Entries Tagged News

At least eight people and several animals were bitten by a rabid coyote before it was killed by police, with a search ongoing for a second coyote.

Two-time Daytona 500 champion and NASCAR fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. will serve as honorary chairman of the 2018 National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Arkansas wildlife officials used helocopters and extensive field reports of sightings to combat invasive feral hogs as part of a control project.

At least one sponsor has already dropped out of Chipper Jones' TV show after the former baseball star made controversial comments in support of gun control.

Some hunters believe antler thefts are being carried out by low-level criminals trying to make a fast buck by unloading sheds that are eventually sold to larger pet-supply companies.

New cave art comes to us courtesy of whale hunters in Chile, while an ancient hunter's rare copper arrowhead was found in Canada.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host the annual gathering of the top deer researchers and managers in the Southeast and beyond, Feb. 19-21 in Nashville. The 41st Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel will bring to Music City biologists, managers, and researchers who oversee the management of the country’s most popular game animal. “We are excited and looking forward to hosting this gathering of our friends and professional peers,” said Ed Carter, executive director of the TWRA. “Deer are important to our entire country for many reasons and this group is vital in helping share knowledge and expertise that helps properly manage them.” The SEDSG  meets annually to share the latest information on white-tailed deer research and management.  Meetings provide a forum to share research results, management strategies, and foster discussions. The theme of this year’s meeting will focus on the management of white-tailed deer at the statewide scale and what a responsible, defendable state agency deer management program entails. Hosting the meeting is a responsibility that rotates annually among each of the SEDSG’s 17 member states which include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, the meeting regularly has presenters and/or attendees from states outside the Southeast including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Also featured at the meeting will be an exhibit of many of the largest bucks ever harvested in Tennessee. More than 60 deer mounts have been loaned to TWRA. “To the best of our knowledge this is the largest and most geographically comprehensive exhibit of top-ranking bucks ever assembled in the state of Tennessee,” said Dale Grandstaff, TWRA District 21 Law Enforcement captain. Although there is a registration fee to attend the SEDSG meeting, the event is open to all deer enthusiasts. More information about this year’s meeting may be found by visiting the event website at regonline.com/sedeerstudygroup2018.

The chairman of the Kentucky Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Commission is under fire after being charged with obstructing legal hunting and the head of the KDFW law enforcement division has resigned amid an ethics investigation into his involvement. Commission Chairman Jimmy Bevins of Georgetown was charged with obstructing legal hunting after putting out corn as illegal bait near his property and contacting KDFW officials to investigate. According to LEX18.com News, the situation arose because Bevins reportedly was upset in January 2016 that hunters were near his property on Elkhorn Creek. From LEX18.com: According to court records, the controversy began last January when Bevins contacted Fish and Wildlife about people shooting guns and hunting ducks near his house. Jimmy Bevins A wildlife officer suspected Bevins knowingly put corn out to bait the property so no one else could hunt there, which is illegal. Two other fish and wildlife employees face ethics charges for allegedly discouraging one of their own from pursuing a charge against Bevins because of his role with the department. Colonel Rodney Coffey, who was director of the KDFWR Law Enforcement section but has resigned, and Capt. Richard Skaggs, who still is with KDFWR, were identified in a separate, more detailed Lexington Herald-Leader story about their involvement. According to the Herald-Leader, Coffey resigned in mid-January after the state's Executive Branch Ethics Commission began an investigation. Bevins was appointed to the commission in 2016. His term ends in August 2020. Commission appointments are made for by the governor four-year terms. According to the KDFWR website, Bevins has Life Memberships with the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society and National Sporting Clays Association. He also is a member of Ducks Unlimited and Quality Deer Management Association. He is the owner and president of Bevins Motor Company in Georgetown and has John Deere dealerships in Paris, Richmond and Mt. Sterling. The commission Bevins chairs hears public input about KDFWR policies, regulations and laws, and is an advisory board to the department and state legislature about such matters. Wildlife Officers Vote 'No Confidence' in Agency Commissioner In a separate situation that points to deeper issues with the KDFWR, Bevins' situation was included as part of a "no confidence" vote by the Kentucky Conservation Officers Association about the state agency's commissioner. Greg Johnson Rodney Milburn, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 100 and KCOA, said the vote was approved at the association's board of directors meeting in February. It was specific to KDFWR commissioner, Greg Johnson, who is in charge of the state agency. Johnson is the eighth commissioner in the agency's 70-year history. From LEX18.com: The (KCOA) letter stated that the KCOA has declared that they have no confidence in Commissioner Gregory Johnson’s ability to guide the agency ethically and with resolve to provide employees with fair and impartial treatment. They have asked commissioners to remove Gregory Johnson immediately as Commissioner of the Department. Also among complaints in the officers' association resoluation are those about inadequate compensation and promotion opportunities for wildlife officers, and failing to be added to the agenda at commission meetings.

Savage Arms welcomes its new MSR chambered in 224 Valkyrie.

The Trump administration may soon reverse an Obama-era ban on the import of elephant heads and tusks from hunts taking place in two African countries, and the antis aren't happy.

In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, YouTube has expanded its upload policy to include a ban on instructional videos for installing bump stocks.

The Hearing Protection Act has been delayed indefinitely by Congress after Sunday night’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Your favorite gun shop owner is always up to date on what’s new in the industry. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be too!