Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
March 29, 2011 | 1:12 pm
Federal authorities were seeking Tuesday to arrest the co-owner of an Anaheim online gun equipment business who they said tried to sell hundreds of counterfeit, holographic rifle sights over the Internet.
Now a fugitive believed to be in China, Yongming “Steven” Sui, 53, chief executive officer of Field Sport Inc., was charged by state prosecutors with two felony counts.
By Glen Wunderlich
Crow hunting in Michigan’s February/March season offers hunters an opportunity to sharpen their wing-shooting skills, while controlling a prime enemy of game birds and song birds alike. Crows are as wary and elusive as any game a hunter can encounter and during late winter, hiding from them can be problematic.
The best cover to be found is among relatively short conifers such as pine or spruce. The evergreens provide good cover from above, which is where crows check out potential danger. Trees that are 20 to 25 feet in height are ideal, because the black bombers tend to come closer to the ground to investigate. Hiding in large timber, on the other hand, produces approaches that are often out of reach, not to mention how the lack of cover typically results in little or no opportunities at the high flyers.
I prefer a full choke or even extra full and stiff loads of #6 shot. Lighter shot results in cripples and should be avoided, unless a particular set-up brings the birds in close – as can be the case in the late summer season.
Electronic callers can be most effective, because the sound can be away from the shooters. We like the motion decoys, as found at crowbusters.com. I used to put out over a dozen of motionless decoys, but found that even a single motion decoy works well in conjunction with the dying crow call or crow in distress. The fighting crow call works to get them coming in, but usually I switch to the distress call of a lone crow. It’s a simple set up and makes toting gear afield easier.
Of course, head to toe camouflage is a must for success and camouflaged shotguns are better than shiny ones.
And, if hunters can remain hidden from the crows’ keen eyesight, it is common to be forced to reload during an all-out attack. There’s no other hunting like it!
Despite the Libyan crisis and ongoing problems with America’s massive deficit, last week President Obama decided it was time to focus on gun control. However, and as usual, more telling about Obama are his actions. Here is John Lott’s revealing assessment.
By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association
Tradition equals opening day of firearms deer hunting on November 15th for any serious Michigan deer hunter. Sportsmen and women know the date and make plans to be in their favorite hunting location no matter what. Avid hunters don’t have to consult a calendar to determine what day of the week the opener is; They’re just plain going. But one Michigan lawmaker is pitching change. Now, where have we heard that before?
Mt. Pleasant District 99 Representative, Kevin Cotter’s HB 4259 proposes to change the opener to the second or third Saturday, whichever is closest to November 15, while still retaining the current 16-day season. As I listened to his rationale, the emphasis for change was centered on the almighty dollar. He explained that according to a Michigan State University study, when we have a Saturday opening day, we have a 10 percent spike in participation. More hunters mean more license sales, more revenue for struggling businesses, which means more tax revenue to the state. He says, “The 15th is just tradition, but we have to balance that tradition against the very difficult impact that we are all facing together.”
With 3 weekends guaranteed each firearms deer season, he has a point. In addition, he bolsters his argument with the fact that some schools wouldn’t have to close for “deer day”, as they do now. Businesses that lose employees to the time-honored tradition wouldn’t have to shut down, either. Weekend warriors could hunt weekends and not miss as much work time.
He also explains how youngsters would be able to hunt with their parents without missing school. Once again, he makes a valid point, and when one considers Michigan’s poor hunter recruitment and retention numbers, his point is stronger.
Let me toss in one more reason to change opening day to a Saturday: Three weekends would mean more deer taken, thus having a greater impact on controlling regions with over-populated deer, although there are other options available for the same purpose.
Yes, Mr. Cotter’s case is strong. There’s just one fly in his venison stew: Proposition G.
On November 7, 1996 Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to grant the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game in this state. The amendment requires the Commission, to the greatest extent practicable, to use principles of sound scientific management in making decisions regarding the taking of game. The Commission is to issue orders regarding the taking of game after a public meeting and an opportunity for public input. The margin: Yes: 2,413,730 (68.7%) and No: 1,099,262 (31.3%).
Oops, Mr. Cotter.
Your comments are worth consideration, but your methodology is not.
Russ Mason, Wildlife Chief for the Michigan DNR added that hunter surveys show by a wide margin to keep the status quo. As late as 2009, 84 percent of hunters said leave it alone. He went on to say that opening day on a Thursday would result in even more license sales, if that were the goal. He added that it would only be appropriate to “keep the discussion in front of sportsmen, not the legislature.”
Clearly the voters have spoken. Clearly the sportsmen have spoken. And, clearly, Mr. Cotter, you’re out of order. Game management is in the hands of the NRC and Michigan voters specifically changed the Constitution to keep your paws off it.
The Real HSUS on video by the Missouri Farmers Care.
A recently released report for 2010 shows that the country’s most outrageous animal rights group euthanized the majority of pets in their care.
According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in 2010 PETA euthanized 79% of the total cats, dogs and other companion animals in their care. An astonishing 97% of cats and 88% of dogs were put to sleep by the group during 2010.
Of the 1553 cats received by the animal rights group, over 97% of them were surrendered by their owners to PETA. Similarly, of the 792 dogs received, 90% of them were surrendered by their owners.
While this sounds like something completely out of character for a group which believes that animals are equal to humans, this is not the first time PETA has killed the majority of animals given to its care. In 2006, PETA reportedly destroyed most of the animals surrendered by owners to the organization, and in 2007 two PETA employees were charged with animal cruelty for allegedly tossing garbage bags full of euthanized cats and dogs into a dumpster.
Families Afield Packs a Big Economic Punch
(Columbus) – As states across the country scrape and claw for every dollar they can find to jumpstart the economy, sportsmen have found a solution that works for all involved: more hunters, as part of a groundbreaking program that sends hundreds of thousands of newcomers into the field.
Concerned about the impact of too many restrictions on the ability of sportsmen and sportswomen to pass on their hunting traditions to the next generation, a trio of national organizations launched a program designed to remove the red tape, and bolster hunting recruitment. The program, Families Afield, was kicked off in 2005 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. Their efforts have been joined by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the National Rifle Association.
The purpose of the program is to promote passage of “Apprentice Hunting License” legislation. Under this new license, an experienced hunter can take a newcomer into the field to hunt under close supervision prior to the completion of a hunter education course.
To date, 30 states have passed Families Afield style laws, and brand new data shows that more than 598,532 apprentice license have been sold since the program began. And the safety rate of the supervised apprentices has exceeded that of the average hunter.
Even more encouraging was data from a study on the first class of apprentices from the state of Ohio that began in 2006. Over the three year period, roughly half of the purchasers of apprentice licenses continued hunting.
In today’s tough economic environment it is also important to consider the economic impact that Families Afield has built in such a short amount of time.
According to Today’s Hunter, published by the National Shooting Sports Foundation in 2008, the average hunter spends just under $2,000 per year on expenses related to hunting. This includes food, lodging, equipment, travel costs, licenses and more.
When the two pieces of research are combined, it is easy to appreciate the impact of Families Afield. By retaining half of the 598,532 apprentice hunters, with an average expenditure of $2,000, Families Afield has already had an estimated impact of nearly $600 million dollars!
The bottom line: Families Afield is a proven program that helps increase hunting numbers, while promoting a safe experience and provides much needed fuel to a slowly recovering economy. That’s why these organizations and hundreds of state and local sportsmen’s groups are supporting passage of apprentice hunting licenses in all 50 states.
More information can be found here:
Families Afield – www.familiesafield.org
National Shooting Sports Foundation – trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. www.nssf.org
National Wild Turkey Federation – Conservation of the wild turkey and other upland wildlife and preservation of our hunting heritage. www.nwtf.org
US Sportsmen’s Alliance – Protecting the rights of Americans to hunt, fish, and trap. www.ussportsmen.org
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation – Protecting and advancing America’s outdoor traditions through its unprecedented network of elected officials. www.sportsmenslink.org
National Rifle Association of America – www.nra.org
By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association
When the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) describes the good it does in the name of their causes, it’s hard to argue. With over $100 million generated annually, even a tiny fraction of that amount effectively paints an image of animal welfare above all else. It’s a beautiful thing. But, more telling about its operation is what it doesn’t choose to disclose.
It says it’s against certain types of hunting that it defines as unfair. Good enough. Similarly, I hate what poachers do, because they have no regard for the science of game management; for the same reason, I have disdain for HSUS.
Here are some quotes from its website: “The vast majority of species that are hunted—waterfowl, upland birds, mourning doves, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, crows, coyotes, etc.—provide minimal sustenance and do not require population control.” – HSUS Website 2003.
It rules out the notion that small game can constitute the main course in a balanced meal rich in lean protein sans hormones and chemicals. Taking a bag limit of squirrels or doves, or just using a freezer until there’s enough small game to satisfy a man-sized appetite solves that problem of “minimal sustenance”, does it not?
But, when it comes to crows and coyotes providing minimal sustenance, I think they’re off target a bit.
In a 1992 debate on WJNO Radio in West Palm Beach, Florida, Wayne Pacelle, currently HSUS President and CEO, then representing the Fund for Animals, openly admitted his goal to ban all hunting. Here some of what he stated in the debate:
Interviewer: “Where would your organization support black bear hunting – anywhere in the United States?” Pacelle: “Nowhere”
Interviewer: “Where does your organization support the hunting of deer – anywhere in the United States?” Pacelle: “Nowhere”
Interviewer: “Where, in the United States, does your organization support any hunting of any species?” Pacelle: “Nowhere”
Interviewer: “So the real agenda and goal of Fund For Animals is a total ban on all hunting everywhere?” Pacelle: “Yes.”
Granted, Pacelle wasn’t at the throne of HSUS when he made these statements but is there any hunting HSUS supports with him at the helm? If there is, I haven’t found out about it. Its focus is always to bite away at the edge of hunters’ rights like a savage piranha. And, donors’ money is no object.
But before the HSUS spends a dime, it practices selfishness in rare form. Like politicians that vote themselves raises, the HSUS staff is always Numero Uno.
Charity Navigator, America’s self-proclaimed premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities. Through federally mandated financial disclosures, potential donors can learn how specific organizations use their money.
Recently, HSUS has been downgraded to a 3-star rating. In fact, 24.2 percent of donations are used to solicit more money. And, its staff of lawyers and executives claim millions in wages and benefits. (Check out charitynavigator.org to learn the truth about your favorite non-profit organization.)
And, this from the most notorious opponent of HSUS, Center for Consumer Freedom: Seventy-one percent of Americans questioned in an opinion poll wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an “umbrella group” for America’s local humane societies. Sixty-three percent incorrectly think their local “humane society” is affiliated with HSUS. And fifty-nine percent falsely believe HSUS “contributes most of its money” to local organizations that care for cats and dogs.”
They are all wrong. And, in my anecdotal experience, the numbers have been even higher!
The poll, which sampled the opinions of 1,008 Americans, was commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) of Princeton, New Jersey.
What HSUS is good at is raising money from unsuspecting donors – and, of course through strategic litigation schemes against taxpayer-funded government agencies. It is an advocacy group representing itself far beyond any self-proclaimed cause. Just follow the money to its lucrative executive pensions and pay. That’s millions of dollars that donors could use more effectively.
To really help sad animal faces like those shown on TV, donate to your local Humane Society, which is not affiliated with the national masked bandit. Or, go ahead and plant balanced, nutritious food plots for wildlife. Both means of helping animals will have a profound, direct, and positive effect.
GW: I am so happy for the Buckeyes’ receiving my tax dollars for their ash tree project. I wonder if anyone in Ohio would share some of my tax dollars with me to replace hundreds of ash trees already removed from my property…
COLUMBUS, OH- Twelve communities heavily impacted by the emerald ash borer (EAB) in northwest Ohio received federal funding assistance through the Western Lake Erie Basin EAB Community Grant project, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Forestry.
Since the emerald ash borer was first discovered in northwest Ohio in 2003, millions of ash trees have been killed by this devastating invasive insect, which can claim the life of an otherwise healthy, mature tree in as little as three to five years. Due to the insect’s spread, many northwest Ohio communities are now confronted with the costly expense of dead ash tree removal and replacement.
These grants, which require a 50 percent local match, will help EAB-affected communities remove hazardous ash trees, as well as help assist in the restoration of lost canopy cover.
“These funds will help communities proactively implement their EAB management plans,” said Robert Boyles, chief of the Division of Forestry.
Healthy, safe and functional trees improve our cities and towns by enhancing clean air and water, increasing property values, reducing erosion and stormwater runoff, providing wildlife habitat, moderating temperatures and offering year-round enjoyment. For more information about the benefits of trees, urban tree care and the Western Lake Erie Basin Emerald Ash Borer initiative, visit ohiodnr.com/forestry.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at ohiodnr.com.