The Buck Stopped Here

By Glen Wunderlich

The southeast wind had changed my plans for the opening afternoon of archery deer season. However, strategic options were in place and it was time to head to a little-used ladder stand overlooking a trail through the trees. It wasn’t the most comfortable stand but it was one of the few that would position me properly to exploit the benefits of hunting with the slight breeze in my face.

Opening day usually means more of a scouting experience – a way to gather information that could be used on future hunts. Little did I know that this would be my last archery stand of the generous season with my Horton Vision crossbow.

Horton Vision Crossbow

My friend, Joe and his lady friend, Diane, would occupy a two-person portable ground blind at the edge of a lush 4-acre food plot looking into the wind. It wasn’t long before Joe radioed to inform me that two 8-point bucks were locking antlers and putting on quite a show.

Meanwhile, I had nothing to report other than some annoying ground squirrels that kept me on alert, while the sun succumbed to prime time.

Over the airwaves, Joe indicated there was a much larger buck that had entered the picture, but at some 60 yards, it was beyond ethical for a reasonable chance and never got closer to him.  Then, he watched as a 9-point buck had appeared and moved to about 20 yards of his blind, but one careless movement on Joe’s part sent the quality deer back into the tall trees for good.

Two raccoons kept my attention, as they foraged for acorns in a nearby oak tree after sunset. With darkness descending, a yearling 6-point buck could be heard, as it traveled along the trail heading my way. I had already made up my mind to pass on the youngster, when it stopped directly in front of me at 15 yards. With its nose to the ground, it was sniffing the deer urine I collected from “yellow snow” and had applied to my rubber boots as scent cover.

Behind the yearling on the same trail came another deer and I could make out some headgear in the waning light. It was adorned with some unusual tines that were obviously rather long, although I never took the time to start counting them. This larger buck converged on the spot with the inquisitive 6-point buck and came to a stop.

At the sound of the arrow’s launch, both bucks sped off into the trees, but the unmistakable lighted nock hit its mark as the brilliant red light danced out of sight. Experience dictated it was time to relax and I headed back for a field-dressing kit, where Joe, Diane, and I would prepare for recovery of the prize.

We picked up the blood trail and found the expired buck no more than 50 yards from the site of the encounter.

Opening Day Shiawassee County Buck

After field dressing the animal, we hung it in the cool 40-degree air for the night and got it to the processor after icing it down the next day, because of the unseasonably warm temperatures.

At the Rose Lake deer check station, workers confirmed the buck to be no less than 3 ½ years old, but the age will still be checked in Iowa, as it is tested for Chronic Wasting Disease.

The season was short, but it couldn’t have been sweeter.

Hunting

If you love fall fun, leave firewood at home


Buy locally at your destination to prevent the spread of invasive species.
As you prepare to hit the road for your favorite fall recreation activities, the Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development remind you to play it safe by leaving firewood at home.October is Firewood Awareness Month, and the departments are joining with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to encourage everyone to buy firewood near where they will burn it to prevent starting a new infestation of an invasive insect or disease. Read more
Wildlife

AZGFD asks hunters to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease at bay


Arizona remains CWD-free due to surveillance efforts.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking hunters to continue doing their part to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurodegenerative wildlife disease that is fatal to deer and elk, at bay.All successful deer and elk hunters are encouraged to bring the head of their harvested animal, especially bucks and bulls, to any department office statewide between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The preferred method for delivery is to place the head in a heavy-duty plastic trash bag, and keep it cool and out of the sun. Read more

Hunting

The Patriot For Up-And-Coming Predator Hunters

The FOXPRO Patriot is the perfect option for the up-and-coming predator hunter. It comes standard with 35 high-quality FOXPRO sounds, an additional 100 free sounds, and has the ability to hold up to 300 sounds. The Patriot offers maximum portability with its lightweight, rugged ABS housing. The unit comes with a single high-efficiency horn speaker that delivers a crystal-clear, high-quality sound with great volume. You can connect an external speaker to the jack on the side of the call for even more volume. The Patriot also has an auxiliary jack for use with an approved device such as the FoxJack 5 decoy. The FOXPRO Patriot features an enhanced remote with an elastomeric keypad for effortless use, even with gloves. It also has category files for easy navigation through sounds. The remote has a power on/off switch, volume up/down buttons. Scroll up/down, a mute, and much more. Read more

Hunting

Sortie Pistol Semi-Auto Airgun


A New Semi-Auto AirgunHatsanUSA is quickly ushering in the era of the semi-automatic airgun with the announcement of the new Sortie semi-auto air pistol. Following the successful launch of two new semi-automatic air rifles – the Hatsan Barrage and BullMaster – earlier this year, the Sortie brings the same revolutionary gas-operated semi-auto action to a smaller, lightweight pistol platform. The Sortie’s rapid rate of fire means users can sling pellets downrange as fast as they can pull the trigger.

The Sortie is a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air pistol and is available in .177, .22 and .25 calibers. It sports a refillable 62cc on-board air cylinder that provides shooters with up to 28 shots at optimal velocity per fill. A built-in pressure gauge allows the user to monitor the pressure in the air cylinder. It comes with 3 rotary magazines with capacities of 14 shots in .177, 12 shots in .22 caliber or 10 shots in .25 caliber. Read more

Firearms

NRA Calls For ATF Review of Bump Stocks, Congress to Pass National Reciprocity


NRA’s Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox Issue Joint StatementFairfax, VA— The National Rifle Association today issued the following statement:”In the aftermath of the evil and senseless attack in Las Vegas, the American people are looking for answers as to how future tragedies can be prevented. Unfortunately, the first response from some politicians has been to call for more gun control. Banning guns from law-abiding Americans based on the criminal act of a madman will do nothing to prevent future attacks. This is a fact that has been proven time and again in countries across the world.

In Las Vegas, reports indicate that certain devices were used to modify the firearms involved. Despite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law. The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.

In an increasingly dangerous world, the NRA remains focused on our mission: strengthening Americans’ Second Amendment freedom to defend themselves, their families and their communities. To that end, on behalf of our five million members across the country, we urge Congress to pass National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.” Read more

Firearms, Gun Control

D.C. Declines to Take Wrenn CCW Case to SCOTUS

Apparently fearing a devastating loss that could crush arbitrary concealed carry laws in a handful of states, the District of Columbia has declined to appeal its loss of a concealed carry case that struck down its “needs based” permit requirement, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) learned.

The SAF case is Wrenn v. District of Columbia. A three-judge panel on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the city’s “good cause” requirement as unconstitutional in July. The court declined a request for an en banc panel review last month.

“We believe the city was under intense pressure to take the hit and not appeal the ruling by the U.S. District Court of Appeals,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “If the District had lost the case before the high court, it would have dealt a fatal blow to similar requirements in California, New Jersey, Maryland and New York, for example, and that prospect had anti-gun politicians in those states quaking in their shoes.”

Gottlieb recalled that the District’s loss in 2008 when the Supreme Court struck down its handgun ban as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment opened a floodgate for legal challenges to state laws. That led to SAF’s 2010 victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which not only nullified the Windy City’s handgun ban but more importantly incorporated the Second Amendment to the states via the 14th Amendment. Read more

Gun Control, Self Defense

Tactical Solutions and Trijicon Announce ACOG Sweepstakes

(Boise, ID) Tactical Solutions, the rimfire market leader in quality, dependability, and innovation including firearms, conversions, and accessories is proud to announce they have partnered with Trijicon in the 24 Days of ACOG Sweepstakes.

To celebrate the milestone of the one millionth ACOG® 4×32 riflescope to be produced, Trijicon is presenting the 24 Days of ACOG Sweepstakes. For 24 straight days (starting October 1), visitors can go to MillionthACOG.com to enter once each day for a chance to win a prize package. On the last day (October 24 – 25), 24 Days of ACOG turns to 24 HOURS of ACOG, and visitors get a chance to win the GRAND prize by entering every hour for 24 hours. All daily winners will be announced during 24 Hours of ACOG, with the grand prize winner announced on October 26.

TacSol is proud to be a partner in this exciting sweepstakes. Their prize package features TacSol’s Axiom Suppressor that will be paired with a KRISS AR-22 Complete Rifle with a Trijicon’s Miniature ACOG, and will be given away on October 7th. To learn more about the 24 Days of ACOG Sweepstakes, visit MillionthACOG.com. Contact Sales Manager, Amy Shaw at amy@tacticalsol.com or call 866-333-9901 for orders and inquiries.

Amy Shaw, Sales Manager at TacSol tells us, “To be able to say that you’ve shipped a million ACOGs is pretty incredible, and what better way to celebrate than to give away a ton of free product? We’re excited to partner with our friends at Trijicon by giving away one of our top selling products.”

About Tactical Solutions:
Tactical Solutions is the Rimfire Market leader in quality, dependability, and innovation. Established in 2002 in Boise, Idaho, TacSol is a pioneer in the innovation of lightweight and precision accurate firearms and firearm barrels. In addition to complete firearms and barrels, their line of products includes suppressors, accessories, and realistic feel caliber conversions. All of TacSol’s products are manufactured in the USA and held to the highest quality standards in the Industry. Visit their webpage at www.tacticalsol.com to view their newest innovations and complete line of products.
Marketing Agency of Record:
Rendezvous Marketing Group
info@rendezvousmarketinggroup.com

Firearms, Optics

Michigan DNR Releases Nearly 6,000 juvenile Lake Sturgeon

Several waterbodies throughout Michigan were stocked with juvenile lake sturgeon this spring and summer in an effort to rehabilitate the state’s population. Statewide, nearly 6,000 sturgeon were added to these waters.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and several partners released nearly 6,000 juvenile lake sturgeon into various public waters across the state this summer and fall in an effort to rehabilitate this culturally significant fish species.

The table below shows which agencies stocked fish, how many were stocked, and the date and location of each stocking effort.

 Agencies Number of Stocked Fish Date Stocked Location Stocked
Michigan DNR & Michigan State University 549 Aug. 19 Black Lake (Cheboygan County)
Michigan DNR & Michigan State University 2,261 May 26 Lower Black River (Cheboygan County)
Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians 601 Sept. 7 Burt Lake/Sturgeon River (Cheboygan County)
Michigan DNR & Michigan State University 740 Sept. 19 Mullet Lake (Cheboygan County)
Michigan DNR 302 Sept. 8 Cedar River (Menominee County)
Michigan DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Gun Lake Tribe 2 July 25 Kalamazoo River (Allegan County)
Michigan DNR 72 Sept. 11 Whitefish River (Delta County)
Michigan DNR & U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1,261 Sept. 19 Ontonagon River (Ontonagon County)
Michigan DNR & Michigan State University 193 Aug. 21 Tittabawassee River (Midland County)
Total Lake Sturgeon Stocked: 5,981

Juvenile lake sturgeon were collected from the wild during April and May and reared in streamside facilities until they were large enough to tag. Most fish were tagged prior to being released into their respective rivers to allow future evaluations of stocked fish. Read more

Fishing

Hot New Browning Crossbow

Browning Crossbows has added a new crossbow to their line for 2017.  The new OneSevenOne crossbow is the culmination of years of design and development.  The new bow is in the Zero7® series, the only crossbow line with the precision and performance to wear the Browning Buckmark name and logo.
Browning Crossbows has taken the proven design of their OneSixOne and OneSixTwo crossbows introduced in 2016 and incorporated additional innovative new features in to the OneSevenOne.  At 390 FPS, the OneSevenOne is the fastest model to date in the Browning Crossbow line.
Patented features of the OneSevenOne combine to deliver performance not seen in a crossbow before.  Leading the way to outstanding performance is the Triggertech ADF (anti-dry fire) trigger.  With a crisp pull weight of just 3 lbs., the Frictionless Release Technology™ trigger feels like a good rifle trigger and generates smooth and repeatable shots.
Each Zero7® crossbow from Browning features the flight track hook groove along the length of both sides of the bow.  This ensures positive, consistent draws of the bow string which also adds to accuracy.  The OneSevenOne Crossbow comes with a rope cocking device. An integrated crank cocking device is available as an accessory; it stores in the butt stock of the bow and is easily removed for use when cocking the bow.
The OneSevenOne has 135 ft. lbs. kinetic energy and a power stroke of 14.625″.  The draw weight is 170 lbs. and the total weight of the bow is 7.2 lbs.  The overall length of the bow is 36.75″and the width is 19.875″.   The bow comes in Realtree Max5 camouflage.
Key Features:
  • Soft-Touch Foregrip
  • Integrated Flight Track Groove
  • Left, Right, Underside Picatinny Rails
  • Custom Laminated Limbs
  • Forged Aluminum Riser
Accessories Included:
  • Cross 1.5×32 mm Illuminated Crossbow Scope
  • Browning Soft-Sound String Suppressors
  • Browning Rope Cocking Device
  • Premium Browning Quiver
  • Three 22″ Carbon Arrows
 For more information on Browning Crossbows, visit www.BrowningCrossbows.com  
Archery
1 … 997 998 999 1,000 1,001 … 1,835