to the field.

Once afield, though, things get complicated when a person’s fingers get cold, the wind is howling, the heart is pumping at maximum levels, because the quarry is no longer a stationary sheet of paper but a buck massive enough to grace the cover of your favorite outdoor magazine. This is when a hunter must bring himself back to reality and must decide if he will be guided by principle.

A sportsman can be content as he witnesses the outdoor world waking up or going to sleep. He is content being one with nature before the sun comes up when sounds in the dark may be mysterious. He marvels at the sight of a coyote, a wood duck or even a squirrel as they go about their daily business of survival.

At the same time he is totally prepared to take home his prize. But, if luck doesn’t go his way, he believes his patience will be rewarded another day.

If you make your goal to be satisfied with the outdoor experience that you have – no matter what the day may bring – by definition, you will have become a true sportsman.

Hunting

Win Federal Train + Protect Ammunition

ANOKA, Minnesota –– When it comes to your personal defense strategy, it’s a good idea to make sure you have an entire toolbox on hand, a Tactical Toolbox, if you will. Federal Ammunition has partnered with Brand Avalanche on a one of a kind sweepstakes: The Tactical Toolbox Giveaway!By entering at tacticaltoolboxgiveaway.com, one lucky entry will win everything you need to learn, train, and defend your home. From firearms to gun accessories to cleaning kits and a security camera, this contest will fill your tactical toolbox and more including Federal American Eagle MSR 5.56 and Federal Train + Protect ammunition.

Federal Train + Protect uses the VHP bullet design to provide precision and practical performance at the range with instant reliable expansion on impact. The result is the ideal combination for training as well as defense.

The contest runs through midnight on October 31 with a total prize package valued at about $6,000. To check out all the products available in this sweepstakes, go to www.tacticaltoolboxgiveaway.com and enter today. Read more

Ammunition

Thermion and Axion Software Updates Add Sound

(MANSFIELD, TEXAS) – Pulsar is pleased to announce the much-anticipated firmware update for the Thermion and Axion series of thermal scopes and monoculars that adds sound to your device.The firmware 2.0 update is available for the Thermion XM, Thermion XP, Axion XM and Axion Key models. Pulsar always strive to enhance its products and offer the best possible user experience. The latest firmware greatly upgrades units’ functionality and adds excellent features based on our latest achievements in image processing and sound recording.

Sound recording – The long-awaited ability to record videos with sound is finally here. Now high-quality videos will record and replay sound so you can capture your full experience while using your device. Read more

Optics

Checking NICS: NSSF-Adjusted Background Checks Up -Again

The September 2019 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,011,636 is an increase of 10.0 percent compared to the September 2018 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 919,979. For comparison, the unadjusted September 2019 FBI NICS figure 2,189,028 reflects a 15.5 percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,895,841 in September 2018.

Please note: Alabama state’s NSSF-adjusted NICS for September 2019 was 1463 percent higher than September 2018 which accounts for an additional 19,358 checks over this time last year. Likewise, Minnesota’s NSSF-adjusted NICS for September 2019 was 53.7 percent higher than September 2018 which accounts for an additional 8.577 checks over the same time period. Read more

Firearms

Savage Debuts The New Precision Series Chassis Rifles

WESTFIELD, Massachusetts –– Savage Arms is proud to announce their sponsorship of the 2019 GAP Grind/Bushnell PRO/AM. This two-day match will pit individuals and teams against each other in a unique match designed to test their skills and introduce amateur shooters to the world of professional competition. The event kicks off October 4th, at the K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, Tennessee. Read more
Firearms
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