Today the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation publicly disavowed a misleading press release distributed on Friday, March 11th to congressional offices and other outlets. The press release blatantly misrepresents the position of these organizations regarding legislation to delist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

The draft release was circulated by an individual representing Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and Big Game Forever. The individual representing these two groups was immediately advised to remove the aforementioned organizations named in the release. Unfortunately, he did not, and the release was transmitted without correcting the inaccurate information.

The release in question claimed that the NRA, SCI and CSF along with the other organizations listed below are opposed to language relating to the delisting of gray wolves in spending legislation currently pending before the U.S. Congress. In fact, these organizations support that language, as well as every other measure that has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate to date addressing this important issue.

Congressional offices and members of the media should exercise caution in accepting as fact, or repeating, any claims made by Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Big Game Forever or any person claiming to represent them. Due to the blatant misrepresentation contained in the press release circulated by these two groups, any claims they make in the future should be thoroughly investigated and independently confirmed.

Hares have an interesting place in the English language.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Mad as a March hare” and wondered where it came from?

March is the breeding season for hares, thus their odd behavior of boxing and jumping during this time of year. This is not a new phenomenon, and the earliest written testament to it was circa 1500, in Blowbol’s Test reprinted by W. C. Hazlitt in Remains Early Popular Poetry of England, 1864. It states, “Thanne [th]ey begyn to swere and to stare, And be as braynles as a Marshe hare.”

In hunting circles, the phrase derived from a male hare’s (bucks) tendency to travel several miles to breed with a female (doe) during the month of March. When a hunter’s dog would disturb the buck, he would return to his home area miles away with the dog often in pursuit. This meant the hunters would either lose their dog or have to travel miles to find it.

The phrase “hare-brained” refers to the same behavior. This is also old and is referenced in Edward Hall’s Chronicle, 1548: “My desire is that none of you be so unadvised or harebrained [sic] as to be the occasion that …”

Other interesting facts about hares include that the rabbit in Bambi named Thumper derived its name from a female hares’ tendencies with her young. Hares do not live in the ground like cottontails, so they have their young above ground and the babies (leverets) spread out to hide so that if one is discovered by a predator it will not find the entire clutch. When it is time for the young to nurse, the mother hare will “thump” her back foot rapidly to call them in to feed.

A bill in Louisiana would require sportsmen to show the serial number on their firearms before purchasing ammunition.

House Bill 8, introduced by Representative Juan LaFonta (D- New Orleans), requires any person selling ammunition to verify that the serial number of the gun for which the ammunition will be used has not been altered or destroyed. Only antique and war relic firearms would be exempt from this new requirement if they are rendered inoperable or if ammunition for these firearms is not available in the U.S. and not otherwise readily available through other means.

Essentially, this bill would require sportsmen to take their guns with them to their local gun shop anytime they needed to purchase ammunition. While there, the sales clerk would be required to check the gun’s serial number to make sure it wasn’t altered in any way before selling any ammunition. Sportsmen would have to go through this process every time they want to purchase ammunition. Those wanting to buy ammunition for more than one gun at a time would have to carry every with them to the store to be examined by the sales clerk.

“This bill is another example of legislation aimed at eliminating gun ownership by creating unnecessary, burdensome restrictions on a person’s ability to use a firearm,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of state services. “HB 8 is nothing more than a solution in search of a problem.”

Take Action! Louisiana sportsmen should contact their state representatives and ask them to oppose House Bill 8. Tell them the bill is impracticable, unnecessary, and only serves to restrict law abiding gun owners. To find your state representative’s contact information, please visit the USSA Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Last week’s column explained how animal rights and environmental groups get their hands on federal tax dollars. Through the Judgment Fund and Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), these groups flood the system with lawsuits in a shotgun approach and grab the winnings in the form of payouts for their legal cleverness. The system, that was designed to protect the environment and endangered species, has been co-opted into a brazen cash grab that actually hurts beneficial wildlife management.

When frivolous lawsuits are filed, government agencies don’t have the resources available to handle the barrage of enviro-litigation. Groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) understand this all too well. Their staff of some 20 lawyers count on the failure of the government to lose on issues of mandated response times, etc. and feed their never-ending thirst for taxpayers’ dollars. The net effect is that federal wildlife budgets are drained by paying for these lawsuits and therefore cannot be used to benefit game and non-game animal species, as designed. Hunter access to public land is curtailed for the same reason.

Public accountability and Congressional oversight have been forbidden by virtue of the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act.in 1995. Nobody knows just how many millions of taxpayer dollars have gone to throngs of extremist lawyers, but the madness could be coming to an end. Thanks to Wyoming Representative Cynthia Lummis (R) an amendment to the House’s continuing resolution passed in February would impose a six-month moratorium on payments to individuals and groups that bring successful lawsuits on the federal government.

After the amendment passed, Lummis said, “”I’m pleased that members of Congress recognized the need for a moratorium on these payments just so we can take a deep breath and learn where the money is going. We need to find out whether the law is being abused,” she said. “In the spirit of good government and transparency, we hope to learn if this fund is functioning how it originally was intended when it was passed in 1980.” It’s apparent that the EAJA has become a vehicle for manipulation by environmental groups that sue in the name of animal welfare and block various uses of public lands such as grazing and oil and gas leasing.

“It’s very important to the people of Wyoming and I think the people of this country as well,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R) of Wyoming. He also indicated he would promote such a provision through his chamber when it takes up the spending bill.
Certainly, a moratorium won’t make everyone happy any more than cutting taxpayers’ expenses in Wisconsin will. Kieran Suckling, executive director of CBD, one of the groups benefitting immensely from the payments, points out that the perception that environmental groups are the only ones benefitting from EAJA payments calls into question the fact that environmental lawsuits make up a tiny portion of EAJA recipients.

While that may be true, conspicuously absent from her retort is any mention of how much cash CBD has grabbed from hunters, fishermen, and any other taxpayer who do not agree with its tactics, let alone its principles.

“The Equal Access to Justice Act is probably the most important democratic tool that allows private citizens and non-corporations access to justice in America,” Suckling said, citing a minimum wage U.S. Postal Service worker who is able under EAJA to sue for sexual harassment as one theoretical example.

Theoretical examples are most likely how this waste of taxpayer money got started but until the government gets a grip on reality, shutting down the gravy train makes a lot of sense. I would think that the provision in the current EAJA to allow deep-pocket organizations the same shot at the “lottery” as the poor postal worker described above may need reconsideration too, because it’s hard to draw a meaningful parallel between the two.

The moratorium won’t solve any abuse issues; it’s a punt. But, if the government wants to be fair, as Ms. Suckling has lobbied for the poor, how about “loser pays?” When one of her group’s frivolous suits fails, it could be reclassified as payback time. At least there’d be some funds left for the postal worker.

Next week: A look at how the big-money animal rights non-profits spend all that money.

Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox rebut the President in a letter delivered to the White House on March 14, 2011. Read the letter below.

National Rifle Association of America
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

March 14, 2011

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We read your editorial submission to the Arizona Star. However, to focus a national dialogue on guns – and not criminals or mental health issues – misses the point entirely. Americans are not afraid of gun ownership. To the contrary, they overwhelmingly support the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms. The primary reason why tens of millions of Americans own firearms is that they fear violent criminals roaming the streets undeterred.

We agree with your assertion that “Americans by and large rightly refrained from finger-pointing” in light of the shooting in Tucson. In truth, the professional corps of gun control lobbyists moved with lightning speed to exploit the tragedy. These included the Violence Policy Center (“In the wake of these kind of incidents, the trick is to move quickly”), the Brady Campaign (“Gabrielle Giffords Shooting ‘Inevitable'”) and Mayors Against Illegal Guns-MAIG (“Bloomberg, Mayors Outline Steps to Help Prevent Another Tucson Shooting”). Your article contains talking points nearly identical to the ones circulated by MAIG for weeks in pursuit of its longstanding gun control agenda. In contrast, it was the National Rifle Association that avoided “playing politics with other people’s pain” with our consistent response that only thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families were appropriate in the immediate aftermath.

We also agree with your statement that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. Your record as a public official, however, is anything but supportive of the rights of law-abiding gun owners. In fact, when Congress had an opportunity to voice its support for the basic right of lawful Americans to own firearms, you refused to join a bipartisan majority of more than 300 of your colleagues in signing the congressional amicus brief to the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller. In addition, you previously stated (and have never retracted) your support for both Washington, D.C.’s and Chicago’s handgun and self-defense bans that the Court rightfully struck down in Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. Further, you surrounded yourself with advisors who have advocated against the Second Amendment for years (Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emanuel, to name just a few) and you nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, one of whom has already attempted to eliminate the Second Amendment right entirely. More recently, you selected Andrew Traver to head the BATFE, despite his long-standing association with groups that support onerous new restrictions on our rights.

If you do in fact believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right, we suggest you demonstrate that in your policies and those of your Administration, which you have not done to date. Simply saying that you support the right to keep and bear arms is mere lip service if not put into action.

The government owes its citizens its most vigorous efforts to enforce penalties against those who violate our existing laws. The NRA has members proudly serving in law enforcement agencies at every level. Rank and file law enforcement want to arrest bad people – not harass law-abiding gun owners and retailers.

As for enforcing the laws on the books, we strongly suggest you enforce those that actually take violent criminals off the streets. To start, we urge you to contact every U.S. Attorney and ask them to bring at least ten cases per month against drug dealers, gang members and other violent felons caught illegally possessing firearms. By prosecuting these criminals in federal court – rather than state court – strong sentencing guidelines would apply and charges would not be plea-bargained or dismissed, nor would criminals be released after serving only a fraction of their sentences. This simple directive would result in roughly 12,000 violent criminals being taken off the streets every year. Surely you agree that this would be a good first step.

Unfortunately, your Administration is currently under a cloud for allegedly encouraging violations of federal law. We suggest that you bring an immediate stop to BATFE’s “Fast and Furious” operation, in which an unknown number of illegal firearm transactions were detected – and then encouraged to fruition by your BATFE, which allegedly decided to let thousands of firearms “walk” across the border and into the hands of murderous drug cartels. One federal officer has recently been killed and no one can predict what mayhem will still ensue. Despite the protests of gun dealers who wished to terminate these transactions, your Administration reportedly encouraged violations of federal firearms laws – and undermined the firearm industry’s concerted efforts to deter straw purchases through the “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” program. We hope you agree with our belief that this burgeoning scandal merits a full and independent investigation.

There are additional steps you can take to prevent tragic events such as the Tucson shooting from occurring in the future. One of these is to call on the national news media to refrain from giving deranged criminals minute-by-minute coverage of their heinous acts, which only serves to encourage copycat behavior. If media outlets won’t show a fan running onto the field during a baseball game because they don’t want to encourage that behavior by others – surely they can listen to law enforcement experts and refuse to air the photographs, video messages, or Facebook postings of madmen and murderers.

Another step is to encourage people to report red flags when they see them. In the case of Tucson, a man clearly bent on violence was not reported to the proper authorities by those who had good reason to believe he had serious mental problems. That’s not a deficiency in our gun laws, it’s a deficiency in our mental health system – and should be treated as such.

In closing, we agree that gun owners in America are highly responsible. This is in large part due to the NRA’s 140 years of dedication to promoting safe and responsible gun ownership, an effort on which we take a back seat to no one. We welcome any serious discussion on policies that focus on prosecuting criminals and fixing deficiencies in the mental health system. Any proposals to the contrary are not a legitimate approach to the issue.

Sincerely,

Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President
National Rifle Association

Chris W. Cox
Executive Director
NRA-ILA

ANOKA, Minn. – March 8, 2011 – Federal Premium® Ammunition introduces a new Mag•Shok® HEAVYWEIGHT® turkey load. The 20-gauge, 2-3/4-inch shells are on sale now for the fast-approaching 2011 spring turkey season.

Minimum Recoil, HEAVYWEIGHT® Power
New 20-gauge Mag•Shok® HEAVYWEIGHT turkey loads are ideal for young hunters and shooters who prefer less recoil. These shells provide 40% less recoil than 3-inch loads–but remain just as lethal in the field. The payload of 250 #7 HEAVYWEIGHT pellets equals the energy of #5 lead at 40 yards.

Fast, Far and Effective
The muzzle velocity is perfect for down-range performance at 1100 feet-per-second. And the rear-braking FLITECONTROL® wad delivers tight patterns for added lethality.

“We were able to reduce recoil, but still develop a load that patterns well, and will be very effective on turkeys,” said Rick Stoeckel, Federal Premium Brand Director. “These shells will appeal to young shooters and veteran turkey hunters alike.”

Federal Premium is also giving away a free hat and offering up to $20.00 back on the purchase of any Mag-Shok turkey load. Seehttp://www.federalpremium.com/promotions/promotions.aspx to learn more.

For more information on this new turkey load, additional Mag-Shok offerings or to view Federal Premium’s entire lineup, go to www.federalpremium.com.

Part No. and Description
PHT256F 7; 20-gauge, 2-3/4″, 1-1/8 oz, #7 HEAVYWEIGHT with FLITECONTROL 1100 fps

By Steven W. Barnett, Certified Wildlife Biologist, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

Turkey hunters often ponder and are amazed at where they find gobbler signs, especially in the spring. Some of the best areas for finding gobblers often do not appear to be good habitats for turkeys. Appearances may be deceiving, however. Many times, hunters report hearing several gobblers gobbling in the areas of clearcuts, young pine plantations, fields, pastures, utility rights-of-way, wide roads and other openings. So, what is it about open areas that attract gobblers?

The answer is found in the life cycle of wild turkeys and is driven primarily by the instinct of procreation. After dispersal of winter flocks, hens seek more open habitats for nesting. This is a seasonal shift from woodland habitats where foraging for fall foods such as acorns was more prevalent in movement patterns. Wild turkeys will use openings periodically year round but open areas become a focus of use in the spring.

Gobblers respond in the spring by moving into more open habitats as well to seek out hens for mating. So for turkey hunters, the focus of scouting efforts and listening for gobbling ought to be near open habitats adjacent to roosting habitat along rivers, creeks and branches. Gobblers often use openings for courtship and display behavior (gobble, strut and drum) in an effort to attract hens. Openings may be referred to as “staging areas” for gobblers as they are “trolling” for receptive hens throughout their springtime home range. Also, it is important to remember that each adult gobbler began life as a two-ounce poult whose survival depended on grassy openings for feeding on insects and for providing protective cover during the brood-rearing season.

To put it in a nutshell, wild turkey survival and population growth is centered on the availability and quality of openings from spring hatch to fall flocks. Landowners and hunting clubs need to create, maintain and enhance openings throughout their property in order to provide optimum wild turkey habitat. The most important aspect of a wildlife opening is that it is maintained as an opening. This does not necessarily mean planted in crops.

A wise use of limited funds should focus on correcting soil pH and periodically fertilizing, mowing, burning and disking openings to encourage native grasses such as little bluestem, big bluestem, and Indian grass, to name a few. If you do plant crops, alternate these plantings with native plants and keep it simple with turkey-specific crops such as chufa and millets in the warm season and clovers in the cool season.

The take-home message for the landowner that turkey hunts is this: If your property consists of primarily unbroken and unmanaged woodlands with few openings and your neighbor has a balanced mix of managed forest and openings, then most of the gobbling you will hear will be across the property line.

For more information, contact Steven W. Barnett, Certified Wildlife Biologist, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, 30571 Five Rivers Boulevard, Spanish Fort, AL 36527; phone 251-626-5474.

Baltimore, MD — H.P. White Laboratory, Inc., the world’s largest independent ballistics and ballistics resistance test laboratory, is currently hosting (January – May, 2011) the US Army’s Familiarization Shoot and Compatibility Check (FSCC) so that carbine vendors competing this summer to replace the Army’s venerable M4 carbine have an opportunity to shoot the Army’s latest and most advanced 5.56mm ammunition (M855A1). Prospective vendors also have the opportunity to conduct compatibility checks of their carbines with Army enablers such as the under barrel M320 grenade launcher and M26 shotgun.

“Since M855A1 is not available on the commercial market and has different characteristics from other 5.56 x 45mm ammunition, the Army provided the M855A1 so that carbine vendors could shoot it, make changes to maximize their weapons’ performance, and then reshoot with M855A1 ammunition to confirm these changes prior to submitting their weapon to the Individual Carbine (IC) competition this summer,” said Ray McBride, general manager, H.P. White. “Carbine vendors not chambered for 5.56mm ammunition can participate solely in the compatibility check portion to ensure their carbine’s rail or bracket system can successfully attach Army enablers.”

Each carbine vendor is allotted 10,800 rounds of M855A1 ammunition to determine their weapon’s rate of fire, reliability, accuracy, barrel life, and other attributes. Firing takes place over a four day period on H.P. White’s 25 and 300 yard outdoor ranges, and its 100 meter indoor range. Instrumentation such as radar and high speed video recorders capture data and images of the bullet in flight and provide tell tale information to the vendor on their carbine’s performance with M855A1 ammunition.

“The FSCC is extremely important; it allows vendors to provide a better weapon to the Army’s IC competition and then ultimately to our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Mike Parker, president, H.P. White. “We’re honored that the Army placed its trust and confidence in H.P. White to host this event. It’s not every day the Army looks to replace its primary weapon; so any organization participating in that evolution has to be on its game. Without exception, our team provides the Army and the gun makers the resources and confidentiality to test the performance of their weapons and ammunition.”

H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. was founded in 1936 by Mr. Henry Packard White as a ballistic research and development facility. In its 75th year of operation, HP White is world renowned as the leading ballistic and ballistic resistance test laboratory. The laboratory is located at 3114 Scarboro Road, in Street, Maryland. For more information, email info(at)hpwhite(dot)com, visit http://www.hpwhite.com, or call 1-410-838-6550.

About H.P. White Laboratory, Inc

H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. is an independent ballistics and ballistics resistance laboratory. For 75 years, H.P. White has specialized in research and development, validation testing, certification and quality control evaluations of body and vehicular armor systems, sub-components and materials. H.P. White developed many of the ballistics resistance standards, processes and methods used today to test body and vehicular armor for a full scope of applications (law enforcement, military, personal protection), threats (stab, slice, bullet, explosive), and environments (urban, war time, extreme heat/cold). H.P. White’s services add value throughout the entire supply chain, from research and development processes and product certification to production lot acceptance and post-production quality control. H.P. White serves the needs of Federal, State, Local and Foreign Government agencies, and the manufacturers dedicated to protecting the lives of law enforcement, war fighters, and civilians, globally.

Tracer RLI delivers the most advanced technology available in nock illumination and now incorporates a replaceable lithium battery. The patented Tracer system utilizes an on-board micro controller with a magnetically activated switch. Available in super-bright red, the lightweight Tracer RLi lights a track all the way to the target.

Tracer RLi features easy, adhesive-free installation and uses no moving parts. Tracer automatically lights at the shot by passing a magnet mounted on the riser or rest. The powerful LED lights for 10-seconds before the microchip automatically switches to flash mode. The unique flash mode provides greater visibility for recovery and longer battery life- up to 90 hours. Tracer RLi is available in S, X, H, Microlite and crossbow sizes to retrofit virtually any arrow or bolt. Multi-packs include free practice nocks for easy tuning and sighting in. The permanent ON/OFF switch deactivates the light to preserve batteries during storage, traveling, or practice.

Tracer RLi is available in two-packs with three batteries and weighted practice nocks. Additional replacement batteries are available in three packs.

MSRP 2 pack is: $25.99

Find Tracer RLi Lighted Nocks at your local archery dealer and see the complete line of Easton accessories and arrows at www.eastonarchery.com

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Follow the money. When searching for motives behind so many human endeavors, money is frequently in the mix. But, following the flow of cash is not always easy, and in the case of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), it’s been more than difficult; it’s been impossible.
Established some 30 years ago, Congress designed the EAJA as a vehicle for individuals, small businesses or public interest organizations to have a voice against unreasonable government actions threatening their rights, privileges, or interests. To sweeten the rewards for successful campaigns against government entities such as the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, these “cash-poor” organizations – that is, those for-profit corporations worth less than $7 million – are able to recoup legal fees, if they fight the law and win. Hooray for the little people!

However, non-profit groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – although they are worth much more than a paltry $7 million – are exempt because of their non-profit standing, and therefore, are able to pocket huge sums of taxpayers’ cash at the rate of $150 to $350 per hour for attorney fees charged to us taxpayers.

However, since 1995, there has been no public accountability or Congressional oversight, because of the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act. We’re not talking small potatoes here. Over the past 10 years, some 1500 cases have been filed by groups such as these against the federal government. The result is that millions, if not billions, have been paid out, which in effect, makes us all contributors to radical causes we may not support. Although winning should have its rewards, the abuse of the system is flagrant.

Their strategy is simple: Overwhelm the system and soak the public in the name of environmentalism or animal protection. As an example, in one petition the Center for Biological Diversity requested that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) review 404 species in the Southeast alone for Endangered Species Act (ESA) consideration. Additionally, WildEarth Guardians filed two petitions listing 1,156 species for protection. Victories are often obtained because of technicalities such as missed deadlines and hardly ever for substantive matters.

Ever wonder why wolves are protected under the ESA, when in fact their numbers have exceeded recovery goals by 500 percent? It’s elementary, once again, by following the money. Animal rights and environmental groups have pocketed millions of dollars by filing petitions to prevent delisting. In Minnesota HSUS was granted $280,000 of your tax dollars after it successfully stopped the delisting of wolves from the ESA.

Want more? Taxpayers gave more than $436,000 to anti-hunting groups for blocking wolf management in the northern Rockies.

Beating the system is the name of the game, as evidenced by comments of CBD founder Kieran Suckling in 2009, as reported in the High Country News: ““At its simplest, by obtaining an injunction to shut down logging or prevent the filling of a dam, the power shifts to our hands. The Forest Service needs our agreement to get back to work, and we are in the position of being able to powerfully negotiate the terms of releasing the injunction.

“New injunctions, new species listings and new bad press take a terrible toll on agency morale. When we stop the same timber sale three or four times running, the timber planners want to tear their hair out. They feel like their careers are being mocked and destroyed—and they are. So they become much more willing to play by our rules and at least get something done. Psychological warfare is a very under-appreciated aspect of environmental campaigning.”

Follow along next week to discover how these groups use their funding. Better yet, learn how the taxpayer gravy train may itself become endangered.