Oregon Court Accepts RMEF’s Brief in Wolf Lawsuit

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Oregon Court of Appeals granted the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s application to file a friend-of-the-Court brief in a lawsuit by animal rights groups seeking to eliminate state wildlife management in Oregon.

“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, its professional biologists and wildlife managers, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission in carrying out their duty of managing all of Oregon’s wildlife,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Oregon’s science-based wolf plan indicates wolves reached delisting criteria five years ago.”

As of December 31, 2015, Oregon’s minimum wolf population estimate numbered 110, marking a 26 percent increase over the 2014 population and a 42 percent increase since 2013. Biologists also indicate the actual number of wolves currently in Oregon is likely greater than the minimum estimate.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to delist wolves from the state Endangered Species Act (ESA) in November of 2015. The Oregon legislature ratified the commission’s decision by passing a bill, which was later signed into law, removing wolves from the state’s endangered species list. Those moves had no immediate effect on wolf management yet animal rights groups still filed suit seeking to reverse the delisting. Read more

SCI Urges Support for H.J. 69

Safari Club International (SCI) encourages all sportsmen and women to contactyour U.S. Representative today and voice your support for House Joint Resolution 69.

If approved, H.J. Res. 69 will allow Congress to reverse a final rule, adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), that prohibits and restricts legal forms of hunting on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska.

This final FWS rule contradicts the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s constitutional mandate to manage the state’s wildlife resources for sustained yield, which is affirmed in the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. In short, the FWS regulation that H.J. Res. 69 will nullify is one that interferes with the State of Alaska’s ability to provide adequate wildlife for the state’s hunters.

With your help, H.J. Res. 69 will give Congress the opportunity to reverse this harmful FWS regulation adopted during the last months of the Obama Administration. It is imperative that you contact your Representative today and urge him/her to vote Yes on H.J. Res. 69. You must act NOW, as this Resolution is anticipated to be voted on the House floor today Thursday, February 16. Read more

Federal Court Overturns ScentLok Decision

ScentBlocker has successfully overturned the original jury award in the case ScentLok brought against it in 2014 claiming false advertising. The case took an abrupt turn on January 30, 2017 when United States District Judge Gordon J. Quist issued the court’s Opinion granting ScentBlocker’s motion for judgement as a matter of law and vacating the original jury’s finding of liability in the case.

In the Opinion, the Court states “ALS (ScentLok) argues…this case essentially involved a “bait and switch”…regarding the sale of ScentBlocker’s Trinity products. According to the Court “These arguments fail.” The Opinion went on to state: “Noticeably absent from this case…was any testimony or evidence from the retailers. ALS presented no survey evidence, nor did any witness from Cabela’s, Gander Mountain, or Dick’s testify that they were deceived.” Read more

B&C Confirms Largest Hunter-Taken, Non-Typical Whitetail

MISSOULA, MT – A deer taken in Tennessee this past season has been accepted by the Boone and Crockett Club with an entry score surpassing the current record taken by a hunter.

“All deer are unique in some form or another,” said Justin Spring, the Club’s director of big game records. “This particular deer is unique on so many levels.”

Hunter Stephen Tucker, using a muzzleloader, took the deer from Sumner County, Tennessee, in 2016. Its official entry score into Boone and Crockett records is 312-0/8. This score surpasses a deer taken from Monroe Country, Iowa, in 2003 that scores 307-5/8, which was the largest hunter-taken, non-typical whitetail and ranked Number 3 all-time. The World’s Record and Number 2 in the non-typical category were both picked up, or found dead and score 333-7/8 and 328-2/8, respectively. Read more

Pope And Young Club Announces A Potential New World’s Record Desert Bighorn

Chatfield, MN – On November 21, 2016, Tony Loop of Appling, Georgia closed within 30 yards above the largest ram he had ever seen. The big ram had no idea he was there. Tony steadied his bow and released the arrow. The time seemed to stand still. Finally, the arrow found its mark, hitting the ram between the shoulders and angling out the right front chest. The ram jumped up and ran about 100 yards onto a narrow rim and lay down. He tried to contain his excitement, but he and his guides knew that they may have just arrowed a potential new world record Desert bighorn sheep.

“As we knelt beside the big ram and admired this great warrior, I was overcome with both joy and sadness.” said Tony Loop. “He was majestic in every sense of the word. This archery hunt turned out to be both a spiritual and physical journey. I think my guides; Andy, Sam and Wade would all admit that they felt the same. Before us, laid the King of the Canyon and I had my guides to thank for making it all happen. As the four of us took a final look back into the canyon below, we could only imagine how wonderful it must have been for the big ram we named “Horseshoe,” to command such an awe-inspiring view everyday of his life.” Read more

Sportsmen’s Alliance Seeks Clarification from Trump Administration

On Feb. 9, the Sportsmen’s Alliance submitted comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs seeking public clarification from the White House pertaining to President Trump’s executive actions issuing a freeze on new regulations, as well as mandating the repealing of two regulations for every new one passed.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance believes public lands should be presumed to be open to hunting, fishing, trapping and other recreational activities, unless closed for a specific and documentable reason, such as resource conservation, public safety, natural security or protection of private property rights.

Unfortunately, many federal statutes currently require that land managers take specific action to open public lands to recreational activities, and that requires agencies to adopt a regulation. The longstanding legal framework requiring that federal lands are closed until specifically opened poses challenges for public access to millions of acres of federal land.

“The Sportsmen’s Alliance is filing these comments to ensure that any efforts at regulatory reform ultimately helps hunters, anglers and other recreational users and does not inadvertently make these activities—or access to the public land on which they occur—more difficult,” said Evan Heusinkveld, Sportsmen’s Alliance president and CEO.  Read more

Stealth Cam® Unleashes Ultra HD 4K Video

Grand Prairie, TX- Stealth Cam®, continuing their innovative dominance on the trail camera market, announces a May 2017 release on the first trail camera featuring 30MP resolution and Ultra HD, 4K Video technology.

Stealth Cam is committed to producing products capable of providing the clearest images and the DS4K has every feature to help deliver these expectations. It is loaded with premium features, which include dual image sensors for optimal day and night high-resolution images, 42 NO GLO IR emitters for 100FT true invisible night time illumination, split second trigger speed, adjustable IR range, and many more. The 30 Megapixel hi resolution game camera has a 16:9 wide image ratio, manual shot capability and an SD card slot up to 64GB to house multiple images and videos when needed most. The DS4K uses Matrix™ Advanced Blur Reduction and Retina™ low light sensitivity improving the quality of low light pictures. Stealth Cam delivers yet another product to set market standards that will give users the most realistic images and videos available. To learn more about Stealth Cam products, please visit http://www.stealthcam.com.

Stealth Cam DS4K Features: Read more

31st Annual Michigan Deer & Turkey Expo Returns

PEWAUKEE, Wis. — The annual Michigan Deer & Turkey Expo, the state’s premier consumer expo for hunting and outdoor enthusiasts presented by Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines, is returning for three days of all things deer and turkey hunting Feb. 17-19 at the Lansing Center.

Hundreds of hunting exhibitors and outfitter booths will be on-site to showcase the latest in hunting and archery equipment, accessories, clothing and more. Other show features include interactive activities, action-packed demonstrations and informative how-to seminars. Read more

Sportsmen’s Alliance Sues Department of Interior Due to Refuge System Overreach

On Feb. 10, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, the Alaska Professional Hunters Association and two rural Alaskans filed suit against the federal government seeking to overturn two Obama-era restrictions governing the management of National Wildlife Refuge and National Preserve lands within Alaska’s borders.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and APHA believe the rules are an overreach of the federal government into the traditional state role of game management, and this action in Alaska sets a dangerous precedent that puts hunting at risk on hundreds of millions of acres of public land nationwide.

The 96 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge and Park Service lands at stake in this lawsuit cover an area slightly larger than Montana, the fourth-largest state in the union.

“Game management belongs in the hands of boots-on-the-ground state biologists who understand the traditions, goals, game animals and ecosystems better than anyone, certainly better than a federal bureaucrat simply reading a report in a Washington, D.C. office,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of the Sportsmen’s Alliance and Foundation. “These two rules represent yet another act of the Obama Administration that sets a bad precedent for states across the country that, if not stopped, would allow federal bureaucrats or a future administration more in line with anti-hunting activists to continue seizing control of traditional state decisions.”  Read more

It’s Crow Season in Michigan

By Glen Wunderlich

Hunting crows has been a passion of mine for decades, and recently, while watching a YouTube video, I was reminded why I despise the pesky varmints so much.  A mother mallard duck with her family of tiny ducklings was being threatened by a lone crow doing its best to out-maneuver the protective mother.  Instinct took over, as the young’uns huddled closely under the shield of wings, while parent duck did her best to fend off the incessant attack, when a second crow joined the commotion. 

It wasn’t fair, but that’s the way it is with Mother Nature.  It was classic predator versus prey – a way of life and death in the wild.  I literally found myself searching for the pause button. 

I’ve also witnessed crows raiding nests of songbirds, while helpless parental victims do no more than raise a raucous ruckus.  Author of The Varmint and Crow Hunter’s Bible, Bert Popowski (1962), elaborates as to the rationale for our depleted songbird population long before crows were a seasonally protected species.   

“In some cases a single pair of mated crows, often nesting on the premises, will clean out every songbird nest discovered in a country grove.  They will also raid pheasant and other upland game bird nests, plus those of ducks nesting on or near adjacent waters.  Since they raid daily, once a nest is discovered, it serves as a crow larder as long as its owners continue to lay eggs in it. 

Once the young of such birds are hatched, the raiding goes on at an accelerated pace, for the crows have young of their own now and the family needs are thus intensified.  So, the adults slay the young of their victim species wherever they find them inadequately guarded, then take the tender-meated kills to their nests for their own offspring.  In many cases, the young of these victim-bird species attract deadly crow attention by their own cheeping for parental attention.” 

Imagine this scenario being played out thousands – even millions of times over – and, one can understand why our songbirds continue to decline in numbers.  Certainly, other factors such as pesticides are culprits, but protecting crows seems asinine to me. 

As crazy as it may seem, Michiganders and hunters from every other state in the nation are permitted to hunt crows no more than 4 months of the year as part of U.S.-Mexico Bird Migration Treaty of 1975 (MIGRATE), unless they are causing a nuisance or creating a health hazard.  However, if crows migrate, why are so many in our northern reaches?  Obviously, as with Canada geese, fair amounts are permanent residents able to find enough food to stay put.  What’s puzzling though, is how it’s decided which birds leave and which of them remain.

Winter Crow

 

In any event, Michigan’s winter crow season is during the months of February and March and participating can be a means to combat the winter doldrums.  Electronic callers are the most popular means to get crows within range and by adding a shotgun, shotshells, camouflage, a hideout, a few decoys and an attitude that can tolerate a humbling experience, and you too can become crow active.

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