Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
The total economic impact of the firearm and ammunition industry in the United States increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $90.05 billion in 2023, a 371 percent increase, while the total number of full-time equivalent jobs rose from approximately 166,000 to over 384,437, a 131 percent increase in that period, according to a report released by the NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association. Read more
Have you seen fish stocking trucks on the road this spring? If not, chances are you soon will! Our stocking season is underway, and this time of year you’ll find DNR trucks releasing their prized cargo at hundreds of lakes and streams throughout the state.
Fish stocking is a valuable tool fisheries managers use for different reasons, including:
The DNR does not stock on top of wild populations when it can be avoided. Fish production staff members take great pride in the quality of the fish they produce, but when feasible prefer to rely on naturally reproducing fish that are adapted to their local ecosystem. Read more
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has announced it will be hosting several informative Steyr firearm courses in April, all available at the Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama.
Steyr Arms, Inc. is a firearms manufacturer with over 150 years of innovation. A world-renowned leader, the company specializes in products that are often utilized by military and law enforcement, due to their incomparable reliability standards.
As a subsidiary to their production division, Steyr Academy trains individuals on practical uses of firearms through valuable instruction, led by Brian Marshall, a 28-year veteran of local and federal law enforcement with two decades of instructor experience.
Two Steyr courses held at Talladega in April will be held on the covered firing points at the 100, 200, 300 and 600 yards, using CMP’s electronic target lines. The classes will also fire on Talladega’s unknown distance range. These courses include: Read more
Birding in Michigan during spring migration is a big deal, with hundreds of species to search for, endless opportunities to catch sight of them and plenty of people who enjoy the chance to talk all things birds! Mark your calendar for two events coming up Thursday, April 18.
Birds & Brews in Marquette
If you’re up for a special evening of bird trivia, conversation about how public lands support birds and the chance to win a door prize – all while enjoying a complimentary (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) drink – join the Laughing Whitefish Bird Alliance and MI Birds at Birds & Brews, 7 p.m. at Ore Dock Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. in Marquette.
This is a family-friendly event, with coloring sheets and crayons provided. Door prizes include binoculars, a book on gardening for birds, and coffee and chocolate donated by local businesses. Registration is not required. We hope to see you there! (More than a hundred people attended the 2023 event, pictured above).
Woodcock Walk near Gladwin
If an outdoor adventure is more your speed, head to the Lame Duck Foot Access Area near Gladwin, one of the DNR’s Grouse Enhancement Management Sites, for a guided Woodcock Walk led by DNR staff and partners from the Ruffed Grouse Society. This GEMS location is one of the best places to view male American woodcock doing their quirky spring mating dance. Read more
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2023 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a record 364 bighorn sheep in the grasslands of western North Dakota, up 5% from 2022 and 16% above the five-year average. The count surpassed the previous record of 347 bighorns in 2022.
Altogether, biologists counted 106 rams, 202 ewes and 56 lambs. Not included are approximately 40 bighorn sheep in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and bighorns introduced to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in 2020.
Big game biologist Brett Wiedmann was pleased to see an increase in the survey for the sixth consecutive year.
The northern badlands population increased 5% from 2022 and was the highest count on record. The southern badlands population dropped to its lowest level since bighorns were reintroduced there in 1966. Read more
RAPID CITY, SD – Empowering bowhunters with knowledge and tools for success, the National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) offers its Advanced Black Bear Anatomy and Shot Placement Guide and Mini 3-D Durable Foam Bear Model. These informative items help increase hunting success and safety for all hunters. Bear hunters will reduce game recovery time with a well-placed shot.
The Advanced Black Bear Anatomy and Shot Placement Guide is an informative shot placement training aid with full color 8.5″ x 11″ transparent overlays. The bear muscular system, skeletal system, circulatory system, and vital organs are illustrated on separate acrylic overlays. The booklet includes shot placement information and illustrations for both firearm hunters and bowhunters. Hunting guides, hunter education instructors and informed hunters will appreciate this useful information in a convenient format. Responsible hunting includes knowledge of accurate shot placement for a quick kill and game recovery. This is part of the International Bowhunter Education Program Hunter Responsibility Series which includes anatomy and shot placement guides for white-tailed deer, turkey and elk. All guides are 3-hole punched making it easy to collect all four booklets. Suggested retail $12.50 each. Read more
Horsham, PA –– Mission First Tactical (MFT) is proud to announce they are official supporters of the 2024 Best Ranger Competition, hosted by the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. The event is held Friday, April 12th through Sunday, April 14th, 2024 at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), GA.
This year marks the 40th annual celebration of this grueling competition. The Best Ranger is an annual event comprised of two-man teams. This competition is not just to see who is the toughest or the most physically fit; it is to see who is mentally the strongest and the most determined to finish. This 62-hour battle involves tests of physical fitness, including runs and marches, and marksmanship. The exact composition of events changes yearly. Read more
The National Archery in the Schools Program and Easton Technical Products celebrate the highest number of Academic Archer nominations ever recorded with 40,163 Academic Archers being nominated by their coaches for the 2023/2024 school year. According to the results of the 2017 NASP® student survey, 40.15% of students indicated that participation in NASP® motivated them to want to work harder in the classroom. Knowing this, NASP® and Easton continue to promote the mission of NASP® educators everywhere! NASP® and Easton care about the academic success of NASP® students.
NASP® coaches again utilized local criteria to nominate their deserving students. Registration for the Academic Archer program began back on September 1, 2023, and concluded on April 1, 2024. NASP® educators and coaches from 48 US states, and 4 Canadian Provinces enrolled students in the NASP® Academic Archer Program this school year. Students who earn this honor through their hard work in the classroom are recognized at national events and through recognition programs at many local schools.
Based on feedback from NASP® state coordinators, NASP® added multiple pathways for NASP® educators and coaches to nominate students. Students can be designated by their local Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) via any of the following: Read more
G9 Defense a premium defensive ammunition manufacturer, is pleased to announce their participation in the Guns & Gear Home Defense Giveaway Promotion from now through midnight Central time on April 30, 2024. All you need to do to enter is “click here”.
The Home Defense Prize package includes 100 rounds of G9 Defense 5.56 54gr Barrier Blind Hollow Point Ammunition ($200.00 value), a perfect match for the VKTR Industries VK-1 5.56 NATO 16? FDE ($2,199.99) that is also included in the prize package.
G9 Defense 5.56 54gr Barrier Blind Hollow Points are solid copper and provide exceptional barrier penetration, great expansion and 18? of penetration with nearly 100% weight retention. Due to CNC manufacturing, the reliability is exceptional. The powder selection ensures that there is enough muzzle velocity, especially in short barreled rifles even down to 10.3?, to have dynamic terminal performance.
Other great gear included in this giveaway: Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
Years ago, after attending an educational seminar on food plots for wildlife with speaker and farmer, Ed Spinazzola, I was excited to convert some neglected land into a deer magnet. However, there was an area of approximately one acre of weak, sandy soil with a low pH (or high acidic value) that would need improvement to become productive. After several years of battling noxious weeds amid the low-quality soil, I conceded the effort and expense to build up the parcel was futile and gave up on the notion. Fortunately for the Monarch butterflies, I had inadvertently stumbled onto a means to help save the interesting species by allowing one particular indigenous plant to flourish: milkweed.
This perennial plant is toxic to some wildlife, but is life-sustaining to monarch butterflies. In early spring, the monarch’s eggs are laid exclusively on these plants and hatch into caterpillars which feed on the plant. Two weeks later, caterpillars attach themselves to leaves or stems of milkweed plants and so begins the transformation to the unique butterfly. Our farmers don’t want to see the plant among their alfalfa fields, because of its poisonous nature; however, I can’t help but smile as I witness Mother Nature’s hand each year in what has become a fragrant haven to the butterflies and other pollinators.
Oddly enough, Michigan House Bill 4857 was signed into law last month, aiming to protect milkweed (explicitly excluded in the bill), while targeting many other noxious weeds for eradication in the state. Here’s the language of the enrolled bill: An act to amend 1941 PA 359, entitled “An act for controlling and eradicating certain noxious weeds within the state; to permit townships, villages, and cities to have a lien for expenses incurred in controlling and eradicating such weeds; to permit officials of counties and municipalities to appoint commissioners of noxious weeds; to define the powers, duties, and compensation of commissioners; to provide for sanctions; and to repeal certain acts and parts of acts,” by amending section 2 (MCL 247.62), as amended by 2010 PA 358.
I don’t know that growing government to the point of creating commissioners of noxious weeds will have any measurable effect on the butterfly population but I am committed to allowing nature to take its course in the matter. Although the migrating monarch is dependent on milkweed for survival, I find the milkweed valuable for another important reason: When the aromatic flowers fade, seed pods form and contain silk or floss, which can be used as natural wind indicators for wise hunters.
I merely wrap tape around the pods and wait for them to dry out and carry them afield when deer hunting. The seeds are easily stripped from the floss, if one is concerned about establishing milkweed elsewhere. The feathery floss can be viewed for a hundred yards or more and provides a visible indication of wind direction and currents well beyond one’s hunting stand.
Best of all, Mother Nature provides this hunting aid free of charge, and it is better than any store-bought gimmicks that only give arms-length feedback. With this valuable information, a hunter can determine where scent will intersect with a deer’s nose before it actually happens.
For entrepreneurs of any age (hint for kids), the seeds can be marketed on sites such as Ebay for substantial amounts with virtually no overhead expenses. Who knows if aspiring youngsters may not become commissioners of weeds someday?