CMP’s 2020 Advanced Maintenance Rifle Class Schedule

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer

The Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Advanced Maintenance Clinics will return in 2020 for those firearm enthusiasts interested in assembling his or her own vintage rifle with the help of hands-on, knowledgeable instructors.

The Advanced Maintenance Class (AMC) is a three-day course led by the qualified CMP Custom Shop staff members at the office in Anniston, Ala. Designed for those who wish to take their passion for the timeless M1 Garand to the next level, the AMC offers students a unique opportunity to receive unparalleled training from our Custom Shop staff. Topics such as head space, barrel installation, component purpose/function, general rifle assembly, rifle/component maintenance and various accuracy techniques will be covered. Read more

Firearms

Michigan baiting and feeding ban remains firmly in effect

DNR offices around the state continue to field questions from people confused about the status of the baiting and feeding ban for deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula and the core CWD surveillance area in the Upper Peninsula. The DNR wants to let all hunters know that the ban has not changed and remains fully in effect.

Bills to lift the ban have been approved in the Michigan Legislature, but nothing has been sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or signed into law. The governor has promised to veto the legislation should it come to her desk. Read more

Hunting

Caught a marked or tagged fish? Report it to the Michigan DNR

Have you ever been fishing Michigan waters and pulled in a fish with a missing fin or one with an external tag on it? Several fish species found around the state are marked in some way, and the details on the fish and the tags are important to several DNR studies and management efforts.

Such species include Chinook and Atlantic salmon, steelhead, walleye, lake sturgeon and brown and lake trout. A fish may have an external mark, such as a fin clip, or the mark could be internal and not visible to the naked eye. Many fish with internal tags also will have a clipped fin. For instance, a fish with an implanted coded-wire tag in its snout would be missing its adipose fin (the small, fleshy fin found to the rear of a fish’s dorsal, or top, fin). Read more

Fishing

New Jersey Fails to Strike Down Challenge to Magazine Ban

Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied a motion made by the State of New Jersey to dismiss and end ANJRPC’s case challenging NJ’s ban on magazines holding over 10 rounds of ammunition. The decision means that New Jersey’s rush to end the case has been defeated and that the case will proceed.

New Jersey officials prematurely declared victory in press releases very early in the case, when the lowest federal court declined to hear it. On appeal to the Third Circuit (middle-level federal appeals court), NJ urged the court to dismiss that appeal as well, but the court has now refused. That means that the appeal will proceed, and New Jersey will be forced to defend its unconstitutional law on appeal.

Gun Control

SureFire 1000 Lumen Stiletto Pro

Fountain Valley, CA — SureFire, LLC, manufacturer of the world’s finest—and most innovative—illumination tools and tactical products is proud to announce the new SureFire Stiletto® Pro is in stock and will be shipping Monday, November 18.

A sleek, radically shaped pint-sized powerhouse that takes the Stiletto’s already legendary performance to the next level, the Stiletto Pro features an all-new aerospace aluminum body with Mil-Spec hard anodizing for tremendous durability. The Stiletto Pro also delivers phenomenal performance to match its cutting-edge form factor. Utilizing a new proprietary MaxVision Beam® reflector, it provides 1,000 lumens in high-output mode. This increased output combined with the new reflector results in a 233% increase in candela, which equates to an 82% increase in distance performance! The Stiletto Pro also offers the added versatility of a 300-lumen medium output and a 25-lumen low output to suit a variety of tasks. Lastly, the Stiletto Pro has a Melonite®-coated, reversible heavy-duty spring steel pocket clip which allows for bezel-up or bezel-down carry. Read more

Optics, Self Defense

Streamlight Inc. TLR-7 A Rail-Mount Weapon Light

New Model Features Two Rear Switch Position Options, High and Low

EAGLEVILLE, PA — Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, has introduced the TLR-7® A with ergonomic rear switches featuring a low or high position to match users’ shooting styles. The exceptionally lightweight and compact new light delivers 500 lumens for a variety of tactical uses.

“Our newest weapon light features ambidextrous on/off rear switches with low and high positions to suit user preference, and a rail clamp that attaches and detaches easily from the side of compact and full frame weapons,” said Streamlight President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Sharrah. “Like the original TLR-7, it is designed to maximize visibility and targeting capability in a variety of home defense and tactical applications.” Read more

Optics

Springfield Armory Hellcat 10K Round Test

GENESEO, ILL. – The Hellcat from Springfield Armory® has proven its mettle in a grueling 10,000-round test, showing that the EDC innovator not only has the features to make it the best on the market, but also the durability to outlast all the competition.

With support from Federal Ammunition and Action Targets, Off the Reservation’s Clay Martin put the Hellcat through this challenging test over the span of two days. Martin brought a wealth of firearms expertise to bear during the test, from his background as a competitive shooter as well as his time in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, retiring as a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant from 3rd SFG (A). Read more

Firearms

Alabama: Whooping Cranes Are Back

Whooping Cranes have returned to Alabama. Where to see them and how you can protect this endangered species.

Decatur, Alabama- Whooping Cranes are back.

“North Alabama is blessed to hold about one-third of the Eastern Migratory Population Whooping Cranes,” said AJ Binney, Whooping Crane Outreach Program Assistant at the International Crane Foundation. “Alabama provides excellent wintering habitat from the vast mudflats on the Flint River to a large number of agriculture fields.”

The first Whooping crane arrived on November 9th at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. W7-17 is a wild hatched chick from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and this is the second year in a row that she was the first Whooping Crane to arrive in Alabama. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan fights CWD with research, education and collaboration

When chronic wasting disease was first discovered in wild deer in Ingham County in 2015, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and its many partners took action to better understand the neurological disease that is always fatal to deer, moose and elk infected with it. This coalition of dedicated partners – including Michigan State University, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, the Michigan Legislature and many others – has appropriated significant funding, resources and personnel to research and fight this disease, taking aggressive steps to stop the spread of CWD while emerging as a national leader in disease testing, research and management.

Last year alone, the DNR tested more than 40,000 deer heads for CWD, about 25% of all samples tested in the entire United States. Since testing began, 133 deer in nine Michigan counties have tested positive for the disease. Michigan joins a list of 26 states and three Canadian provinces with confirmed CWD in wild cervid (deer, elk and moose) populations.

Among many other proactive steps taken to fight this disease, Michigan – along with Wisconsin – formed a coalition of state and federal natural resource managers, wildlife biologists, veterinarians and social scientists.

Dr. Russ Mason, the DNR’s executive in residence and adjunct professor at Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is helping to lead this coalition. Before Mason’s recent appointment through MSU, he oversaw the DNR’s CWD efforts as the department’s longtime Wildlife Division chief.

“By working together in our fight against CWD, we are capitalizing on the talents provided by universities and combining resources across the state and federal government,” Mason said. “This will help us move more quickly to identify solutions that will help us manage this unique disease.”

In addition, the MSU-DNR Chronic Wasting Disease Advisory Group was created in 2018 to identify and fund high-priority CWD research and outreach activities. Recognizing the threat that CWD poses to Michigan’s hunting traditions and local economies, the Michigan Legislature provided $4.3 million in funds in 2019 to support these activities as well as to help fund CWD field surveillance.

Funding new research, education efforts

In April, the advisory group issued a national call for proposals to seek collaborative research, education and outreach projects to address the most important issues around wildlife disease in Michigan, especially CWD in deer. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan conservation officers helping curb the risk of wildlife disease

People might not think immediately of Michigan’s conservation officers as being on the front lines in the fight against wildlife diseases.

However, the roughly 200 men and women sworn to protect the state’s natural resources are vitally important in helping to control disease threats, including bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease.

This disease, always fatal to those white-tailed deer contracting it, has been detected in several Michigan counties, prompting the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and Department of Natural Resources to implement deer baiting and feeding bans in effect for this fall’s hunting seasons.

“These bans are in place to try to help minimize the amount of contact between deer congregated where baiting and feeding occur,” said John Pepin, Michigan DNR deputy public information officer. “Chronic wasting disease can be transmitted through direct deer-to-deer contact, or by contact with saliva, feces, urine, blood and contaminated feed, water, plants, soil or carcass parts.”

In the Lower Peninsula, a ban went into effect Jan. 31 for all 68 counties south of the Mackinac Bridge. Regulations also restrict carcass movement in the Lower Peninsula and prohibit importation of certain carcass parts statewide.

In the Upper Peninsula, baiting and feeding deer is banned in a core CWD surveillance area situated in portions of Dickinson, Menominee and Delta counties. Throughout the rest of the U.P., baiting and feeding is allowed, but must be done in line with state regulations.

Tomorrow is Michigan’s opening day of firearm deer hunting season. For those who have been getting ready by baiting deer in violation of the law, odds are good conservation officers are aware.

Whether in the air or on the ground, patrols have been ongoing for weeks and are conducted by a range of means.

A conservation officer patrol vehicle is parked near a woods road.
Conservation officers are responsible for locating illegal bait, educating hunters and enforcing current regulations to help reduce the risk of CWD. Officers manage deer and elk carcass movement by conducting increased patrols, enforcement and surveillance at primary access points between counties and states.

Illegal baiting can result in court costs and fines, a revoked hunting license, confiscated game and jail time. Read more
Hunting, Poachers, Wildlife
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