In observance of the Memorial Day weekend we will not be distributing any of our services on Monday, May 25. The Outdoor Wire Digital Network will resume our normal distribution schedule on Tuesday, May 26. If you have important news to distribute prior to the holiday weekend, please submit it by 4:00pm Eastern today, Thursday, May 21. News arriving later will not make tomorrow's final editions for the week. Please note that Tuesday's edition of The Knife Wire will be the last before Blade Show.

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, founded by Johnny Morris, has been named America's Best Aquarium for a record eighth time. The 350,000-square-foot facility features 1.5 million gallons of aquariums and has welcomed nearly 9 million visitors since opening in 2017.

Dead Air Silencers announced that multiple products, including the Nomad LTi XC, Nomad Ti XC, Enhanced Brake for Nomad Suppressors, and Mask, received 2026 Editor's Choice Awards from Hunt Alaska. CEO Ernie Beckwirth praised the recognition, crediting the company's team dedication to producing high-performance suppressors for hunters and shooters.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hosting two free tours of the Kirtland's warbler and its jack pine habitat on May 30 and June 13 in Grayling. Participants will learn about this rare songbird's conservation status and observe the species in its northern Michigan habitat.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reminds boaters to prepare properly before launching and practice patience at boat ramps as summer season approaches. Jeremy Risley, AGFC's Black Bass Program coordinator, emphasizes having safety gear ready and maintaining courteous interactions to ensure safe experiences for all water users.

Recreational boaters in Michigan's Great Lakes should avoid areas marked by orange flags and buoys indicating commercial fishing nets below the surface. Nets can cover over an acre and cause significant damage if snagged by boats. The DNR provides guidance on avoiding nets and procedures for reporting entanglements via the hotline at 800-292-7800.

Erich Mietenkorte of Team Lapua made history at the 2026 Conard Bernhardt Silhouette Championship, becoming the first shooter to earn the prestigious Super Slam Award developed by the Bull River Shooters Association. Mietenkorte placed third in Master class and achieved the distinction by hitting 15 consecutive targets in both Standard and Hunting rifle categories.

Team Leapers achieved over 12 first place victories at the 2026 CMP Eastern Games Regional Championship using Integrix riflescopes. Notable winners included Nick Till, Roy Mitchell who set a new Eastern Games record at 600 yards, and Conrad Young. Integrix Service Rifle Scopes earned NRA Media's American Rifleman "Optic of the Year" for 2026.

The African Leopard Research Project advances into South Africa following successful fieldwork in Botswana, partnering with the PHASA Foundation and SCIF to generate evidence-based leopard management data. Waterberg Toyota donated a dedicated research vehicle to support the SCIF National Leopard Survey, with additional support from Haltlock, Wild Canopies, and Graeme Alberts.

Northern Michigan artist Kim Diment won Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' 2026 Migratory Bird Stamp contest with her artwork of northern shovelers. Her winning entry was selected from 60 submissions by the Montana Wetlands Protection Advisory Council. Diment receives a $2,000 prize funded by Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation and Montana Audubon.

Firearms Policy Coalition petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court in Novotny v. Moore to strike down Maryland's Gun Safety Act of 2023, which bans public firearm carry. The case involves FPC members, Maryland Shall Issue, and the Second Amendment Foundation, represented by Cooper & Kirk, PLLC and Mark W. Pennak.

The NSSF funded a lawsuit challenging Virginia's ban on Modern Sporting Rifles and standard-capacity magazines, filing an emergency motion for preliminary injunction in Fauquier County Circuit Court. Plaintiffs including Erick Black, Britton Condon, Clark's Gun Shop, Optimus Arms, LLC, and Hexmag USA, LLC argue the law violates the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions, with enforcement set for July 1, 2026.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and partners including Maryland Shall Issue, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Association have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review Novotny v. Moore, challenging Maryland's "sensitive places" carry ban that restricts firearm possession in numerous public locations despite the Bruen decision.

Indiana Conservation Officers, along with Indiana State Police and volunteer fire departments, rescued three people from floodwater in Ripley County after they attempted to drive through rising water. All occupants were safely removed and treated at the scene. Conservation Officers remind the public to never drive through floodwater.

Georgia DNR's Coastal Resources Division is proposing new red drum regulations to rebuild the overfished South Atlantic stock. The changes would reduce the daily creel limit from five to three fish and adjust the size limit from 14–23 inches to 15–24 inches. Public comments are accepted through June 30, 2026, with the Board of Natural Resources voting on August 25, 2026.

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources highlights prime fishing destinations for Memorial Day weekend and Free Fishing Day on June 6, when no license is required. Featured locations include Joes Valley Reservoir, Lake Powell, Fish Lake, Strawberry Reservoir, and Bear Lake, offering opportunities for beginners and experienced anglers alike.

Nearly 220 elite college fishing teams will compete May 21-22 in the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL. Anglers compete for over $30,000 in prizes, a National Championship title, and triple points toward the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Ohio hunters checked 14,886 wild turkeys during the spring 2026 season through May 17, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The statewide total includes 23 days of hunting in the south zone and 16 days in the northeast zone, with Tuscarawas County leading harvests at 414 birds.

May 20 is the final deadline to apply for Oklahoma Controlled Hunts through the Go Outdoors Oklahoma online account. The ODWC-sanctioned program offers drawings for high-quality hunts for deer, elk, antelope, and turkey.

North Dakota's 2025 upland bird harvests declined for pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, and gray partridge compared to 2024. RJ Gross, North Dakota Game and Fish Department upland game biologist, attributed decreases to cool, wet nesting conditions and West Nile virus impacts on sharptails, though adult pheasant densities remain high.

Capstone Precision Group and Team Lapua USA announce the passing of Steve Reiter on May 18, 2026, an accomplished competitive pistol shooter with 34 National Championship titles and 63 National Records. Reiter was a founding Team Lapua USA member since 2009 and the first Quadruple Distinguished Marksman under the CMP.

Media Lodge announced a partnership with Lexipol Media Group to represent their first responder digital media network, including Police1, FireRescue1, and EMS1, enabling consumer brands to reach off-duty police officers, firefighters, and EMTs through integrated marketing opportunities.

Gun Owners of America endorses Representative Lauren Boebert's Freedom from Taxes Act of 2026, which would eliminate the $200 NFA tax on machine guns and destructive devices. Erich Pratt, GOA's Senior Vice President, praised the bill for restoring Second Amendment rights without punitive taxation.

Duck Club Bourbon, co-founded by Riley Green, has become a Proud Partner of Ducks Unlimited through a three-year partnership. The collaboration unites the brands through shared values of outdoor tradition, craftsmanship, and conservation, with Duck Club Bourbon engaging DU members through marketing initiatives and events.

Michigan DNR urges off-road vehicle operators to "Ride Right" following 2025 data showing over 700 crashes, 32 fatalities, and 500+ injuries. Acting Cpl. Sidney LaLonde emphasizes safe speeds, sobriety, helmets, and proper child supervision to prevent accidents caused by excessive speed and careless operation.

Zanders, a national distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, is now stocking the Henry H023 Lever Action Supreme Rifle chambered in .450 Bushmaster caliber. Built by Henry Repeating Arms with premium craftsmanship, the rifle features a blued barrel, walnut stock, ambidextrous safety, and match-grade trigger for hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts.

PROOF Research launched PXT (PROOF Exponential Twist), a groundbreaking rifling technology that improves barrel durability, accuracy, and shootability. The innovation uses a progressively changing twist profile to reduce bullet stress while maintaining rotational stability, delivering 30-100% increased barrel life and 20-50% improvements in consistency and accuracy. PXT barrels are available in multiple chamberings with the Elevation FDX starting at $3,499 and Elevation MTR FDX at $3,799.

Off Grid Suppressors, headquartered in Shevlin, Minnesota, launches the Operator TI, a 5.56 NATO-optimized suppressor utilizing advanced additive manufacturing and aerospace-grade titanium. The direct-thread design delivers superior sound reduction, weighs 8.5 oz, and is manufactured individually in the USA with a lifetime warranty at $1,049 MSRP.

GRITR Sports announces a 10% Memorial Day discount for active military personnel and veterans from May 22-26. Eligible customers can verify their status through GovX platform at checkout to apply the discount to firearms, ammunition, optics, and other products.

Fish Monkey's merino wool blend socks offer retailers a high-margin accessory category designed for warm-weather fishing. The socks feature moisture-wicking technology, ventilated construction, and targeted cushioning, with Made-in-the-USA production at one of America's oldest sock mills.

Knife Rights will exhibit at BLADE Show June 5-7 in Atlanta, Georgia, the world's largest knife show with over 900 exhibitors. The booth will display over $100,000 in prizes from the Ultimate Steel Spectacular.

Quaker Boy will continue as a national sponsor of Whitetails Unlimited, the premier white-tailed deer conservation organization. Founded by Dick and Beverly Kirby, Quaker Boy has produced Made in the USA game calls for over four decades, supporting WTU's mission of wildlife habitat enhancement and hunting tradition preservation.

Winchester will be featured alongside Bass Pro Shops on the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the 2026 Coca-Cola 600. Winchester is honoring the 250th Anniversary of the United States with commemorative ammunition packaging series, including limited-edition collectible designs celebrating American heritage and the nation's hardworking citizens.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation will hold an informal conference on June 8, 2026, to receive public comments on the S-366-4 Liberty Mine permit application for expanding the mining area. The meeting will be held at the Boonville-Warrick County Public Library and livestreamed via Microsoft Teams.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is recruiting an individual to fill a seat on the Upper Missouri River Fisheries Management Plan Citizen Advisory Committee, which provides input on fisheries management for Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter Reservoirs. Applications must be received by June 12, 2026, and interested candidates should contact Helena area biologist Nathan Jaksha at 406-495-3263.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Department's Stars & Stripes License Project has provided hunting and fishing licenses to resident veterans and select survivors since 2016. Oklahomans can donate through the Go Outdoors Oklahoma Outdoor Store or mail checks to support this initiative that maintains wildlife conservation funding.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Rosebud on June 17 at Rosebud Battlefield State Park. The event will honor the Northern Cheyenne victory and include tribal participation, reenactments, ceremonies, and historical demonstrations.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will reopen for the 2026 season with cave tours available May 1 through September 30. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance through the Montana FWP website or by phone at 1-855-922-6768. The park offers Paradise and Classic tours, camping, hiking, and interpretive programs.

Montana's state parks system welcomed an estimated 3.38 million visitors in 2025, a 4.9 percent increase from 2024. Giant Springs was the most visited park with 645,978 visitors, followed by Flathead Lake with 362,136 visitors. Visitation has increased 27.3 percent over the last decade.

Outdoor Sportsman Group launches "The Turkey Hunter's Journal," a 4-part video series presented by Lacrosse Footwear in partnership with TriStar Arms and MOJO Outdoors. Hosted by Kali Parmley and Colton Heward, the series highlights conservation efforts by the Lowcountry Game Bird Foundation in South Carolina and the Turkey Track Club in South Dakota.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission urges outdoor enthusiasts to leave young wildlife alone during spring and early summer, as mothers are typically nearby. Interfering with young animals can harm both wildlife and humans, and it is illegal to take wildlife from the wild with penalties up to $1,500 per animal.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is reminding outdoor recreationists to be "bear aware" during Memorial Day weekend. Paul Greer, wildlife manager supervisor at AZGFD's Region 1 office in Pinetop, advises removing attractants like trash and food to prevent bear conflicts and keep both humans and bears safe.

Pittman-Robertson Funding Unites Fish and Wildlife Agencies in a Common Cause

Regulated hunting has never caused the local extinction of any wildlife species. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

Hunting regulations informed by science, created under the aegis of the firearms and archery industries through the reliable and steady funding under Pittman-Robertson, are responsible for the unparalleled restoration of birds and mammals in America from a nadir a century ago.

Ample examples exist, but case in point here, let’s consider the wild turkey.

America’s largest upland bird impressed our morals and manners and our place names for centuries. There’s the Lefthand Fork Turkey Creek, West Virginia; Gobbler Pass, South Dakota; and Cerro Pavo (Turkey Hill) in New Mexico to name only a few. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s registry of place names the iconic bird’s name and its colloquial variants appear nearly 2,000 times.

Place names are our nation’s autobiography—and wild turkey figure large in our American story.

That story includes the unfortunate outcomes of unregulated and unfettered subsistence and market harvest, coupled by loss of habitat—forests converted to row crops and pasture and as of late, mosaics of meadows and woods made into subdivisions and parking lots. The obble-obble-obble echoing down a hollow in crisp orange light of dawn became artifacts of the past.  By 1900, wild turkey were severely reduced through much of its natural range over the span of 38 states.

But Pittman-Robertson turned that around. Despite a slow slog at times, peaks and valley, through grit and plain pluck wildlife biologists backed by hunters and conservation organizations, restored wild turkey to welcoming habitats.

There are monuments to the matter.  

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department dedicated a bronze plaque in the Pawlet public square, celebrating the return of wild turkey to the hardwood forests. The words commemorate the early work that achieved a great task—to put a self-sustaining wild turkey population back in the wilds for the pleasure and enjoyment and benefit of the public and of course to make the whole of nature, well, more whole.

That significant early work performed in Vermont was made possible by Pittman-Robertson, but wildlife management is hardly ever a one-and-done. Vermont biologists continue to research and monitor and manage wild turkey, joining a cadre of biologists in other state fish and wildlife agencies endeavoring under the same drive.

Biologists with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources are presently replicating an intensive wild turkey study conducted 30 years ago. The scientists are examining again, nesting success and longer-term poult survival rates using radio transmitters to track turkeys over time. But new this time around, the WVDNR has added a human dimensions aspect to the research, querying hunters about their opinions on regulations and hunting quality.

“Our first study 30 years ago showed that significant hen poaching was a problem,” said Michael Peters, WVDNR’s Wild Turkey and Migratory Game Bird Project Leader. “But that is not so today—probably related to change in values with hunters wanting a long beard, and not just a hen.”

The West Virginia biologists are in the third year of the three-year study, made possible by Pittman-Robertson funding. “P-R paid for transmitters and receivers, rocket nets and charges, expensive helicopter time—getting around the hills of Appalachia is not easy,” said Peters.  “We have transmitters on 200 birds at all times returning a great deal of data.”

The data are managed by a technician at West Virginia University where Pittman-Robertson funding supports two master’s and a Ph.D. student, mentored by adjunct faculty at a U.S. Geological Survey Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit. In short, professors mentor graduate students on their turkey research in concert with the WVDNR, while effectively training future wildlife biologists.

Two such students working for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources advanced knowledge of wild turkey management in a cross-state research endeavor nested at Tennessee Tech University. Abigail Riggs, who earned a master’s degree and is now a wildlife biologist in Wisconsin, conducted a statewide banded gobbler survey and relied on hunters to report harvest—the robust results of which were not possible without their voluntary participation.

With birds in hand, Riggs collected blood and swabbed fecal matter for a comprehensive wild turkey disease survey, the first of its kind in Kentucky.

“We use P-R dollars for research directly used for turkey management,” said Zachary Danks, KDFWR’s Turkey-Grouse Program Coordinator.  “It’s helping fill knowledge gaps, and the disease survey is a great example.”

Sara Watkins, a Ph.D. candidate at Tennessee Tech is on the downhill side of large study of the reproductive ecology of wild turkey in Kentucky; she collected data from 233 hens, revealing the stages of nesting and brooding and when gobbling occurs. The findings can refine population and habitat management, according to Danks.

With the backing of P-R dollars and the National Wild Turkey Foundation, Danks led several other state agency turkey biologists, from Texas to New York, in publishing a paper on the matter of standardizing turkey data collection methods in 38 states. The paper appeared in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, which is read by wildlife professionals throughout the world.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources turkey biologist, Emily Rushton, collaborates with researchers from the University of Georgia on a broad scale research project in the Georgia Piedmont region where recent wild turkey declines have been notable. She and colleagues have conducted research on Cedar Creek and B.F. Grant Wildlife Management Areas to better understand nest timing, habitat needs, and behavior.  The research has been ongoing since 2017 and will end in 2027.

“Some of our findings have been eye-opening,” said Rushton. “We’ve discovered that the distance between important habitats has an effect on predation. Hens and poults having to travel more than 500 meters to meet certain needs become more vulnerable to predators. Proximity matters.”

As habitat types become more disjunct from development or conversion, such as hardwoods to pulp wood in the Southeast, turkey populations take a hit.  

“Pittman-Robertson is vital to function as a state agency, to get the right people on the research,” said Rushton, “It is essential to support management and restoration and to acquire more habitat, more WMAs for wild turkey and other wildlife.”

Pittman-Robertson has its monuments, not all in bronze.

There’s a great body of science derived from the funding in scientific journals and master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations. They may be narrow niche, but their contents matter to those who manage our wildlife. Picture a startled hen and maturing poults waddling in the woods, rushing for cover where 70 or even 20 years ago, there were none.

To see the monument, look, listen, and enjoy.

– Craig Springer — for the USFWS, Office of Conservation Investment