MISSOULA, Mont.-Congratulations! You finally killed that trophy specimen that eluded you for many seasons and countless hunts. You made celebratory stops at your buddy’s house and then the local meat processor. The taxidermist is next. But, unlike your previous hunts, this time there’s another consideration-entering your trophy into the Boone and Crockett Club’s records book.

The Boone and Crockett Club records program is the only North American harvest data system that collects information on all species of free-ranging native North American big game taken in fair chase.

Getting listed in the world’s most distinguished hunting-records book involves official measuring, paperwork and a $40 processing fee, all detailed at www.boone-crockett.org, but the rewards are considerable for you personally as well as for hunting overall and the future of conservation.

Here are five reasons to enter your trophy in Boone and Crockett records:

1. Archiving Conservation History
Under the leadership of Boone and Crockett Club founder Theodore Roosevelt, the Club’s system of scoring big-game trophies originated in 1906 (official records date back to 1830) as a means of recording details on species thought to be disappearing due to rampant habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Science-based conservation efforts, led and funded by license-buying hunters, brought those species from vanishing to flourishing. Today, a Boone and Crockett trophy is a classic gauge of modern conservation success-and an important reminder of the ongoing need for habitat and wildlife stewardship.

2. Improving Future Management
Because they represent fully mature specimens, Boone and Crockett records are an important indicator of the age structure and breeding fitness of a herd, as well as an indicator of habitat quality. For biologists and professional wildlife managers, the presence and production of trophy animals suggests optimum overall herd health; their absence may suggest that refined management strategies are warranted. Records build a timeline of both positive and negative trends in conservation practices and are used to chart future actions.

3. Honoring the Animal
Outstanding trophies produced naturally deserve to be recorded and respected in the most prestigious annals of big game hunting. Any true hunter’s sense of pride and satisfaction will be even more fulfilling and longer lasting if his or her quarry and the place where it lived are appropriately recognized, too.

4. Discrediting Hunting’s Critics
Those who oppose hunting often claim that hunting reverses natural selection, because unlike wild predators, human hunters often seek out the largest specimens. This, according to erroneous rhetoric, will artificially stunt game populations. However, the facts speak differently. Boone and Crockett Club trophy entries have increased 400 percent over the past 30 years, which means trophy-class animals actually are more plentiful now than ever before. This single statistic is an ongoing tribute to the professionals who manage wildlife and the hunters who participate in that management. Even more important, by being the only published reference of trophies taken in fair chase, such data counters other rhetoric being spun by anti-hunters to an uninformed public that sportsmen have become just a lawless bunch of wildlife killers.

5. Establishing Official Bragging Rights
Less than one percent of all sportsmen will take a Boone and Crockett-qualifying trophy in their lifetime. An accepted entry absolutely signifies the highest accomplishment in big game hunting-the legal, ethical, fair-chase harvest of a free ranging specimen that stands as an ultimate representation of its species. World-class trophy mounts are celebrated and passed down from one generation to the next. However, always remember that, over time, the more enduring story will be less about how you harvested your trophy, and more about how that remarkable animal got there in the first place-through the efforts of sportsmen!

About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org

Contact: Steve Wagner, Blue Heron Communications, 800‑654‑3766 or steve@blueheroncomm.com

Lansing, Mich. – November 17, 2010 – Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) and other partners have developed a new Pheasant Recovery Initiative aimed at restoring Michigan’s pheasant hunting heritage.

Three 3-county areas are initially targeted by the initiative for pheasant habitat improvement, including Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties; Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties; and Gratiot, Saginaw and Clinton counties. Geographic Information Survey (GIS) was used to identify priority areas in the state based on the potential to positively impact pheasant numbers. Factors in developing priority areas include: an open agricultural landscape, less forest and abundance of lands enrolled in federal Farm Bill conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP). The plan calls for identifying 10,000-acre areas where landowners are interested in resurrecting pheasant hunting. Once identified, the DNRE will study the habitat and work with partners and landowners on habitat restoration.

“There are more than 50,000 hunters who pursue pheasants annually in Michigan, and we can do better at meeting their demand for opportunity,” says Mike Parker, Pheasants Forever’s Regional Wildlife Biologist in the state, “It’s a given that when you have quality and quantity habitat, you have pheasants. Revitalizing habitat – nesting cover, escape cover and food and winter cover – is the key to revitalizing pheasant hunting in Michigan.” The goal of the plan is to double Michigan’s current pheasant harvest. The plan will also have a tremendous impact on hunter retention and recruitment in the state.

The key difference between past efforts and the new Pheasant Recovery Initiative, Parker says, is the broad landscape scale. “Previous efforts have been successful on smaller scales, improving 40 acres for a landowner here, and 40 acres for a landowner there,” Parker said, “But to maximize pheasant hunting, we need to broaden the focus.” Parker says the goal will be to restore pheasant habitat on 15 to 30 percent of the landscape within the Pheasant Recovery Areas, utilizing state land where possible. The long-range objective is to have 200 or so 10,000 acre Pheasant Recovery Areas in the state, or 2 million acres in the program.

Other partners developing the Pheasant Recovery Initiative in Michigan include Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

For participating Pheasant Recovery Area coalitions, the DNRE staff will provide assistance on habitat prescriptions, project partners will aid in securing seed for grass plantings and federal resources may be leveraged to provide financial incentives for participating landowners. Also, for land that meets habitat restoration objectives, the DNRE may provide seed and /or materials for plantings.

This winter, Pheasants Forever, DNRE staff and project partners will be hosting landowner workshops to discuss the Pheasant Recovery Initiative. To get involved in the program and for more details, landowners may also contact Al Stewart, DNRE Upland Game Specialist Email Al Stewart; or Mark Sargent, DNRE Private Lands Coordinator Email Mark Sargent.

Michigan is home to 36 Pheasants Forever chapters and more than 7,800 Pheasants Forever members. For more information about Pheasants Forever in the state, contact Mike Parker at (517) 896-4178 Email Mike Parker.

GW: A relief, indeed, that the professional outdoor media does not have to fear prosecution for publishing photographs or videos of hunting and fishing. As crazy as it seems, it was all on the line all the way to the Supreme Court last year.

Washington, DC – Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) successfully exempted video depicting hunting, trapping and fishing in the “Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010” as approved by the U.S. Senate in September and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last night .

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), in partnership with Safari Club International (SCI) and the National Rifle Association (NRA), earlier this year expressed concerns to the leadership of the CSC that the legislative language in the bill should explicitly exclude videos and television programs showing legal hunting, fishing and trapping activities.

“While we all oppose malicious cruelty to animals such as those seen in these videos, it was vitally important that this legislation specifically address the filming, distribution and sale of legally produced hunting, fishing and trapping video and television programming,” said CSC House Co-Chair, Rep. Paul Ryan.

On April 20 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1999 federal law that prohibited the production and distribution of videos depicting the shocking form of animal cruelty known as “crush videos.” CSF joined Safari Club International in an amicus curiae brief in this case, raising concerns about the potential impact of the decision on hunting videos.

“This legislation, thanks to the work of the CSC, alleviates the concerns that the sportsman’s community had about a potential ban on legitimate hunting, fishing and trapping videos,” said CSF President Jeff Crane.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Ready or not, here we go. Another firearms deer season opener is upon us and hundreds of thousands of Michigan hunters are taking to the woods and fields with high anticipation. Up-North businesses will get a genuine stimulus boost from men and women, who once again, will take part in the great tradition of deer hunting. Local retailers will share in the revenue generated from the hunting fraternity, as well. This is where preparation meets opportunity, but sometimes dumb luck is all that’s needed.

When I began hunting whitetails some 40 years ago, I knew virtually nothing about deer behavior. The little bit of information I had garnered came from my new in-laws, who were deeply steeped in tradition stemming from tent camping in the Gladwin area since the 1940s.

Since I was committed to joining the action, I needed a firearm and heeded the advice of my father in-law. He said the trusty 30-30 was a good choice and I had no reason to doubt him. So, off I went to Sears to get my first deer rifle – a lever-action Winchester model 94. For no particular reason, other than I thought it was cool, I changed the factory iron sights to a flip-up Williams sight. Big mistake. I ran out of adjustment on the rear sight and it shot about 10 inches high at 100 yards. So, I learned to compensate by aiming low, instead of changing the sights to something that actually worked correctly.

None of this really mattered for years, because I never saw a buck. At the time, Gladwin County had the highest population of whitetails in the state, but then, as now, the buck to doe ratio was way out of proportion. We would see dozens of deer but never a buck. In fact, for the first few years, nobody in camp ever got a buck. But, that never stopped any of us from pitching tents and carrying on the tradition.

Several days had already passed in the season of 1973 and, after another fruitless morning, I headed back to camp for lunch with my brother in-law, Doug. While there, shots rang out and they were close! I hurried toward the road with Doug to see the hind end of a deer running across Deer Road – yep, Deer Road. When Doug said it was a buck, I grabbed my lever gun and left Doug in the dust.

I never thought to check for a blood trail and just crossed the point where the deer entered the woods, which was actually a low, wet, brushy area. I fought my way well into the heavy cover, hoping blind luck would work in my favor. I couldn’t see more than 30 feet in any direction until I found a spot about a mile from the road where there was a small clearing of about 40 yards in diameter. Visibility was still poor but when I located a brush pile, I climbed on top of it for a better view.

I sat there for a half hour or so, when another shot was fired nearby. I couldn’t believe that anyone else was stupid enough to be in the heavy cover, but somebody obviously was. As fate would have it, a buck appeared in the small opening I was watching and I fired a shot. The deer kept going, so I let another go. Same result. After the third shot, the deer vanished amid the recoil and cover.

Within a minute or so, I found out who had taken the other shot before mine. Another hunter had shot at and tracked the wounded deer across the road and he had teamed up with my other brother in-law, Tom, who had no idea I was out there.

We located the downed deer after a short search, and of course, I figured I killed it. The other hunter claimed he had killed it and it just died near me. We agreed on a coin toss to settle the matter and I got it right. Tom and I struggled for hours dragging that half-rack beast back to Deer Road, after my first untrained session of field dressing. The beast dressed out at 174 pounds, still one of the bigger-bodied deer I have taken over the years and the largest ever at the Deer Road family camp. (Later, the other hunter admitted he couldn’t have killed the deer, because the entry wound was on the opposite side from his shot; it was correct for mine, however).

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and here’s wishing you deer hunters the best of luck.

GW: I own one of the Woodman’s Pals and have just orderd one of J. Wayne’s books, The Ultimate Deer Hunter’s Pocket Reference. Although backordered, I eagerly anticipate its arrival. Great Americans with great American products…

Pro Tool Industries, maker of the iconic Woodman’s Pal® and J. Wayne Fears Brand products, announced on Monday the rollout of their new website at www.protoolindustries.net. A total revamp of the previous site, the recent renovations include: a complete user interface restructuring, more intuitive navigation options, new product introductions, enhanced product descriptions and information, and the addition of new technologies for the social networking and blogging arenas.

“The new website has a completely different look and feel’, says Mark G. Scheifley, General Manager of Pro Tool Industries. “We wanted to reduce the clutter and give the customer a clear direction of how to get where they want to go”.

Included in the website restructuring are a series of informational tips and videos in the areas of deer hunting, outdoor cooking and survival, a retail store locator, and the option to download the current Pro Tool catalog.

In addition to the new look and feel of Pro Tool Industries, they have also expanded their offerings to include the J. Wayne Fears Ultimate Outdoor product line which includes, a deer hunter’s knife, an outdoor cook’s knife and a survival knife which will serve as a companion pieces to the deer hunting and management, outdoor cooking and survival reference guidebooks. As well as, the Pro Tool Utility collection of knives, saws and tools, coming closer to the goal of being a one stop shop for outdoorsmen looking for knives, tools and information.

Also on the new website are the Grutz Rust & Corrosion Inhibitor and Pop Pop Don’s All-Purpose Farm & Home Lubricating Oil. Both products are ideal for the care and maintenance of knives and tools.

All of the products manufactured by Pro Tool Industries are made in the USA using only the finest American-made materials.

The new Pro Tool Industries web site was developed by Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group. According to Mark G. Scheifley, “After an extensive review of multiple firms — many with outdoor sports marketing industry experience – Pro Tool Industries’ selection of Boomtown Internet Group and Astraea Marketing Group was simple. Boomtown’s ability to create websites that are appealing and optimally organized that attract search engines, combined with Astraea’s ability to create iconic branding, designs and communications are second to none.”

About Pro Tool Industries, Inc.
Pro Tool Industries is a family owned and operated business located in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, that develops and offers tools and knives. The company’s craftsmen exhibit a steadfast commitment to using only the very highest grade of American made raw materials in building durable, quality tools, knives, saws, and other products including The Woodman’s Pal® and new series of No-Nonsense Reference Guidebooks by author and master outdoorsman, J. Wayne Fears. The Woodman’s Pal® is a brush axe/machete that can perform the tasks of many tools including machetes, axes, hatchets, pruning saws, pruning shears, pruning knives, bow saws, loppers, Bowie knives and for certain jobs, even chain saws.

Pro Tool Industries’ manufacturing plant employs seasoned artisans who make its tools one by one with care. Cooperation between the men and women of all departments and the sincere adherence to the company’s shop motto “Do It Right” make each one of its tools an individual product reflecting a superior degree of hand workmanship, worthy to take its place as an American icon.

To learn more about Pro Tool Industries and the products it manufacturers, visit www.protoolindustries.net.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) released its Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the current status of plants and animals considered candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). One species has been removed from candidate status, five have been added, and four have a change in priority from the last review conducted in November of 2009. There are now 251 species recognized by the Service as candidates for ESA protection.

“The candidate list offers the Service and our partners a unique opportunity to address the threats to these species through voluntary conservation efforts on public and private lands,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. “We will continue working to reduce the number of candidate species by developing conservation agreements that reduce or eliminate the threats they face, and by listing species that warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act as soon as possible.”

Candidate species are plants and animals for which the Service has enough information on their status and the threats they face to propose them as threatened or endangered, but developing a proposed listing rule is precluded by higher priority listing actions. Candidate species do not receive protection under the ESA, although the Service works to conserve them. The annual review and identification of candidate species provides landowners and resource managers notice of species in need of conservation, allowing them to address threats and work to preclude the need to list the species. The Service is currently working with landowners and partners to implement voluntary conservation agreements covering 5 million acres of habitat for more than 130 candidate species.

Today’s notice identifies five new candidate species: the Kentucky arrow darter (KY); Rosemont talussnail (AZ); Kenk’s amphipod (DC, MD); Packard’s milkvetch (ID); and the Vandenberg monkeyflower (CA). All candidates are assigned a listing priority number based on the magnitude and imminence of the threats they face. When adding species to the list of threatened or endangered species, the Service addresses species with the highest listing priority first. The four changes in priority announced in today’s notice are based on new information in the updated assessments of continuing candidates. These changes include one species that increased in priority and three that lowered in priority.

The one species removed from the candidate list is a mammal from California – the Palm Springs round-tailed ground squirrel. The Service removed this species after a review of new genetics and morphological information found that it is more widespread and as a result does not face threats to an extent that ESA protection is needed.

The Service is soliciting additional information on these candidate species, as well as information on other species that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. This information will be valuable in preparing listing documents and future revisions or supplements to the candidate notice of review.

The Service has several tools for protecting candidate species and their habitats, including a grants program that funds conservation projects by private landowners, states and territories. In addition, the Service can enter into Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs), formal agreements between the Service and one or more public or private parties to address the conservation needs of proposed or candidate species, or species likely to become candidates, before they actually become listed as endangered or threatened. CCA participants voluntarily commit to implementing specific actions removing or reducing the threats to these species, thereby contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species. Through 110 CCAs, habitat for more than 100 species is managed on federal, state, local agency, tribal and private lands; many CAAs have multiple cooperators focusing conservation actions in an area supporting a single or multiple species. Another similar tool is the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAAs). While these voluntary agreements are only between the Service and non-Federal landowners, they have the same goals as CCAs in addressing threats to candidate species, but with additional incentives for conservation actions on non-Federal lands. More than 60 landowners in 15 states have enrolled over 1 million acres of habitat for 39 species.

The complete notice and list of proposed and candidate species appears in the Federal Register and can be found online at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/cnor.html.

Visit the Endangered Species Program’s multimedia gallery at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/about/multimedia.html to hear podcasts about featured species, including the newest candidate, the Kentucky arrow darter.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

1) Sign up for the Pure Michigan Hunt—the hunting experience of a lifetime! Three lucky hunters will be selected by random drawing for the opportunity to purchase special elk, bear, doe, and turkey (spring and fall) licenses. The price is just $4 and you may apply as many times as you want. The money goes straight into the Game and Fish fund. Deadline is December 31, 2010. This is the perfect opportunity to spend more time with your favorite hunting buddy! For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt.

2) If you want to scout out a new hunting spot or plan a hunting trip, check out Mi-HUNT first! Mi-HUNT is a cutting-edge, Web-based application where you can view and navigate through public hunting and trapping lands. Mi-HUNT displays multiple interactive layers of information, such as state game and wildlife areas, huntable lands by vegetation types; the topography and foliage cover of an area and recreational facilities such as campgrounds, trails, and boat launches.

Visit www.michigan.gov/mihunt to plan your next pure Michigan hunting experience.

Many hunters mistakenly believe they can safely hang in their full body harness for an extended period of time if they experience a fall from a treestand. That misunderstanding could cost them their lives.

Dr. Norman Wood, owner of Mountaineer Sports, the authority on treestand fall protection, sends this message to hunters, “Don’t just hang there, doing so could kill you!”

As Wood explains, suspension trauma is the culprit. “If hunters are not able to return to the treestand after a fall they need to take measures to relieve suspension trauma. The life threatening tourniquet action results in Blood Pooling. The longer you hang in your harness the less and less blood there is to circulate through the heart and lungs to keep you alive. “

Hunters must use their fall protection correctly. “It is not enough to just wear your full body harness, you must also keep your suspension relief strap easily accessible in the event of a fall. A properly used strap enables you to take pressure off your legs to help prevent suspension trauma. Many full body harnesses include this type of strap with their units, but too often hunters toss the strap away or leave it in a pack where it may not be accessible,” explains Woods. “This mistake could cost you your life.”

Mountaineer Sports is Revolutionizing Fall Safety™ by offering the Rescue One CDS™ a full body harness that not only includes a suspension relief strap built right into the system, but also enables the hunter to safely lower to the ground by utilizing the patented controlled descent system.

For a video demonstration of the Rescue One CDS II™ and more information about avoiding suspension trauma and ways to stay safe in your harness visit www.rescueonecds.com or call 1-877-683-7678 or Email mountaineersports@live.com.

Contact: Dr. Norman Wood 1-877-683-7678 mountaineersports@live.com

ThermaCELL’s “Operation: Buzz Down” Gives 98% Effective Mosquito Protection To Troops As Holiday Gift

To support American troops overseas where biting insects are a health risk, ThermaCELL has launched “Operation: Buzz Down.” ThermaCELL is the most effective area repellent available for protection against biting insects and is taking action to protect the health of those who protect the freedom of U.S. citizens.

ThermaCELL will donate Appliances and Refill Value Packs for products sold between Veteran’s Day and Christmas Day 2010 and will include a personal note from the gift-giver.

For every two UPC codes received, ThermaCELL will provide a free gift pack including an appliance and providing 60 hours of protection to troops for Christmas 2010 or to troops being deployed during spring 2011 to places where biting insects are a problem, such as Afghanistan.

According to U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily K. Baker in a recently published army document *, U.S. Troops are facing a major mosquito and fly problem in the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan. “We have tons of flies and mosquitoes … and mosquitoes are so much worse because it’s harder to see them.” “Mosquitoes and sand flies present a particular challenge because they can be carriers of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. There were 29 cases of malaria reported in 2009…”*

“Operation: Buzz Down” specifics:

* From Veteran’s Day (11/11/2010) through Christmas (12/25/2010) consumers purchase a ThermaCELL Appliance or Lantern either for themselves or as a present.

* Consumer mails in receipt, UPC code and promotion card (before 1/10/2011) and can write a note to a member of the US Military wishing them a happy holiday season and thanking them for their service to the country.

* ThermaCELL will donate an Appliance and Refill Value Pack for every two UPC codes received and will attach a note from the consumer. Product will be shipped to the military for dispersal. Consumers will not be able to designate gift packs for a specific member of the military.

According to Vice President of Marketing Allegra Lowitt, “Once we learned U.S. Troops are suffering from mosquito borne illnesses such as malaria, we created a program to provide troops with protection from infected insects. Our troops have given us so much; we would like to do something to make their deployment safer and more comfortable.”

ThermaCELL, a division of The Schawbel Corporation of Bedford, Massachusetts, utilizes patented technology to create cordless, portable appliances powered by replaceable butane cartridges. ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent, the award-winning area repellent for outdoor enthusiasts is up to 98% effective at repelling mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums. For more information on ThermaCELL’s complete line of products, testimonials, or store locations visit www.thermacell.com or call 1-8-NO-SKEETERS (866-753-3837).

* Published on September 9, 2010, by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily K. Baker, Task Force Taskmaster executive officer; Official Website of the US Army (www.army.mil/-news/2010/09/09/44889-preventive-medicine-keeps-soldiers-in-the-fight/)

Contact: Shannon Salyer: shannon@chevalier-adv.com 503.639.9190

FAIRFAX, VA – The NRA Foundation’s Friends of NRA program announced it has now raised $150 million since its creation in 1992. This major milestone follows up a record $18 million raised during the 2009 Friends of NRA banquet season.

“Across the Friends of NRA patriot nation our combined efforts have produced impressive results and all can proudly stand together in sharing a milestone some thought was impossible,” said John DaSilva, National Manager of Events and Marketing. “All of us believe in sharing a common purpose and preserving a core belief in future generations to enjoy the shooting heritage and tradition. These dollars raised to date do just that, supporting those worthy causes in the field, training others, the range and in competition.”

Friends of NRA is a grassroots fund-raising program that fosters community involvement, raises money, and gives 100 percent of the net proceeds to qualified local, state, and national programs. Working with the NRA’s field staff, thousands of volunteers nationwide participate in the program by organizing committees and planning events in their communities. Over the course of its history, over 12,000 events have been held which have reached over two million attendees. Monies raised at these events go to The NRA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

“An achievement of this level is a direct reflection of the people involved in Friends of NRA,” said Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of Field Operations. “Our volunteers and attendees understand the importance of our program and the importance of supporting thousands of grant recipients that benefit from these grant monies. We congratulate everyone that has supported, donated and volunteered their time toward reaching this accomplishment”

All net proceeds from Friends of NRA events benefit The NRA Foundation, with half allocated to fund projects within the state where the money was raised. The NRA Foundation uses the other half to fund similar projects with a national scope. Local monies are distributed by State Fund Committees comprised of Friends of NRA volunteers who make recommendations on funding based on grant applications from organizations that have a focus on youth and women’s programs, law enforcement and range development among others.

Visit the Friends of NRA website at www.friendsofnra.org. For more information contact Event Services Manager Jeremy Greene at (703) 267-1354 or jgreene@nrahq.org.