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October 21, 2023

Better shooting accuracy: Time to consider a tripod?

Featured, Featured, Gear & Gadgets, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

It was the opening day of my spring turkey hunt. There had been sporadic gobbling from the ridge 200 yards southwest of my tent blind, which was set up beneath the branches of an old white pine.
About 7:15 a.m. the gobbling began moving closer. The tom kept coming with a few soft yelps of encouragement from a diaphragm call. I gave a quick glance at the hen and jake decoys about 20 yards east of the blind, then returned my focus to the source of the gobbling. As I settled the crosshairs of my 2.5X scope on the bird’s neck, I felt confident of the shot because the forend of my 12-gauge rested securely in the yoke of my Vanguard tripod.

Better shooting accuracy: Time to consider a tripod? Read More »

Iowa-based wealth management firm acquires Vexilar

Featured, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Gear & Gadgets, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Fishing, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Robert A. Jablonski and Valiant Wealth Management announced on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, the acquisition of Vexilar Inc. and AWC Inc., naming Rob Jablonski to lead the business going forward. Vexilar and AWC have been owned by Steven J. Baumann who has been president of Vexilar since 1995. 
Vexilar is one of the leading ice fishing marine electronics company in the United States with a 60-year history of developing and manufacturing advanced sonar and fish-finding equipment for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. Its sonar technology provides anglers with real-time information about the underwater environment, helping them locate fish. AWC is an ice fishing equipment manufacturer that produces the K-drill line of ice augers.

Iowa-based wealth management firm acquires Vexilar Read More »

An experience for the books: joys of youth hunt

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting /

My alarm went off at 4 a.m., but my body was having none of it. It was a Saturday – Oct. 7 to be exact – the first day of Illinois’ youth firearm deer season and it was 39 degrees.
My wife and daughter were out of town for volleyball, so it was just us boys. A quick hit of the snooze button and I was back to sleep. But before I got back into that deep REM sleep, my ears heard the squeak of the door handle, and it was a 12-year-old boy peeking in to see if I was getting dressed yet. Even though my body was wanting sleep, his excitement for the day could not be contained. I think we all remember those days.

An experience for the books: joys of youth hunt Read More »

Capitalizing on New York’s Northern Zone early season for whitetails

Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion /

The 2022 Northern Zone regular season remains a head-scratcher for myself and our crew, the Iron Sight Gang. It was certainly unpredictable in terms of rutting activity and featured some of the warmest early-season temperatures I can remember.
It was also productive, especially during the first half. About a decade ago, there was a brief proposal on the table to shorten the Northern Zone regular (rifle) season – which currently runs for 44 days – by a couple of weeks. I know there are Adirondack hunters out there who would still favor such a change, mainly because they feel the end result would be a greater number of mature bucks.

Capitalizing on New York’s Northern Zone early season for whitetails Read More »

Ohio Division of Wildlife invested with record funds from state, projects planned

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Hunting, National Fishing, National Hunting, National News, News, Ohio /

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Legislature have made an unprecedented investment in Ohio’s natural resources in the latest budget bill.
In the bill, the ODNR Division of Wildlife received $16.9 million in general revenue funds and another $14 million for shooting range improvements. These are record amounts of capital improvement dollars afforded to the Division of Wildlife, said Pete Novotny, an assistant wildlife chief.

Ohio Division of Wildlife invested with record funds from state, projects planned Read More »

September trip to Lake of the Woods showcases this fantastic fishery

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, Wisconsin /

When my son Jon and I drove off frozen Lake of the Woods after a February ice-fishing trip, we vowed to return during the open-water season. That happened in September with a trip that notched personal-best fish for us and for some old and new friends who joined us.
This time, we traveled to Gill’s Marina, at Morson, Ontario, where Chase Gratton ferried us to Ballard’s Black Island Resort, some six miles up the lake. This was my third trip to the island and my first since 2018. It was Jon’s first, but it won’t be his last.

September trip to Lake of the Woods showcases this fantastic fishery Read More »

Minnesota DNR tests channel cats as it seeks stocking sources

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Minnesota, National Fishing, National News, News /

The Minnesota DNR was on the hunt for catfish last week on the Sauk River Chain of Lakes. Two DNR fisheries biologists traveled to the chain Oct. 2-4 in search of catfish to be sampled for channel catfish virus (CCV) and a bacteria, Edwardsiella ictaluri.
Mario Travaline, a DNR West-Metro fisheries specialist, and Nick Heseltine, a DNR hatchery worker in Waterville, had trouble Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 finding catfish as trap nets and gill nets were catching other kinds of fish, but not many cats. The two pivoted and traveled to the Minnesota River to catch a large enough sample to perform testing on the catfish.

Minnesota DNR tests channel cats as it seeks stocking sources Read More »

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