Blocker Outdoors introduces the Shield Reliant Pant and Shield Reliant Shirt, a dual-purpose gear system designed for both land management work and early-season hunting. Featuring poly-spandex double-weave fabric with S3® anti-microbial technology and moisture-wicking treatment, the system offers durability and scent prevention at $99.99 each.

Darton Archery, Black Eagle Arrows, and Conquest Archery achieved strong podium finishes across multiple classes at ASA Metropolis in Illinois. Notable winners included Cara Kelly in Women's Open Pro, Matt Hagstrom in Senior Known 50, and Brian Stokes in Senior Masters, with Randy Kitts praising the quality of shooters representing all three brands.

Mateo Franco Cifuentes, 29, of Biddeford drowned on July 1st after his kayak tipped over on Sabattus Pond. Cifuentes, who could not swim and was not wearing a personal floatation device, could not be saved despite rescue efforts by friends and bystanders. The Maine Warden Service is investigating the watercraft-related fatality.

Maine Warden Service divers recovered the body of Todd Bradeen, 51, of Standish, who drowned while paddleboarding on Lower Range Pond. Bradeen was not wearing a personal floatation device and did not have his leg tethered to the paddleboard when he fell in and was unable to catch up to it.

Jakub Prokop, 21, of Skowhegan drowned after being thrown from a 2006 Lund boat on the Kennebec River near Hinkley Boat Launch. Prokop was not wearing a lifejacket. The Maine Warden Service investigated with assistance from local fire and police departments.

More than 270 athletes from 35 Iowa teams competed in the 2026 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Sporting Clays Championships at Highland Hideaway. Blake Six of Pella Christian Eagles won Men's Varsity, Lily Jennings of Ankeny Centennial Jaguars Shooting Sports won Ladies Varsity, and Pella Christian Eagles claimed the Varsity Team title.

SHIELD Sights celebrated strong performances at the European Handgun Championships 2026 in Crewkerne, England. Denny Rossetto successfully defended her Ladies Open European Championship title, while Miroslav Zapletal captured the Men's Senior Production Optics European Championship, showcasing exceptional skill among Team SHIELD competitors.

More than 300 athletes from 40 Iowa teams competed in the 2026 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Skeet and Five-Stand Championships at the Iowa State Trapshooting Homegrounds. The Underwood Youth Trap Club won Ladies Varsity Skeet, while Pella Christian Eagles achieved a first-ever perfect team score in Varsity Men's Skeet.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the purchase of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement Phase 1, protecting 34,610 acres on Green Diamond Montana Timberlands LLC property in the Cabinet Mountains. The project secures permanent public recreation access, prevents development, and protects critical wildlife habitat supporting elk, moose, deer, and mountain lions while maintaining sustainable timber harvest.

Firearms Policy Coalition filed a motion to supplement its federal lawsuit challenging California's handgun roster by adding a claim against the state's ban on semiautomatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars, including most Glock pistols. The coalition, represented by Benbrook Law Group, PC, argues California's expanding handgun bans violate the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources issued emergency changes effective July 2 to increase daily fishing limits at seven waterbodies including Pineview Reservoir, Minersville Reservoir, and Otter Creek Reservoir due to low water levels from construction projects and drought impacts. DWR Director Riley Peck stated the changes aim to allow anglers to harvest additional fish so they are not wasted.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department reminds hunters that all existing crossbow permits and Challenged Hunter Access/Mobility Permits (CHAMPs) expired June 30, 2026. Hunters needing these permits for July 1, 2026 and beyond must complete new medical evaluations and submit applications to AZGFD offices, using only current forms signed by qualified physicians.

Nebraska hunters can purchase over-the-counter big game permits for 2026 seasons starting July 8 for residents, with nonresidents eligible July 22. Deer, antelope, and elk permits are available through OutdoorNebraska.gov with sales continuing until quotas sell out or seasons close.

Montana's Fish and Wildlife Commission approved mountain lion quotas for fall 2026 through winter 2027, including quota reductions in southwest Montana and amendments from commissioners in regions 2 and 3. The commission also approved hound hunting on Charles M. Russell and UL Bend national wildlife refuges, effective for the 2027-2028 season if adopted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The NSSF-adjusted NICS figure for June 2026 reached 1,123,006, an 11.7 percent increase compared to June 2025's 1,004,986. The National Shooting Sports Foundation introduced monthly NFA checks tracking, with Texas, Virginia, and Florida leading in NFA checks during the month.

Real Avid introduces the "Range Ready" initiative featuring a 15-part content series with world-renowned competitive shooter Doug Koenig. The program emphasizes preparation and confidence through expert guidance on firearm setup, shooting techniques, and performance mindset for shooters of all skill levels.

Inspectors at Montana's Anaconda boat check station prevented a potential ecological disaster by detecting and decontaminating a Minnesota wake boat carrying hundreds of viable zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil. Tom Woolf, FWP's aquatic invasive species bureau chief, emphasized the critical importance of the inspection, noting such boats could permanently damage Montana's waters.

RCBS announces the launch of the RCBS Bench Stool, featuring a padded seat, matte-black reinforced legs, and swivel base designed for reloading rooms and workshops. The stool is now available and shipping with an MSRP of $119.99.

The Oregon Hunters Association declared readiness to defend Oregon's wildlife management and rural economies against Initiative Petition 28 after proponents submitted 142,784 signatures. OHA Executive Director Todd Adkins stated the measure threatens hunters, farmers, ranchers, and timber families while launching a fact-driven counter-campaign.

Turkeys for Tomorrow (TFT) and South Carolina Wildlife Partnership (SCWP) have partnered to advance wild turkey conservation on private lands. Both organizations operate landowner co-op programs and will collaborate to improve habitat and increase turkey populations across South Carolina's 20.5 million acres.

The award-winning "Wildtalk" podcast episode features Eric and guest host Katie Grzesiak discussing invasive species, with Ryan Wheeler discussing nutria, armadillo, and the invasive species watch list. Listeners can participate in a wildlife quiz for a chance to win an exclusive podcast camp mug by July 15.

MDT announced the release of Rifle Control Points, ergonomic aluminum thumbshelves designed for PRS and NRL competitors. The M-Lok compatible accessories provide consistent support hand reference points with adjustable positioning, V-hull profile for recoil tracking, and textured grip for wet conditions.

Engaged Industries' Recon XL suppressor proved its capabilities on a .375 rifle during a Cape buffalo hunt in Africa, delivering significant recoil reduction and improved shot placement. The suppressor maintained zero over long distances and generated overwhelming interest from African professional hunters and international guides.

Gov. Greg Gianforte appointed Jeff Burrows to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission Region 2 seat in 2023. Burrows, a Ravalli County Commissioner since 2012, brings experience in land use and policy to help ensure future generations can enjoy hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will meet on Friday, July 10 at its Harrisburg headquarters. The meeting will include public comments and finalization of updated elk management units and hunt zones. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Game Commission's YouTube channel.

Pursuit Channel highlights its Main Beam Monday primetime block, presented by Wildlife Research Center, featuring whitetail hunting series including Dean Partridge's Canadian Whitetail, Red Arrow with Kip Campbell, Game On with Blaine Anthony, The American Way, Wallhanger TV, and Cabela's Deer Gear. The block airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET across multiple platforms reaching over 22 million homes.

This week's episode of Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey features bird hunting at Uruguay's Estancia Santa Elena with Chris Dorsey and Dominico Orzi. The show airs Thursdays at 10pm ET and has garnered over 2.4 million views in 2025, with sponsorship from Winchester Ammunition, EO Tech Optics, Safari Club International, and other partners.

Outdoor Channel launches the "Taste of the Wild" block featuring four new programs: Wild Fish Masterclass with Chef Mike Robinson, Feast By Fire with Jess Pryles, MeatEater Roasts, and Gone Again with Carter Andrews, premiering Mondays at 7 p.m. ET starting July 6.

After three years of drought reduced mule deer populations across north-central Montana, biologists are hopeful that May and June rainfall will improve habitat conditions. FWP wildlife manager Cory Loecker notes good fawn survival and expects populations to rebound over several consecutive favorable years, though hunters should expect limited antlerless deer and B license opportunities.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is conducting its annual online turkey brood survey during July and August. Turkey biologist Toni Mikula encourages residents to report wild turkey sightings on the department's website to help monitor population productivity and assess spring weather impacts on poult survival.

At a time when Americans are wrestling with inflation, national debt, border security, housing costs, energy prices, crime, foreign conflicts, infrastructure failures, as well as the lingering mystery of why airport food requires a small-business loan to purchase, Congress has courageously identified the true threat to the Republic: hearing protection.
 
Future generations will surely ask where we were when lawmakers bravely stood up to a menace so obscure that most Americans didn’t realize it was a menace at all. While ordinary citizens worried about paying mortgages and keeping the lights on, elected officials were hard at work protecting society from people who had already passed background checks, completed federal paperwork, paid additional taxes, submitted fingerprints, endured waiting periods, and followed every rule placed in front of them. This, apparently, was the emergency.

According to sources familiar with the legislative process, months of study, meetings, briefings, hearings, consultations, press releases, fundraising emails, and catered lunches ultimately led policymakers to a revolutionary conclusion: if something exists and is owned primarily by law-abiding people, it should probably be regulated more heavily. After all, solving problems is difficult, but regulating people who already obey the law is comparatively simple. 

Mark Twain is often credited with warning that “No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session,” and whether he said it or merely deserves to have said it, Congress seems determined to submit supporting evidence.

Critics have pointed out that suppressors are commonly used to reduce noise and help prevent hearing damage. These critics, unfortunately, have committed one of Washington’s cardinal sins: introducing practicality into a policy discussion. Nothing makes a politician more uncomfortable than a workable solution, because practical solutions raise expectations. Once voters begin expecting government action to accomplish its stated goals, the entire system risks collapsing under the burden of accountability. It is far safer to pursue symbolic victories that generate impressive headlines while demanding no discernible effects whatsoever.

The suppressor debate provides a master class in this philosophy. Anyone whose understanding of firearms comes primarily from action movies might assume a suppressor transforms a gunshot into something resembling a librarian sneezing into a pillow. In reality, suppressors reduce noise levels but do not eliminate them.

Yet Hollywood has become America’s most trusted source of technical expertise, ranking slightly above social media influencers, reality television contestants, and that guy at Thanksgiving who insists he has “done the research.” In movies, suppressors produce a sound best described as a mild cough from a well-mannered squirrel. In real life, they simply reduce the blast to less damaging levels. Unfortunately, reality has never enjoyed the marketing budget of Hollywood.

One congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because anonymity remains one of the few resources still available without federal permitting requirements, explained the concern: “If suppressors reduce noise, criminals might use them.” This observation was received with great seriousness until someone gently pointed out that criminals already ignore laws against robbery, assault, murder, drug trafficking, theft, fraud, illegal firearm possession, and approximately every other activity that qualifies a person as a criminal in the first place. The aide reportedly stared silently into the middle distance before requesting funding for a comprehensive multi-agency study on whether criminals should be expected to obey criminal laws. Results are expected sometime in 2041.

Meanwhile, millions of ordinary Americans were shocked to discover they had unknowingly become participants in a sinister conspiracy. “All these years I thought I was protecting my hearing,” said one recreational shooter. “Turns out I was apparently operating as part of an elaborate underground network dedicated to reducing decibel levels.”

Audiologists have reportedly been stunned as well. For decades, hearing experts have warned people about permanent hearing damage and encouraged ear protection at work sites, concerts, sporting events, industrial facilities, construction projects, airports, and shooting ranges. Now they find themselves watching lawmakers debate whether one form of hearing protection should be treated as a public menace. “We were under the impression that preserving hearing was generally considered a good thing,” one expert confessed. “Clearly we have fallen behind the science of modern politics.”

The proposal emerges amid what researchers call Symbolic Legislation Syndrome, a condition affecting elected officials across the political spectrum. The disorder causes lawmakers to confuse activity with achievement and announcements with accomplishments. Typical symptoms include believing press conferences are measurable policy outcomes, mistaking movie plots for evidence, treating social media engagement as statistical analysis, and assuming criminals carefully monitor legislative updates before planning illegal activities.

Victims often experience an irresistible urge to introduce legislation immediately following any headline, regardless of whether the legislation addresses the underlying issue. In severe cases, lawmakers may become convinced that passing additional regulations automatically produces compliance among individuals whose defining characteristic is a willingness to violate regulations.

The suppressor debate also reveals one of Washington’s favorite traditions: creating a problem in order to solve it. The process begins by identifying a relatively uncommon issue, dramatically expanding its significance until it appears capable of ending civilization, then proposing sweeping solutions that generate publicity, campaign donations, and cable-news appearances. Whether the solution actually addresses the problem is considered a secondary concern, but this approach has been remarkably successful.

If current trends continue, Congress may soon address additional national emergencies: restrictions on ladders because some people fall off them, scrutiny of kitchen knives because criminals occasionally use objects found in kitchens, and a federal task force charged with reducing gravity-related injuries by discouraging gravity.

The most impressive aspect of the entire debate is the confidence with which politicians discuss subjects they clearly learned about fifteen minutes earlier from a staff briefing and a movie marathon. There is something unquestionably inspiring about watching public officials explain technical matters while displaying the same level of expertise normally associated with tourists attempting emergency heart surgery after watching three episodes of a medical drama.

Yet perhaps that is the true genius of modern policymaking. Why burden yourself with evidence when certainty is so much easier? Why consult experts when assumptions are readily available? Why address root causes when accessories, objects, and inanimate equipment are incapable of hiring lobbyists, conducting interviews, or defending themselves?

As the debate goes on, Americans can take comfort in knowing their leaders remain laser-focused on priorities. While large and complicated problems compete for attention, lawmakers have once again demonstrated an uncommon ability to locate the smallest branch on the tallest tree and declare it the defining challenge of our era.

At press time, Congress was reportedly preparing emergency hearings on the threat posed by umbrellas, which experts fear may encourage reckless exposure to rain. A bipartisan commission has also begun investigating whether outlawing tides could reduce coastal flooding. Their preliminary report is expected shortly after they finish solving traffic congestion by banning cars and dealing with obesity by regulating spoons.

The nation’s future, thankfully, remains in skilled hands.

– Chris Dorsey

Chris Dorsey is a 30-year media veteran and conservation thought leader who is the founding partner of Dorsey Pictures, a Global 100 Production Studio, and Mission Partners Entertainment Group, a leading IMAX/giant screen natural history producer.