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Ten Tips for Firearm Safety in Your Home

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As part of its “S.A.F.E. Summer” campaign to focus attention on the importance of safe and responsible firearm handling and storage, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) today announced its “Top Ten” list of safety tips firearm owners should remember to help ensure they are taking responsible precautions with firearms in their home.

“Nearly all firearm accidents in the home can be prevented when gun owners take simple precautions, and proper storage is the number one way to help prevent accidents” said Steve Sanetti, NSSF president and CEO. “Anyone who is going to own a firearm should respect it and secure it when not in use to help prevent firearm accidents and misuse.” Continue reading

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Migration Update – June 11, 2013

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Photo credit by Caleb Spiegel, USFWS and Flyways.us

Photo credit by Caleb Spiegel, USFWS and Flyways.us

The May Breeding Surveys have concluded and conditions vary greatly across the waterfowl breeding range.  Overall, pond counts will be lower this year with breeding pairs will be near the 2011 and 2012 counts in most areas.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

In an average year the complexity of conducting the survey is monumental at best.  This season the late arrival of spring and harsh weather patterns added widespread delays and difficulty to the entire process.  Despite the delays caused by these storms, they did provide much needed rain in areas in many areas of the Dakotas. Continue reading

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Delta Waterfowl, Sitka Gear introduce one-of-a-kind streaming duck nest cam.

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EGELAND, N.D. — She hunkers in the middle of a grassy field on the windswept prairie, her body heat warming a shallow bowl filled with fragile eggs. If she’s lucky enough to remain hidden from predators — skunks, foxes, raccoons, opossums and others with a taste for duck eggs — for 24 days and 24 nights, her brood of downy ducklings will hatch.

It’s the springtime cycle of life for a duck on the breeding grounds of the Prairie Pothole Region, an area that encompasses the Dakotas and southern Canada where 70 percent of North America’s ducks are born.

Through a unique project this year, Delta Waterfowl is giving you a live window into the nest of a wild duck with the Delta Duck Cam (www.deltawaterfowl.org/duckcam). Outdoor apparel maker Sitka Gear has provided sponsorship for the Delta Duck Cam project. Continue reading

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USDA seeks sign-ups for wetlands, grasslands conservation programs.

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Photo Credit: Terry Sohl , U.S. Geological Survey

Photo Credit: Terry Sohl , U.S. Geological Survey

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2013 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting applications from landowners interested in the Wetlands Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program.

A new round of funding authorizes $255 million to enroll up to 100,000 additional acres into WRP and $47 million to enroll up to 200,000 additional acres into GRP, both nationwide.

Anyone interested in these voluntary programs should contact their state or local NRCS office. Sign-up dates and deadlines vary by state, and applications are accepted throughout the year. Continue reading

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Delta Waterfowl Research Spans North America

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Photo courtesy of Delta Waterfowl Foundation

Photo courtesy of Delta Waterfowl Foundation

BISMARCK, N.D. — For 75 years, science has been the cornerstone of Delta Waterfowl. Research shapes the conservation programs and management policies that help put more ducks in the air, year after year.

“It’s been our history — research defines what we do,” said Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta Waterfowl’s president. “Research drives us and our programs, and it should always drive wildlife management. We’re committed to finding things that work.”  Continue reading

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Wetland restorations offer environmental, economic benefits

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Landowners used the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program to restore this wetland area. Photo by Gary Kramer

Landowners used the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wetlands Reserve Program to restore this wetland area. Photo by Gary Kramer

Scientists with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service recognize the environmental and economic benefits regional wetlands provide and the importance of preserving wetland resources.

More than 220 million acres, or over 50 percent, of the nation’s wetlands no longer function, and some states lost over 90 percent of their wetland acres due to factors such as logging, construction and stream channeling.

In recent years, public education about the value and functions of wetlands and successful restorations are helping restore natural wetlands. Continue reading

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NSSF Endorses National Hunting and Fishing Day

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Youth Pheasant Hunt © 2011 Darin M Sakas

Youth Pheasant Hunt © 2011 Darin M Sakas

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (May 28, 2013) —Conserving wildlife and the lands that house what we all enjoy are of the utmost importance. National Hunting and Fishing Day is a day set aside to celebrate all that sportsmen do to support those efforts. This year the National Shooting Sports Foundation once again announces its continued, major sponsorship of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Their support has forged new pathways for hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen for the past 42 years. Each year, NHF Day is set to take place on the fourth Saturday in September. This year NHF Day falls on September 28th.  Continue reading

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Bushnell Introduces a New Line of NatureView Binoculars

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Overland Park, Kan. – Bushnell Outdoor Products, an industry-leader in high performance sports optics for 65 years, has introduced a new line of NatureView binoculars. Designed for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, the NatureView product line includes six binoculars, with a combination of porro and roof prism configurations and mid- and full-size models. Continue reading