Federal Premium Working With States to Update Turkey Hunting Shotgun and Ammo Regs

ANOKA, MN – Due to the introduction of new high-density HEAVYWEIGHT Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) loads, Federal Premium is working with a number of U.S. states to legalize the use of .410 shotguns and smaller shot sizes for turkey hunting.

“Hunters have better options for effective turkey loads with smaller shot than ever before,” said Federal Premium Director of Conservation Ryan Bronson. “Federal Premium is working with wildlife agencies and policy makers in the 16 states that currently prohibit turkey hunting with shot smaller than No. 8 and shotgun bores smaller than 20 gauge to rethink their regulations and give turkey hunters of all ages, statures and physical abilities more options.”

“Most of these turkey ammunition restrictions were put into place when lead was the only shot material available,” continued Bronson. “While TSS shot has been very popular among hand-loaders for some time, by making our factory loaded turkey ammunition available to a broader segment of the hunting public, we are hoping all states and Canadian provinces will consider updating their regulations to allow these new configurations.” Read more

Ammunition, Hunting

Michigan Wildlife Habitat Grant application period opens June 1

June 1 through July 23, the Wildlife Habitat Grant Program will be accepting applications, with projects enhancing game species habitat enhancement given a priority.

“This is an exciting opportunity to partner with others in the state to increase the habitat available for game species in Michigan and to enhance the existing habitat for the benefit of hunters, trappers, and wildlife viewers,” said Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason.

Funding is available for local, state, federal and tribal governments, profit and nonprofit groups, and individuals through an open competitive process. Minimum grant amounts will be set at $15,000 with the maximum being the amount of funds available for that grant cycle.  The 2018 overall available grant amount is approximately $1 million. Read more

Wildlife

Five Men Indicted In Louisiana for Conspiracy to Smuggle Birds

Five men have been charged in New Orleans with crimes related to illegally exporting birds protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) from the United States to Taiwan.  William McGinness, 59, of Buena Park, California; Paul Tallman, 55, of Destreham, Louisiana; Rene Rizal, 62, of La Mirada, California; Wayne Andrews, 46, of Royal Oaks, California and Alex Madriaga, 76, of Buena Park, California; were each indicted in federal court in the eastern District of Louisiana today.

On May 31, 2018, a five-count indictment was returned charging McGinness, Tallman, Rizal, Andrews and Madriaga with conspiracy to smuggle CITES-protected birds from the United States to Taiwan. McGuinness was also charged with smuggling birds to Taiwan and three counts of making and submitting false records under the Lacey Act, and Tallman was charged with smuggling and one count of making and submitting false records under the Lacey Act.

The indictment alleges, among other things, that McGinness, a resident of California, and his co-conspirators created false statements and submitted them to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in order to illegally export CITES-protected birds from the Port of New Orleans to Taiwan. The shipment included 90 CITES-protected birds, including parrots, macaws, cockatoos and corellas. Several of the birds were in crates that were falsely labeled. The USFWS seized 14 of the birds at the airport in Houston, Texas before they were exported. Read more

Poachers

NOW LIVE: Watch Endangered Wild California Condor Chick

Watch California Condor chick # 923 grow into a magnificent adult on the live cam! Photo: USFWS.

Ithaca, NY & Fillmore, CA–People across the world can get up close and personal with an endangered California Condor chick in real time through live-streaming video of a wild nest in the Hutton’s Bowl area–a small piece of property surrounded by private land and overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. It’s near the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County, California. The chick and its parents make up one of the 12 California Condor nests in the mountains of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Kern counties–the highest number of nests ever recorded in Southern California.

“Watching a condor chick and its parents in the wild is a unique and remarkable experience, and one that can be shared with millions of viewers through live streaming technology,” said Molly Astell, wildlife biologist with the Service’s California Condor Recovery Program.

The 2018 nesting season marks a significant milestone for California Condor recovery with more wild nests documented in Southern California than ever recorded. “Not only do we have more nests, but they are also spread out across a broader area, indicating that California Condors are expanding back into parts of their historic range,” Astell said.

California condor chick #923 hatched on April 6 and is being raised by 16-year-old female condor #289 and 13-year-old male condor #374. This is the pair’s first year to be featured on the live-streaming Condor Cam, and is the pair’s first attempt at raising a chick together, though both previously nested with other condors in the past.  The chick’s father, condor #374, has fledged 3 other chicks in the past with 2 previous mates. The mother, condor #289, has fledged 1 chick previously and has nested with 3 other mates.

Read more

Wildlife

‘Three Free’ weekend June 9-10 makes fishing, off-road riding and state park entry easy

Grab a fishing rod, ride Michigan’s off-road trails and/or pay a visit to your favorite Michigan state park for free – all in the same weekend.

On two back-to-back days, June 9-10, the Department of Natural Resources invites residents and out-of-state visitors to enjoy Free Fishing Weekend, Free ORV Weekend and free entry into state parks.

All fishing license, ORV license, trail permit and Recreation Passport fees are waived those two days, though all other regulations still apply. Read more

Fishing

Michigan Outdoor News Offers Free Subscription Tied to Hunter, Bow, Trapper Education

(Plymouth, MN) — Hunting is a time-honored Michigan tradition, providing challenging outdoor recreation and helping develop an appreciation for the wilderness and wildlife. To celebrate this heritage, Outdoor News Inc., publisher of locally written fishing and hunting outdoor newspapers in seven Great Lake states, is offering youth aged 17 and younger who have successfully completed the hunter safety education program through the Michigan DNR with a complimentary three-month subscription to Michigan Outdoor News. New for 2018, the three-month junior subscription has been expanded to include the Michigan DNR Bow Ed and Trapper Ed programs for adults entering these sports for the first time as well. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

Saginaw Bay walleye fishing was hot in 2017

Anglers on Michigan’s Saginaw Bay caught a record number of walleye during the 2017-2018’s winter months. This record is attributed to three main factors: the increase to the daily possession limit implemented in October 2015, further increases in walleye population numbers, and good ice-fishing conditions in 2018.

Anglers took 123,793 walleye, the most ever measured since creel surveys began on Saginaw Bay in 1983. Angler participation increased for January through March 2018 with a total of 545,226 angler hours, compared to the average winter of approximately 390,000 angler hours.

In addition to this past year’s winter fishing season, the open-water fishing season on Saginaw Bay also was good, with an estimated 221,251 walleye taken. When looking at both of those time periods combined, Saginaw Bay saw a total of 345,044 walleye taken and more than 1 million angling hours of effort. The bay’s previous walleye catch-and-keep record was recorded in 2008, with approximately 329,549 walleye taken. Read more

Fishing

SIG SAUER Introduces Thin Blue Line P320 Pistol to NAPED

SIG SAUER Introduces Special Edition Thin Blue Line P320 Pistol to National Association of Police Equipment Distributors (NAPED)

Newington, N.H.   – SIG SAUER, Inc., in partnership with the National Association of Police Equipment Distributors (NAPED), is pleased to announce it will begin offering a Special Edition Thin Blue Line SIG SAUER P320 Carry-size pistol. Availability for the this special edition pistol will begin at the NAPED Annual General Meeting being held June 8th – 10th in Savannah, Georgia and extend through December 2018.

“More and more law enforcement agencies across the country are choosing the SIG SAUER P320 as their standard duty pistol due to its modularity, dependability, and accuracy,” said Tim Brown, President of NAPED and GT Distributors. “SIG SAUER’s commitment to the law enforcement community is unwavering, and we are proud to participate in this very important and meaningful partnership with an associate member of our organization.”

The Special Edition Thin Blue Line SIG SAUER P320 Carry-size pistol is a 9mm, modular striker-fired pistol with serialized trigger group, interchangeable polymer group module, and SIGLITE Night Sights. The slide is adorned with the imagery of a Thin Blue Line Flag; the thin blue line representing the officer and the courage they find in the face of adversity, and the black background serving as a constant reminder of their fallen officers.

“It’s an honor for all of us here at SIG SAUER to serve our law enforcement community, and it’s humbling to earn the trust of police departments across the country through the selection of our firearms as their official duty sidearm,” said Tom Jankiewicz, Executive Vice President, Law Enforcement Sales. “The Thin Blue Line Flag is a powerful image that evokes emotion. We felt that by creating this Special Edition Thin Blue Line SIG SAUER P320 Carry-size pistol, in partnership with NAPED, was a compelling tribute to honor the fallen, and the sacrifices being made every day by our men and women in blue.”

The Special Edition Thin Blue Line SIG SAUER P320 Carry-size pistol is only available to the law enforcement community through the National Association of Police Equipment Distributors. Read more

Firearms

Michigan: beech trees that resist disease are among the year’s forest health highlights

The battle against beech bark disease came full circle in fall 2017 at Ludington State Park, as volunteers planted more than 200 disease-resistant trees where the disease was discovered in 2000.

That planting effort is one of the success stories in Michigan’s Forest Health Highlights report, released annually by the DNR. The report summarizes the health of nearly 20 million acres of forest in the state, including about 4 million acres of state-managed forest land.

“Invasive species like the beetle that spreads beech bark disease present challenges,” said Deb Begalle, chief of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. “We also are coordinating efforts to cope with other invasive species such as the hemlock woolly adelgid.” That tiny insect attaches itself to hemlock trees and eventually kills them. So far, it is known to be in four west Michigan counties. Read more

Wildlife
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