Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Smalltooth sawfish are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which makes it illegal to target, harm, harass, or handle them in any way. While it is technically illegal to catch a sawfish (except with a research permit or in a fishery where incidental take has been authorized) captures do occur while fishing for other species. Any sawfish caught while fishing must be released as quickly as possible. Read more
GW: Slug guns are not as popular in Michigan, as they’ve been in the past with new regulations permitting the use of some heavy-hitting straight-wall centerfires in the Lower Peninsula. But, for those still using smoothbores, rifled chokes, or even fully rifled barrels, here’s another ammo option.
EAST ALTON, Ill. – Shotgun slug technology has certainly advanced over time and Winchester Ammunition is at the forefront of product innovation. The Deer Season slug benefits from those technological advancements and is an ideal option for deer hunters throughout North America.
The Deer Season Slug is new for 2018 and looks similar to a traditional Foster-style slug, but is unique in that it is paired with a rear stabilizer that is inserted into the heel of the projectile. The slug and stabilizer travel as one downrange, resulting in accuracy that deer hunters need in the field. In addition, this shotshell is designed to be used in smooth bore, rifled choke tube or fully rifled barrels to make ammunition selection easier than ever for deer hunters. Additionally, the large diameter impact tip of the slug will provide rapid energy transfer on deer.
Deer Season Slug is packed five rounds to a box and will be available to hunters for as little as $6-$7/box. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
When I began hunting many decades ago, and when age had not taken its predictable toll on my eyesight, I found that rudimentary iron sighted firearms were acceptable for some success afield. However, as time marched on and inevitable experience took shape, the need for ocular enhancement became apparent.
I recall distinctly my first experience with a scoped .22 rimfire rifle, when I noticed a squirrel in a lone oak tree but was having trouble defining the target. That’s when my hunting partner, Fast Frank, handed me his slick Remington Speedmaster topped with a 1-inch tube scope. Shouldering the rifle, the bushytail was easily placed in the crosshairs and I think I actually chuckled out loud at the obvious advantage I had gained.
It was an eye-opener, so to speak and it wasn’t long before Frank and I purchased some inexpensive compact binoculars. They didn’t cost much and were small enough to fit into chest pockets for quick deployment. They were better than nothing, but that’s about it, with the possible exception of value for bow hunting and turkey hunting.
Serious hunters realize that those compact model binoculars are difficult to use. Images are poor, light gathering is weak, and images are not sharp. Bigger glass in sizes such as 7×35 (meaning 7 power with 35mm objective lenses) are better in low light situations, when most big game is more active. With the realization that most hunters spend their hard-earned cash on rifles and scope combinations, they tend to overlook the importance of a good binocular. Some hunters prefer magnification of 8 or 10 power, but to appreciate such magnification the objective lenses must also be larger – 40mm or more.
Again, any binocular is better than none at all – especially if one relies upon a rifle scope’s optic to find and define game. This practice is inherently dangerous insofar as it violates a foundational and most important aspect of firearms safety: Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, meaning don’t point your firearm at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
Binoculars are the best tool for the job, but one reason some hunters may not opt to carry them afield is the sheer bulkiness of full-size models. Nobody wants them dangling from their neck, as can be the drawback with cheap straps provided with most binoculars. The answer is simple: a harness and case system.
Such a system provides several advantages for hunters. The harness keeps the binocular from swinging precariously about your person and minimizes the chances of inadvertent noises. A case will allow hunters to wear them outside of any garments, thus making for quick deployment, while keeping the optic protected from rain and snow or anything else that has the potential to scratch the glass. And, the number one reason for a harness/case system is that you’ll be more accustomed to taking your binocular on hunts.
The system I’ve been using for years is the S4 Lock Down Optics Deployment System and retails for $40 or so.
S4 Lockdown Optics Deployment System
It comes in sizes to accommodate different binoculars, and when hunting, I don’t leave home without them. Other models may cost less or much more, but the important take away is to get away from using firearms exclusively to locate and identify game. Good sense and ethics dictate as much.
EAST ALTON, Ill. – The U.S. Army has recently awarded Winchester an $8.1 million order for 7.62mm ammunition under an existing “Second Source” contract. The ammunition will be manufactured in Winchester’s state-of-the-art facility in Oxford, MS with an estimated completion date of Dec 31, 2019. Winchester has received more than $285 million in orders on this contract since it was initially awarded in January 2016.
“Winchester has a proud history of developing products for the military and is honored to have a role in supporting the American war fighter with the ammunition they depend on.” said Matt Campbell, vice president of marketing and sales for Winchester. Read more
Huntsville, AL – The Marlin 1894C, a classic American favorite chambered in 357Mag/38SPL is now available at retail.
Each 1894C is made from premium grade steel to create the strongest lever-gun receiver ever built. The Model 1894C has an ultra-smooth action for rapid follow-up shots. For rock-solid reliability, heat-treated solid-steel forgings are used for the receiver and trigger guard. Walnut furniture, deeply blued metal, 10-shot tubular magazine and Semi-buckhorn folding (SBF) ramp with hooded front sight complete its traditional lever gun profile.
It’s light, compact, lighting fast and built to shoot as good as it looks.
The 1894C is offered at a manufacturer suggested retail price of $788.62.
By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – The National Rimfire Sporter match fired on Sunday, July 22, with a total of 273 entries throughout the day. Heavy rain, wind and erratic temperatures challenged competitors on the firing line as well as the spectators behind it, with precipitation eventually passing through and leaving wet conditions for the rest of the match. But, competition continued on without interruption.
The match is designed to be an introduction to competition shooting – gathering both adults and juniors on the firing line with an engaging Course of Fire from 50 and 25 yards, using .22 rifles. Three separate classes of rifle are held during the event, including the O-Class (open-sighted rifles), T-Class (telescopic rifles) and Tactical.
Austin Farnsel, of Berkey, OH, traveled with his father, William, to compete in the National Rimfire Sporter Match as he celebrated his 22nd birthday. The father-son duo has participated in the National Matches since 2010 and said he wouldn’t want to spend his birthday any other way.
Winning the O-Class was CSM Steven Slee, 54, of the U.S. Army Reserve, with a score of 588. Slee, who also won the class back in 2009, 2010 and 2016, is the current National Record holder in the class, with a record score of 594-23x he set during his previous win before 2018. He cleared the win by more than 10 points above second place finisher Sam Payne, 19, of Kingston, GA, who earned the High Junior title for the fourth straight year. Read more
RADFORD, Virginia –– Alliant Powder, a leading manufacturer of smokeless propellant, offers clay target shooters a consistent, clean-burning option with the release of improved Green Dot. Shooters can now get the tight, consistent, long-range patterns of Green Dot with significantly less fouling. Shipments are being delivered to dealers.
The improved formulation burns much cleaner, with precise burn rates that produce dense, uniform patterns, as well as less felt recoil. Enhanced Green Dot is optimized for handicap trap loads, yet versatile enough for a variety of target and field applications. It offers Alliant Powder’s legendary lot-to-lot consistency and is proudly made in the U.S.A.
Features & Benefits
• Improved clean-burning formulation
• Significantly less fouling
• Lower felt recoil and superior patterning
• Optimized for handicap trap loads
• Excellent lot-to-lot consistency
• Made in the U.S.A. Read more
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation filed a joint summary judgement brief supporting a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to remove federal protections from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear population.
“We stand alongside the Sportsmen’s Alliance and our fellow conservation organizations in supporting federal scientists and wildlife biologists who declared the grizzly population fully recovered,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “The next step is keeping grizzly management under the umbrella of state agencies that manage all wildlife in accordance with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, which uses hunting as a management tool.”
“Despite the emotional rhetoric of the animal rights crowd, the time has come to return this population of bears to state management,” said Evan Heusinkveld, Sportsmen’s Alliance president and CEO. “The truth is, this is a historic moment for the species and the Endangered Species Act as a whole. Returning the Yellowstone area population of bears to state management should be a monumental achievement widely celebrated as a conservation success story.”
Numbering more than 700, the Yellowstone grizzly population meets all delisting criteria. These factors include not only the number and distribution of bears throughout the ecosystem, but also the quantity and quality of the habitat available and the states’ commitments to manage the population in a manner that maintains its healthy and secure status.
RMEF and its partners helped permanently protect more than 169,000 acres of vital wildlife habitat valued at more than $131 million in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Additionally, RMEF also directly contributed more than $3.1 million and leveraged an additional $17.5 million to help enhance wildlife habitat on more than 426,000 acres in the GYE. RMEF also contributed more than $1 million in funding and leveraged an additional $10 million from conservation partners to carry out 118 GYE wildlife management and wildlife research projects.
“These projects are crucial and helped to contribute to the understanding of wildlife populations, ecology and habitat needs, including increasing the understanding of grizzly bears and conserving the habitat needed for them to thrive in conjunction with all wildlife populations,” said Weaver. “Habitat needs to remain the focus of on-the-ground conservation work, not seemingly non-stop litigation.” Read more
On gun ranges across the country, athletes patiently execute shot after shot while chasing the same dream to represent their country and sport at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. This past Tuesday began the two-year countdown to another Olympic showcase. There’s now a 2020 vision that unites beginning and veteran shooters alike and as the Road to Tokyo comes into view we all understand what tremendous opportunity that awaits.
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For some, that pursuit hasn’t changed in three decades, and for 39-year-old Kim Rhode, she’s as steady as she’s ever been having amassed seven international victories since earning bronze in Rio de Janeiro. Her 2020 vision is the same as it was at her first Olympic Games back in 1996 and that’s to outwork the competition, be calm in the face of great pressure and enjoy every part of this ride. She’s already an Olympic legend having become the only summer Olympian EVER to earn six Olympic medals (three golds, one silver, two bronzes) in six consecutive Games. What’s next?
“One of the things I’m really looking forward to in Tokyo 2020 is the atmosphere, the traditions, the culture, and really just my teammates – the memories and comradery leading up to and through the Olympics. That’s just something I’ve found after going to six Olympics – each one is unique and so different. I can’t wait to see what Tokyo brings.” Read more
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) has introduced S.3264, the Knife Owners’ Protection Act of 2018 (KOPA) including repeal of the Federal Switchblade Act. This is a companion to the House KOPA bill, H.R.84, introduced last year. Originally conceived and authored by Knife Rights in 2010 and first introduced in 2013, KOPA will remove the irrational restrictions on interstate trade in automatic knives that are legal to one degree or another in 44 states, while also protecting the right of knife owners to travel throughout the U.S. without fear of prosecution under the myriad patchwork of state and local knife laws.