Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Naples, Fla., December 3, 2019- Azimuth Technology is proud to introduce the AZTP-22™ Precision Line of 10/22® style Barreled Actions, Receivers, Barrels and Components. Azimuth, industry leading manufacturing experts, produces exceptionally tight tolerances, consistent components for the firearms industry and specializes in increased performance and accuracy. The AZTP-22 Precision Line offers unsurpassed accuracy right out of the box. Read more
SPARTA, IL. – Zanders Sporting Goods, a leading national distributor of firearms, shooting accessories, and hunting products located in Sparta, IL, is proud to announce an exclusive shotgun offering from Istanbul Silah: the Impala Plus line of shotguns. Istanbul Silah is a Turkish-based industrial corporation known for producing high-quality firearms. The Impala Plus shotguns are the latest line of firearms to come from Istanbul Silah and will be available soon exclusively from Zanders.
“We are particularly proud to announce this partnership with Istanbul Silah,” noted Stefanie Zanders, President and Chief Operating Officer for Zanders Sporting Goods. “They are internationally known as producers of premium firearms with high-quality components. Zanders will be offering three separate series of shotguns consisting of 14 different guns in multiple color variations, finishes, barrel lengths, and more. We think our customers will love the quality and wide selection of Impala Plus shotguns that Zanders will offer.” Read more
Miami, FL – Taurus®, manufacturer of premium handguns for defense, hunting, and sporting applications, is excited to announce the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for its new U.S. manufacturing facility and center of operations located in Bainbridge, Georgia. The event will be held Thursday, December 5, 2019 at the new corporate headquarters.
The move to Bainbridge, Georgia, follows an initial investment of over $22.5 million in infrastructure and the creation of over 300 new jobs in Decatur County. The 5-year plan foresees continued expansion in U.S. engineering and production for the Taurus®, Rossi®, and Heritage™ Manufacturing product lines, and significant capital and resource investment in the Bainbridge area. Read more
MILLINOCKET, Maine — Maine Game Wardens used a hovercraft to rescue two Millinocket men who attempted to go hunting yesterday, one who was in a small boat trapped on the ice on the Penobscot River, and the other stranded on the river shore.
Hunter Cote, age 18, and his uncle, Jason Hartley, age 42, both of Millinocket were attempting to cross the Penobscot River in Millinocket to go hunting when they became stuck around noon yesterday.
The pair were in a 14-foot aluminum boat without a motor and towing a canoe as they rowed toward the opposite shore when they became stuck on thin ice that had formed. The ice was too thin to walk on, and too thick to break with the boat, but Cote was able to get to shore in the canoe. Utilizing a rope, he started to pull in Hartley who was still in the aluminum boat, but the rope broke, setting Hartley adrift down the river and over rapids before he became stuck in the ice in another section of the river. Read more
North Haven, CT – Mossberg is pleased to announce the recent release of the video series, WILDCraft, which takes viewers on a journey through the eyes of hunters in remote, wild locations. In Season One, a group of renown editors and writers travel to Fort Richmond Safaris in the rugged mountains of South Africa’s Northern Cape for free-ranging kudo and other local species with Mossberg Patriot™ bolt-action rifles in hand. WILDCraft: South Africa, Episodes One through Four, is now available through Amazon® Prime Instant Video at https://www.amazon.com/Wildcraft-South-Africa/dp/B07ZDLMGFW.
Not-your-typical hunting series, WILDCraft: South Africa goes beyond the hunt; addressing the challenges of each hunter’s adventures in the field and sharing their successes and failures around the campfire at the end of the day. The captivating series also focuses on the culture, the people and the positive impact of hunting in the local community.
Mossberg Patriot bolt-action rifles were the perfect accompaniment for the hunters in the wilds of South Africa. Rugged, dependable and accurate, the Patriot series of mag-fed, bolt-action rifles combine the most requested features of Mossberg’s field-proven centerfire rifles in a premium bolt-action platform. Available in 15 calibers ranging from 6.5mm Creedmoor to 375 Ruger, there is a Patriot to meet your needs. Classically-styled options include choice of Premier 2.0 Grade European walnut to durable synthetic to field-ready scoped combo versions with Vortex® Crossfire II 3-9x40mm riflescopes. The Patriot also offers Mossberg’s user-adjustable LBA trigger system for a clean, crisp trigger break; streamlined bolt handle; aggressively-checkered bolt knob and spiral-fluted bolt. Select models are available with fiber optic rifle sights; suppressor-ready, threaded barrels; and Cerakote® finishes. Read more
After over two years of development, XTech Tactical’s Smart Laser is fully developed and shipping!
The Smart Laser is a green laser and 185 lumen led light combo designed for full size pistols as the ultimate home defense pistol accessory. The unit features a patented Sensor Mode. Sensor Mode uses IR sensors on each side of the trigger guard to give the user the ultimate control over the unit’s activation.
The unit does not require the user’s finger to enter the trigger guard. The Smart Laser activates as the user breaks the plane below the slide. When using a two-thumbs forward grip, the user can activate the unit by lowering their off-hand thumb. This allows the user to actuate the light and laser without moving their trigger finger off the slide. Conversely, if the user identifies an immediate threat the natural action of the trigger finger going towards the trigger activates the unit. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
Another regular firearms season has closed and an irregular firearms deer season begins next week. Certainly, there is no season dubbed “irregular”, but the moniker seems fitting given the new rules. Since last year, hunters can use any state-legal firearm during the muzzleloader season, if they’re hunting in a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone. For the rest of the state, traditional muzzleloading rules apply, so make sure to be aware of the distinctions.
This year, the deer herd gets a chance to return to their normal activities with only archery deer hunters afield until December 6th. For the record here are the season dates remaining:
* Muzzleloading:
* Late Antlerless Firearm: Dec. 23, 2019 – Jan.1, 2020
As the regular firearms season draws to a close, a new one begins effectively for thousands of hunters in the vicinity of where CWD has been detected. Even though not one single deer has tested positive in any of the adjacent counties of CWD core zones, hunters have unique (or irregular) opportunities to bag deer with modern centerfire rifles or muzzleloaders, if preferred.
While we’ve heard bellyaching from politicians and other loud mouths about the “drastic” effect Michigan’s baiting ban may have on hunter participation, this rule change opens doors. Unless one is a traditionalist or only has some type of muzzleloading firearm, chances are that the ol’ smokepole will remain in the safe, where it will be free to corrode away in these CWD zones.
To me, it’s good riddance of a tool that’s simply problematic; heck, that’s why metallic cartridges were invented. While I have no issues with single-shot firearms and their ability to get game, I won’t miss messing with the grimy powder, ramrod, and primers. It’s been no more than a means to an end for me and I’m glad it’s the end.
Even though our deer herd is now down a couple hundred thousand head from two weeks of high-pressure hunting, big bucks remain. They’ve dodged bullets and hidden in cover not fit for human travel; some have gone nocturnal. Plus, coupled with the fact that most hunters have finished their efforts for the season, hunter competition will also be widely diminished.
Colder weather will drive whitetails to feed in the light of the day, although it may be low light or prime-time, if you will. And, snow cover will likely aid the patient hunters who’ve endured the chaos of the past weeks.
Joe Reynolds brings home the venison
So, fill those propane tanks and support the roofs of those portable blinds, because it’s time to get ready for deer hunting at its best. Just insure that you have the means to keep any deer from freezing before it’s processed or you’ll learn why some folks don’t like the taste of venison.
Now, bring on the snow!
OCEANSIDE, Calif. – A passport can take you wherever you want to go… as long as you have the financial resources to support your adventurous aspirations. But money doesn’t always have to be an obstacle. Hobie – provider of its own special brand of recreation and adventure – offers an ideal solution.
The latest addition to Hobie’s fun fleet of exciting, pedal-driven watercraft – the new Mirage Passport 12 – is available now at Hobie dealers worldwide. The feature-rich value-laden Mirage Passport 12 can take anglers and other on-the-water-adventure-seekers wherever they want to go with world-class Hobie performance. Best of all, it does so at an appealing price point.
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OVERLAND PARK, KS – Champion Traps & Targets, makers of interactive and challenging target systems and trusted eye and ear protection, announced today that the Vanquish Pro Elite Hearing Protection is now shipping to retail store locations.
The new Vanquish Pro Elite muffs have been designed from the ground up to offer the optimal balance of all-day comfort and superior noise reduction. Featuring ultra-fast, sub one-millisecond reaction times, Bluetooth® capability, active noise cancellation and rechargeable lithium batteries, the new Vanquish Pro Elite muffs have set a new standard in hearing protection.
Each pair of Vanquish Pro Elite are acoustically modeled on gunshot reports providing a noise reduction rating of 22 dB while delivering unrivaled audio processing. Two full dynamic range HD speakers ensure sounds are crystal clear, and five omni-directional microphones make sure no sound goes unnoticed while simultaneously minimizing wind noises. Read more
The December pheasant hunting season is open only in select portions of Zone 3 (see page 54 of the 2019 Hunting Digest).
Cornish, Crane Pond and Pinconning State Game Areas are not within the December Pheasant Management Unit (pictured below) and are closed to pheasant hunting in December.
Though these three areas have had pheasants released as part of the Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative during the October/November pheasant season, they will not have pheasant releases in December.
