PA Sunday Hunting Bills, Turkey Ammo Rebates & Conservation News

The past week yielded much in the way of interesting headlines. From new boating mapping in Michigan to Sunday hunting bills in Pennsylvania, to big turkey ammo rebates, to habitat stamp art competitions, and more—check out some of the latest from the outdoors.

Several shotshell companies are offering ammo rebates for turkey hunters. Recently, Browning Ammunition launched its rebate program. Customers can receive up to $5 back per box of Browning TSS Turkey. The maximum is $100 back per household.

Remington announced the Beards, Spurs, and Savings rebate. It includes Remington turkey ammo, including Nitro Turkey, Premier Magnum Turkey, Premier Magnum Turkey High Velocity, or Premier TSS ($3 per box), and the option to get up to $100 back.

HEVI-Shot is offering a rebate as well. Titled the Tom Time rebate program, it too offers up to $100 back. Included products are HEVI-Shot’s HEVI-13, HEVI-Metal Turkey, Magnum Blend, Magnum Blend Reduced Recoil, HEVI-X Strut, or HEVI-Bismuth Turkey (all $5 per box), or HEVI-Shot HEVI-18 ($7 per box).

Winchester is also offering its own rebates. Winchester Double-X ($3 per box), Super-X ($3 per box), or Long Beard XR ($7 per box) are included in the rebate program. The total rebate is $100 per household.

For the most part, these rebates run through May 31, 2025. Purchase requirements apply.

Those who attended the 2025 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic enjoyed a great event. This year, it was held in Kansas City, Missouri, and is one of the largest upland hunting shows in the world.

The 2025 National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic, presented by Federal Ammunition, was held in Kansas City, Missouri, March 7-9 at the Kansas City Convention Center. The event brought together tens of thousands of upland hunting enthusiasts to see all the best new products, including Federal Premium’s lineup of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever branded product lines.

“Federal always looks forward to seeing everyone in Kansas City and celebrating the outcomes of such strong conservation efforts that Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have done over the last year,” said Jon Zinnel, Federal’s Director of Conservation. “We are also excited to celebrate Quail Forever’s 20th anniversary of protecting and enhancing quail habitat. In recent years, we’ve added the Quail Forever logo to several of our premium upland products to support their mission and add to the already branded Pheasants Forever product lines where the royalty goes back for mission support on the ground.”

Winchester was on-site, too, per usual. “Upland hunting is a part of the Winchester legacy, and we’re committed to providing best-in-class upland hunting ammunition,” said Jason Gilbertson, Director of Marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “As passionate supporters of upland hunting and conservation, we look forward to engaging with fellow enthusiasts about hunting stories, great bird dogs, and the best upland hunting ammunition.”

Check out more highlights from the event at pheasantsforever.org.

Those who navigate Michigan’s waters have a new boating tool at their disposal. Beginning this summer, there are two new ways to find and navigate to boating destinations. The Michigan Boating Facility Finder (MiBFF) is now revamped, and highlights access and launch points. Additionally, it offers a new printed harbor guide, too. It’s available at state-managed harbors, some municipal marinas, etc. Of course, always check watercraft rules, potential closures, and more. Check out the Boating Facility Finder here.

Team Winchester and White Flyer are set to compete at the 2025 Gator Cup. The event will take place March 14-19 at the Back Woods Quail Club in Georgetown, South Carolina. These sporting clay shooters will compete for top finishes in all events.

The Arkansas deer season was a good one. The entire deer harvest totaled 199,863 whitetails. It’s a 4% increase over the previous season. Overall, the statewide harvest continues on a steady incline.

“It’s a good rough measure, but we really look more closely at the harvest by deer zone to determine trends, and we still have to do some analysis there before we make any formal presentation,” said AGFC Deer Program Coordinator Ralph Meeker. “A lot of factors play into that statewide harvest number. Mast crop production, flooding and the closing of flood-prone zones, inclement weather on the opening weekends of alternative firearm or modern gun deer season, and hunter effort can all affect regional harvest numbers which in turn affect the overall statewide harvest figure.” For more, check out AGFC online.

Pennsylvania has long had a Sunday hunting ban. A new effort via Senate Bill 67 aims to completely repeal that law. The reintroduced bill would allow the PGC to include Sundays within season structures. Currently, the bill is highly supported.

“Hunting takes time, and a lack of time is one of the biggest reasons cited by hunters who stop hunting,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “Repealing the Sunday hunting ban and allowing the Game Commission to fully regulate Sunday hunting is an opportunity to provide hunters more time, which will help keep them engaged and carrying out their vital role in managing key wildlife populations. This legislation is beneficial to hunting’s future and the future of wildlife management in the Commonwealth. We support it and thank Senator Laughlin for again championing this important issue.” For more, check out pa.gov/agencies/pgc.html.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is set to announce the winners of the 2025 Arkansas Quail and Turkey Stamp Art Competition. The winners will be announced March 15, 2025, at 3 P.M. in the Historical Cane Hill Gallery. Winners will be featured on the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Stamp and Eastern Wild Turkey Conservation Stamp and will receive $2,500 prizes.

“We’re thrilled with the response and participation in this national competition,” Vanessa McKuin, Historic Cane Hill executive director, said. “This year, we had submissions from 87 artists from 28 states, including 24 cities in Arkansas.

“We are grateful to be part of this program and to have such strong partners in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,” McKuin said. “This partnership and program is one of the ways in which Historic Cane Hill fulfills our mission to be a place where people can connect with the arts, Ozark history and culture, and nature.”

Nevada elk habitat is on a high note right now. RMEF and partners are celebrating the conservation and opening of more than 7,150 acres. These acquisitions and improvements should help improve habitat and increase hunting access in key areas.

“This project provides a multitude of benefits ranging from increased public access for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities to enhancing wildlife connectivity, conserving important habitat and improving wildlife management,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO.

“This most recent purchase protects vital wildlife habitat in the South Schell Creek Range and compliments the extensive wildlife habitat and public access portfolio NDOW and RMEF have worked for decades to secure for the wildlife and public,” said Caleb McAdoo, NDOW deputy director of operations. “We are proud to stand in strong partnership with RMEF on yet another monumental effort of adding to the state’s WMA system and protecting valuable wildlife habitat.”