Michigan: spring turkey season leftover licenses available now

Turkey call ready? Check. Equipment sighted in? Check. Spring turkey license purchased? Buy your license now!

The spring turkey season is the perfect way to kick off a new hunting year and enjoy time outdoors during the spring awakening. If you didn’t apply for a license, or if you weren’t successful in the license drawing, leftover licenses for the spring turkey season are now available. Buy a remaining license at Michigan.gov/Turkey.

Are you looking for a more flexible option this spring? For a longer season, private-land hunters in southern Michigan can purchase a Hunt Unit ZZ (Hunt 0301) license for April 17- May 31. Read more

Hunting

Michigan DNR staff produces award-winning guide to school forests

Whether they consist of a couple acres in a suburb or hundreds of acres in a rural area, school forests are a perfect setting for hands-on learning about plants, trees, wildlife and how ecosystems work.

The Michigan School Forest Guide offers plenty of advice on school forests, from how to set one up, how to make the most of an existing school forest and even how to introduce students to public forests if a school forest isn’t available. It has been awarded the Thomas Say Award for Outstanding Publication by the National Association for Interpretation.

Who was Thomas Say, by the way? He was an early 19th-century naturalist who identified more than 1,500 insects and wildlife species native to North America. The awards program honors naturalists whose work inspires greater understanding, awareness and stewardship of natural resources.

“Once, there were more than 600 school forests in Michigan,” said Ada Takacs, DNR department specialist, who created the guide along with DNR staffer Mike Smalligan, AmeriCorps volunteers Rachel Straughen and Angel Squalls, and naturalist Maureen Stine. “If your school has a forest, that’s a plus. If your school doesn’t have a forest, there are still ways to get kids into this rich learning environment.”

Want a forest for your own school? A PDF copy of the guide is available Read more

Wildlife

Michigan S3DA Hosts Indoor State Championship

Williamsburg, KY – In order to comply with the local COVID guidelines, Michigan S3DA hosted the Indoor State Championship at Rising Phoenix in Troy, Michigan and Central Michigan Sportsman’s Club in Stanton, Michigan. The state championship was held over a two-day span with approximately 74 archers participating from 5 S3DA teams. To provide an extra layer of safety, each hosting facility offered multiple line times, provided hand sanitizer, limited the number of spectators, and enforced social distancing and facemasks except for when archers were on the line and in the act of shooting. Central Michigan Goldstar archer, Logan Fouts said, “Even with all the difficulties of trying to remember to put my mask back on, it was great to be able to compete again and shoot with my teammates and other teams.”

One of the line judges, Toni Falk reflected on the event, “What a pleasure it was to be a part of the 2021 MI S3DA State Tournament. Officiating gave me the opportunity to both observe and interact with an amazing group of youth competitors. I was especially touched interacting with two ladies in the same scoring group who were so close in score it appeared that it could go either way. In the very last end, one of the girls shot her best end of the day with five inside out x’s and the other girl had a miss. My thoughts were as I observed the scoring group, this is going to be a hard way to finish for one of these girls, but that was not the case at all. While I quietly observed, the girls moved from scoring the target with the miss to the target with 5 inside out x’s. When the five circled “Xs” were recorded, without hesitation, the archer with the miss recorded in her last end and congratulated her competitor with a high five for the awesome competition and finish. I walked back across the range thinking there is more than one winner at that bail. These kids are so inspiring!” Read more

Archery

New Boat Engine Cutoff Switch Law Goes Into Effect April 1

Applies to boats less than 26 feet operating on plane or above displacement speed

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – There are new engine cutoff device wear requirements for recreational boat operators as part of the January 1, 2021, passage of National Defense Authorization Act that included a U.S. Coast Guard Reauthorization. These devices, commonly referred to as engine cutoff switches (ECOS), are designed to prevent a boat-strike injury if an operator is accidentally ejected overboard while underway.

Engine cutoff devices can be located at the helm of the boat or on the tiller or body of an outboard engine and typically connect a boat’s operator to the cutoff switch with a lanyard. Some ECOS devices eliminate the lanyard and rely on wireless proximity devices to shut down an engine if the operator goes overboard.

Effective April 1, 2021, the new law requires a vessel operator to use either a helm or outboard lanyard or wireless ECOS on certain vessels less than 26 feet when traveling on plane or above displacement speed. These vessels include (1) boats that have a functioning engine cutoff device installed at the helm or on an outboard engine or have wireless ECOS, or (2) boats manufactured beginning January 2020. The Coast Guard increased the number of boats required to have ECOS installed after this date in an effort to reduce boating accidents and fatalities. Read more

Fishing

Smith & Wesson Unveils New M&P Shield Plus

The large capacity, micro-compact Smith & Wesson® M&P Shield Plus pistol is here

SPRINGFIELD, MA –?Smith & Wesson?Inc.?today announced?that it has released the next evolution of the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield pistol – the M&P Shield Plus. Designed for concealed carry, the M&P Shield Plus is the most advanced M&P Shield pistol to date, featuring a magazine capacity up to 13 rounds in a slim, micro-compact frame. The M&P Shield Plus is available in 9mm in a variety of configurations, including Performance Center® models with optics cuts, upgraded sights, and more.

Kyle Tengwall, Vice President of Marketing, said, “We’re excited to announce the next evolution of the M&P Shield pistol – the M&P Shield Plus. Packed with popular features such as a flat-face trigger, large capacity magazine, optics cuts, and more, the M&P Shield Plus product line has been designed to meet the needs of today’s firearm consumer. With over three million M&P Shield pistols sold in the past decade, the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield is a proven, reliable platform with the ability to stand the test of time – and best of all, the new M&P Shield Plus pistols are rolling out to retailers across the country now.”

The new M&P Shield Plus comes in both standard and Performance Center models, each with a variety of enhancements. The M&P Shield Plus features the hallmark 18-degree grip angle of the M&P pistol series for a natural point of aim, helping to better manage recoil and get back on target quickly. Standard M&P Shield Plus pistols include a variety of features, including a flat-face trigger, a new, optimized grip texture designed for concealed carry, and two magazines: an extended 13+1 round magazine and a flush-fit 10+1 round magazine. Performance Center M&P Shield Plus pistols feature all of the enhancements of standard models, plus porting, fiber optic sights, longer slides, and optics cuts. The MSRP on the new M&P Shield Plus pistol starts at $553. Read more

Firearms

Wild Population of Mexican Wolves Grows for Fifth Consecutive Year

2020 survey shows at least 186 wolves across the Southwest

The wild population of Mexican wolves in the United States saw its fifth consecutive year of growth in 2020. According to the recent count, the U.S. population of Mexican wolves has increased by 14% since last year, raising the total number of wolves in the wild to a minimum of 186 animals.

From November 2020 through January 2021, the Interagency Field Team (IFT) conducted ground counts in Arizona and New Mexico that concluded with aerial counts of Mexican wolves in January and February. According to the IFT, the 186 wolves are distributed with 114 in New Mexico and 72 in Arizona. In 2019, the team documented a minimum of 163 wolves, which was a 24% increase from 2018. This population has nearly doubled in size over the last five years. Read more
Wildlife

Steelhead Outdoors Nomad 32 Modular Gun Safe

Prior Lake, MN – Steelhead Outdoors added a new product to its growing Nomad modular gun safe line. The new Nomad 32 provides hunters, shooters and firearm collectors with a mid-size choice in between its Nomad 26 and Nomad 38 models. The model numbers correspond with the gun safes’ exterior width. All Steelhead Outdoors Nomad modular safes feature American-made quality and precision engineered versatility. Nomad safes can be ordered with either a dial mechanical lock or a push button digital lock.

Compare the data to select a Nomad model or work with the Steelhead Outdoors engineers to create a custom gun safe. Custom-built Steelhead Outdoors modular safes can fit any space in the home and are available in a multitude of colors.

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Steelhead Outdoors modular gun safes are easily moved and assembled by two people. Traditional safes require hiring a specialized safe moving company, which is costly, or enlisting buddies on a dangerous DIY adventure each time the homeowner moves. Read more

Firearms

German Precision Optics SPECTRAdot Red Dot Scope

RICHMOND, Va. — German Precision Optics (GPO) proudly introduces its entrance into the red dot scope market with the new SPECTRAdot Red Dot Scope. Designed to meet the needs of tactical shooters and hunters that require rapid target acquisition, this high-quality, lightweight and compact red dot scope is the perfect mate to most tactical and sporting rifles and shotguns.

The SPECTRAdot features high-efficiency power management with a battery runtime of up to 50,000 hours with a CR2032 battery, a mount that mates with both Weaver and Picatinny-style rails, precision ½ MOA windage and elevation click adjustments, and IPX 7 sealing. The red dot brightness measuring 3 MOA also enables the use of the SPECTRAdot in a variety of lighting conditions, with six daytime and five nighttime settings. Read more

Optics

SIG SAUER P365X ROMEOZero Now Available

NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. is proud to introduce the P365X ROMEOZero, the newest addition to the P365 series of pistols. The P365X ROMEOZero combines the 3.1 inch barrel of the original P365 with the P365XL XSERIES grip module, featuring a 12-round flush fit magazine, with a factory installed ROMEOZero red dot sight, bringing a new level of performance to everyday carry.

“The SIG SAUER P365 series of pistols is the leader in the industry for everyday carry and continues to set the standard for delivering unprecedented capacity in a micro-compact size,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “The introduction of the P365X ROMEOZero further redefines everyday carry by combining the XSERIES features first introduced with the popular P365XL – including the larger grip module and XSERIES trigger – with the shorter 3.1 inch barrel of the original P365, making it an all-around more comfortable concealed carry pistol.”

The SIG SAUER P365X ROMEOZero is a 9mm striker-fired pistol, featuring the XSERIES P365 grip module with an integrated carry magwell and extended beavertail, with the standard 3.1 inch P365 barrel and slide with XSERIES markings, a factory installed ROMEOZero micro-open reflex sight, X-RAY3 day/night front sight, and the XSERIES flat trigger with a 90-degree break. The P365X ROMEOZero ships with two 12-round magazines (15-round magazines available separately). Read more

Firearms

Update: CMP’s 2021 National Matches

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Looking toward the summer months, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is eagerly anticipating the return of one of the most acclaimed events of the year – the National Rifle and Pistol Matches, held on the historic ranges of Camp Perry.

The National Matches has been an honored tradition for generations – first firing on the Camp Perry grounds in 1907 and featuring a lineup of rifle, pistol and air gun events for both seasoned and aspiring marksmanship competitors.

With the evolving regulations of COVID-19, CMP staff members are hard at work updating the National Matches to fit the modern era. Procedures for the 2021 National Matches include revisions to safety regulations (such as social distancing and mask wearing), limiting firing points, squadding protocols, in-processing, awards and other details.

The CMP is partnering with the Ohio National Guard to remain up-to-date on CDC guidelines, to provide an environment that is as safe as possible for guests of Camp Perry, while also staying true to the events and customs that have made the National Matches a celebrated destination for marksmanship enthusiasts for over a century. Read more

Firearms
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