News Headlines You May Have Missed

iSportsman Staff

Idaho Joins Other Western States in Limiting High-Tech Hunting

Idaho is tightening the screws on some high-tech hunting tools while also making it harder for newcomers to buy lifetime hunting licenses. The new restrictions ban or limit the use of thermal imaging, night vision, drones and cellular trail cameras for big game and game bird hunting. The state, a top destination for many traveling hunters, is framing the move as a fair chase reset, aimed at keeping the hunt from turning into a technology race where the guy with the best signal, screen or sensor becomes overly proficient.

“With better technology comes more success, and if we don’t find a way to moderate success, we are going to have to cut opportunities,” Idaho Wildlife Federation Executive Director Nick Fasciano told the Spokesman-Review.

The rules limit the use of cellular-enabled trail cameras that can send photos, video, location data or other information to a hunter in real time during hunting seasons. Standard non-transmitting trail cameras remain legal on public land year-round. Exceptions were also added for some predator hunting, game recovery, trapping, livestock protection and other limited uses.

In other Idaho hunting news, the state also increased the residency requirement for a lifetime hunting license from six months to five years. That change takes aim at people who establish short-term residency, buy into Idaho’s lifetime-license system and keep those benefits long after they leave.

Old-School Cartridge Gets a Modern Bullet Makeover

The .220 Swift may be pushing 90, but Outdoor Life says modern bullets are giving the old speed demon new hunting life—especially when paired with modern bullets. OL’s Tyler Freel tested a 1954 Winchester Model 70 chambered in .220 Swift and found that newer .224-caliber bullet designs can make the classic predator and varmint cartridge hit harder and perform better on game than many hunters might expect.

The key is matching modern bullet construction to older rifles, many of which have slower twist barrels that will not stabilize today’s long, heavy-for-caliber projectiles. Freel tested lighter options, including a 34-grain McGuire Copper Rose, a 55-grain Speer Gold Dot and a 44-grain Hammer Hunter. The results showed the Swift can still deliver blistering speed, violent expansion and useful penetration when fed the right bullet.

The key thing to remember here is don’t relegate Grandpa’s handed down rifle to the dust of your gun safe. Test it with modern loads, and odds are you’ll find the .220 Swift or other classic calibers perform just as well in the field as the new chamberings on the block.

Nationwide Carry Proposed for Some Service Members & Veterans

Guns to Gardens Turns Unwanted Firearms into Tools

So, if you’re one of the few people who actually wants to turn in your valuable firearms for a gift card instead of selling them, shooting them or handing them down, at least in Kansas City, one group is doing something kinda cool with them. The group Guns to Gardens collects turned-in firearms and destroys them, giving the pieces to blacksmiths to turn into garden tools, jewelry and art.

Headlines courtesy of U.S. LawShield. Image courtesy of John Cardamone/Unsplash.