MISSOULA, Mont. – According to the Boone and Crockett Club animal rights and anti-hunting groups have again misconstrued the meaning of Fair Chase. This time, it involves baiting, which they claim should be banned because it is not Fair Chase.

The Club has a history of defining what is and is not Fair Chase, and has released a new position statement on baiting. The position reads in part; “Fair Chase is based on the meaning of ‘fair’ that relates to legitimate, genuine, or appropriate given the circumstances. Where an increased harvest of a particular species needs to occur, or where positive identification of size or sex is a legal requirement, baiting is appropriate given the circumstances and does not violate Fair Chase principles.”

“Over the past 132 years, the Club has helped to eliminate unsportsmanlike practices,” said Timothy C. Brady, president of the Boone and Crockett Club. “Chasing game rendered helpless in deep snow, spotlighting, driving game into lakes, or using aircraft to locate or herd game then landing to hunt them were all commonplace at one time. The Club was the first organization to recognize these practices as both unsustainable and unethical.” Read more

Contact: nragomedia@nrahq.org; (703) 267-1595

FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce the launch of a nationwide database of hunting and fishing adventures for adaptive shooters.

“Venturing into the outdoors has long been acknowledged as healing for the body and soul,” said NRA National Adaptive Shooting Programs Manager Dr. Joe Logar, PT, DPT. “These benefits can be even more profound for someone experiencing an illness, injury, or disability.”

NRA’s Hunter Services and Adaptive Shooting Programs have maintained a list of organizations offering people with disabilities outdoor opportunities. Now available in a searchable database, any adaptive shooter can easily choose from adventures such as guided whitetail hunts, chartered fishing trips, and accessible hiking trails anywhere across the country. Read more

The Montana Wildlife Federation joined wildlife conservation organizations from 12 other Western states and the National Wildlife Federation in a letter urging congressional leaders to demand the revocation of anti-public lands activist William Perry Pendley’s appointment as acting head of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The organizations, which represent hundreds of thousands of hunters, anglers, and other conservationists across the West, cited in a letter Pendley’s long record of support for the sale and transfer of public lands as well as the lack of hearings on his appointment or recently announced plans to relocate the BLM’s headquarters.

“Put simply, he believes public lands should not be in public hands. … This antipathy for public lands and outward hostility towards public servants who manage them must not be a belief held by someone in charge of the agency,” the conservation organizations wrote in the letter. “Further, the goal of selling off our federal lands is fundamentally in opposition to the bureau’s statutory responsibilities, its reason for being, its values, and its mission.”

Pendley has served for the last 30 years as president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a radical activist group that routinely (and unsuccessfully) sues the federal government to curtail agency authority and public use of public land. Last week, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt issued an order making Pendley the acting head of the BLM — despite the position requiring U.S. Senate confirmation.

“Our public lands put food on our tables, support wildlife habitat, give us a place to recreate and find solace, and provide natural resources that support jobs in our communities. These lands that are owned by all of us are one of America’s finest ideas and deserve protection and wise stewardship, not wholesale attack through mismanagement and selloff,” the letter concludes.

The letter’s signatories are:

Montana Wildlife Federation

Idaho Wildlife Federation

Wyoming Wildlife Federation
Arizona Wildlife Federation
The Association of Northwest Steelheaders (Oregon)
Colorado Wildlife Federation
Conservation Northwest (Washington)
New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Nevada Wildlife Federation
North Dakota Wildlife Federation
Planning and Conservation League (California)
The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
South Dakota Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation

Apply for an antlerless deer hunting license through Aug. 15.

• Apply online at MDNR-eLicense.com or anywhere licenses are sold.
• You may apply only once and must choose to apply for either a public-land OR private land license (not both).
• Find more antlerless deer hunting and application information at Michigan.gov/Deer.

Drawing results will be posted Sept. 4.

When getting your antlerless application, don’t forget to pick up an application or two for the Pure Michigan Hunt to get your shot at elk, bear, antlerless deer, turkey and more.

Fall is on the way – that means bow, trapping and waterfowl seasons are quickly approaching. Don’t wait for opening day; register now for a hunter safety education course. These courses are available in either a traditional classroom setting or an online program. The online program is great for busy hunters who want to learn but need a flexible schedule to complete the course at their own pace, followed by a single-session field day.

“The online course, followed by the field day, is becoming the most popular method of hunter safety, as it allows the student to learn independently and then receive hands-on instruction,” said Lt. Tom Wanless, DNR conservation officer. Read more

Littleton, CO — You always wear a safety harness when you hunt from a treestand, which is smart. But, is it enough? To put it simply, no, and that’s why you need Primal Treestands’ new Emergency Descender. Read more

The Deer PLAN is a cooperative grant program designed to fund deer habitat improvement projects on private land in the northern Lower Peninsula. This year, a total of $50,000 is available, with per-project amounts ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. Awarded funds will be used for tangible, on-the-ground efforts that improve deer habitat and provide quality deer hunting locations.

Landowners with property in Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties are encouraged to apply.

Don’t wait; project applications are due Sept. 1, and successful applicants will be notified by Oct. 1.

Get application info ?