Author: Braxton Taylor

In July, stakeholder outcry scuttled a Department of Homeland Security plan to slash the staff of its Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Now DHS is trying again—with buyouts and early-retirement offers.The offers to apply to the deferred resignation program, or DRP, were modeled on the Office of Personnel Management’s “fork in the road” effort and sent twice to I&A staffers since July, according to a copy of one of those offer emails issued in September and a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the plans.…

Shell Shock Technologies is launching a new line of .308 Win. rifle cartridges using its steel NAS3 cartridge case technology. The new offering is called Shell Tech 308 NAS3 Prograde Ballistic Tip Ammo and is loaded with Nosler’s signature .308-caliber, 150-grain Ballistic Tip bullets. “The introduction of our 308 NAS3 PROGRADE Ballistic Tip Ammo represents a major step forward in our commitment to innovation, performance and reliability,” said Peter Foss, Managing Partner and CEO of Shell Shock Technologies. “By combining our advanced NAS3 casing with Nosler’s proven Ballistic Tip technology, we’ve created a cartridge that gives hunters the confidence they…

Sturm, Ruger & Company has released its new Collector Series Models for 2025. Even though Ruger has launched Collector Series firearms in the past, those have usually consisted of only Ruger 10/22 rifles. This year is the eighth edition of the Collector Series, and Ruger is shaking things up by launching two additional pistol models for 2025. The three firearms in this lineup are a Ruger 10/22 carbine, a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 pistol and a Ruger Super Wrangler rimfire revolver. Because they’re special edition items and part of Ruger’s 2025 Collector Series, The 10/22 Sporter stock features an oak…

National Guard troops are headed to Chicago and could arrive as soon as Tuesday after a federal judge on Monday scheduled a hearing on the matter for Thursday in order to review what she said was more than 500 pages of filings. The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued the Trump administration Monday over the Guard deployment, which would send up to 300 Illinois National Guard soldiers and up to 400 more Guard troops from Texas into Chicago ostensibly to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and facilities, but over the objection of the governor of Illinois. “These…

References to a 2019 law that guarantees back pay to all federal workers after a shutdown were quietly removed on Friday from guidance by the Office of Management and Budget.Until Oct. 3, OMB’s “Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations” document highlighted the Government Employees Fair Treatment Act, the 2019 law enacted as part of the deal to end the 35-day partial government shutdown during President Trump’s first term. Signed into law by Trump, the law requires back pay for furloughed and excepted federal workers after government funding is restored after “any lapse in appropriations that begins on or after December 22, 2018.” Until…

Earlier this fall, a hunter shot his first archery bull elk deep in the northern Idaho backcountry—and then accidentally stabbed himself in the leg while processing his kill. It’s the kind of freak accident that could befall any hunter. Here’s how it went down and the lessons from the harrowing experience.Benjamin Wardell of Post Falls, Idaho, had been archery hunting for five or six years without accomplishing what many Western hunters consider to be the pinnacle of big game bowhunting: tagging a bull elk. On the second weekend of September, Wardell took his dirt bike up a ridge on rugged…

 The U.S. Army has awarded FN America with a Prototype Project Opportunity Notice contract valued at $2 million to further develop its submission for the Precision Grenadier System, a next-generation primary soldier weapon system and family of ammunition The FN Multi-purpose Tactical Launcher 30mm (MTL-30) was designed in the United States and will be manufactured by FN America at its plant in South Carolina. The Soldier-portable, semi-automatic, medium-velocity, flat-trajectory grenade launcher will enable warfighters to engage targets at extended ranges with payloads more effective than existing technologies. “This program is a U.S. Government priority with the shift in modern warfare and…

The votes are in, and we have a winner! Wisconsin has officially been crowned the “Best Whitetail State” after beating out Minnesota with 54% of the votes.With an estimated deer population of 1.6 million and over 6.6 million acres of public land, it’s no wonder The Badger State is a whitetailer’s paradise. To see the full rundown of the October Madness, Best Whitetail State bracket, click here.Janis Putelis repped Wisconsin in this bracket and has a good reason why: “My favorite whitetail state is Wisconsin. It’s got the hardcore deer culture of Michigan AND big bucks. It’s also where I…

00:00:01 Speaker 1: With his international fame as the most American of artists. Naturalists, John James Audubon amazed the world with his life size paintings of nearly five hundred American birds, but by the time of his Western journey for a book on American mammals, he had grown depressed at the widespread destruction of nature in America. I’m Dan Flores, and this is the American West, brought to you by Velvet Buck Wine. Where the hunt meets the harvest. A portion of each battle goes to support backcountry hunters and anglers. Limited supply available at Velvetbuck Vineyards dot com. Enjoy…

00:00:06 Speaker 1: Yo, what’s up? 00:00:07 Speaker 2: You are off in GC God’s country podcast podcast room, Witchie Bulls Reed and dan isbel also known as a Brother Or we take a week of drive to the intersection of contry and music and the great outdoors. They sure are great. Your turn brought to you by Oh or two things? 00:00:34 Speaker 3: Yeah what? 00:00:34 Speaker 1: Sorry? 00:00:36 Speaker 2: You think we do this and know it by now? Two things they go together like womp, whack and thunder Yeah. 00:00:48 Speaker 1: Or a…