--Chad Love

There have been many ideas brought forward about how to control the Asian carp, some serious, some not so much, but now an Illinois lawmaker has cranked up the carp-o-meter to eleven with a proposal to allow (I'm not making this up) the use of boat-based shotguns as a means of carp control.

From this story on huffpost:

As the Great Lakes region continues to look for ways to stop plankton-gobbling Asian Carp from infesting our lakes and rivers, the Illinois General Assembly is considering a rather unconventional approach to fighting the invasive species: shooting them. Last week, Illinois Rep. Dave Winters (R-Shirland) introduced a bill that would amend the Fish and Aquatic Life Code, allowing registered gun owners in the state to shoot Asian carp "with a shotgun off of a motorboat in the Illinois River beginning with the 2013 licensing year."

The bill says the Department of Natural Resources would be able to regulate and administer the pilot program. "Shotguns, jumping fish, and boats speeding along on bumpy water. What could go wrong?" Chicagoist wrote Friday, adding that Winters' bill is not the only strange solution to carp locals have come up with.

So, is this just one more goofy idea, or perhaps the next great wingshooting sport?

--Chad Love

Is it a good idea for a nation to let wealthy international hunters shoot threatened species as a way to generate tourism dollars? What if the species in question may not be threatened elsewhere? That's the question being asked after one former Soviet bloc country decided to open hunting seasons on several internationally threatened species.

From this story on tol.org:

When Georgia’s hunting season opened last month, hunters were allowed, for the first time, to train their sights on several threatened species. The decision by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry to permit hunting for animals on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species, commonly called the Red List, is part of Tbilisi’s efforts to promote tourism. Some conservation groups contend the decision could be the death knell for species already under extreme strain from poachers, with even the environment minister weighing in against it. Researchers and environmentalists say there is no reliable count of how many of the threatened animals still roam the forests and mountains of Georgia.

In September, the Natural Resources Ministry proposed that hunting be allowed for several Red List species, including the brown bear, the Caucasian tur (a goat antelope), the bezoar goat, Caucasian grouse, and red deer. In an interview at the time, the ministry’s head, Alexandre Khetaguri, said Turkey, Ukraine, and Austria were already luring international hunters and it made sense for Georgia to profit from the trade as well.

Although the brown bear is not threatened globally, Georgia’s Red List (pdf), deems it endangered. The IUCN warns that even where the bears exist in large, contiguous populations, “they are sometimes hunted for sport or killed for control purposes at unsustainable rates.” The group notes that many countries lack the resources to maintain “adequate monitoring programs and sustainable management plans” for the bears. Red deer, too, are plentiful globally, but they are considered critically endangered in Georgia, as is the bezoar goat. The Caucasian grouse is classed as vulnerable on the country list.

Thoughts?

by David E. Petzal

Because of a calamitous case of human error, I did not get to review the Weatherby Series 2 Vanguard when it came out last year. So, making up for lost time, I can say that I’ve shot one in .308 at some length, and can state without fear of contradiction that it’s one of the best hunting rifles around at any price.

The Series 2 barreled action is made in Japan by Howa, as it always has been, but the stock is now made in the United States, and the rifles are assembled here. There’s a blued and a stainless version; the MSRP for the former is $489, and for the latter $200 more.

There are two principle changes to the rifle. First is the stock. Weatherby has scrapped the old, clubby stock for a new one that follows the lines of the original Mark V stock very closely, including the wonderful, slim pistol grip. Second is the trigger, which is now a true two-stage mechanism that is virtually perfect. No creep, no drag, dead-clean release, 3 ½ pounds every time, and if you even think of messing with it you’re nuts.

Howa has always turned out beautifully finished guns, but the Series 2 rifles I’ve handled have gone a step beyond that. They are literally flawless. The fit and finish are perfect. It’s the kind of work you see in rifles that come from custom gun makers. For a $500 factory rifle to exhibit this kind of work is amazing. The only other rifle on the market I can think of that’s in this league is the Tikka T3.

Weatherby guarantees that all the Series 2 Vanguards will shoot sub-MOA with Weatherby ammo or with premium ammo. This does not mean that it will shoot tiny groups with anything you shove into it. My rifle did only fair with most factory ammo (It shot a minute of angle with Federal 165-grain Trophy Bonded Tip loads.), but with handloads it was a new day.

With 165-grain Hornady WLR loads, the rifle averaged .995. With Sierra 150-grain Game King softpoints (these are hunting bullets, not match bullets) it averaged .580, with one spread going into .196, which nearly caused me to wet myself. Or maybe I did wet myself; I forget.

There are a number of rifles in this price range that shoot very well, but with the exception of the T-3 I can’t think of any that are as nicely made, or have a trigger that can match the one on the Series 2. If the shooting public catches on to how good a rifle this new Vanguard is, Series 2s will be as hard to find as service stations that sell gas for $1.50 a gallon.

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