“wetlands”

Blue-wings and September swelter mark an exceptional visit to Louisiana’s Honey Brake Lodge.

A century ago the founding members of this nationwide group joined forces with other conservationists to help pass valuable measures including our Duck Stamp and the Pittman-Robertson Act. Today, more than 40,000 “Ikes” in 200-plus chapters nationwide value their decades of work on behalf of conservation with diverse groups and common goals.

For the first time since its inception, America’s first National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the Klamath Basin, is dry. Despite being established for waterfowl conservation purposes by Theodore Roosevelt, millions of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and other essential wildlife species will not have anywhere there or at neighboring Tule Lake NWR to rest, refuel and prepare for their migration.

Winchester is celebrating 85 years of conservation excellence with the introduction of its limited-edition Ducks Unlimited waterfowl ammo, available this fall.

The 2022-23 Federal Duck Stamp goes on sale Friday, June 24. The stamps, which cost $25 and raise about $40 million for conservation each year, are valid from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.

A young artist from South Dakota has taken top honors at the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. A green-winged teal by 15-year-old Madison Grimm will grace the 2022-2023 Junior Duck Stamp, which raises funds to educate and engage our nation’s youth in wildlife and wetlands conservation and outdoor recreation.

The South Carolina General Assembly has agreed to legislation that will enact a fee increase to the state’s migratory waterfowl permit, for the improvement of waterfowl habitat on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).

In our zeal to teach hunter-recruits marksmanship and fieldcraft we must not forget to arm them with the knowledge of everything American hunters have done to conserve our natural resources. A well-armed hunter, after all, is our best advertisement.

Contributor Barb Melloni had the opportunity to check out the new, limited-availability Maxus II Hunter from Browning. Read on for her thoughts on this beautifully crafted autoloader.