Category: Hunting

New Texas Dog Bill Takes Aim at Sporting Dog Owners

Just 20 months ago, the Texas legislature passed sweeping new laws regulating dog breeders in the state.  Now, animal rights and anti-hunting forces are back for more.

Texas House Bill 1449, sponsored by Representative John Kruempel (R-Seguin), would classify many sporting dog and hobby breeders as dog “dealers.”  Despite an exemption in the 2011 law, sporting dog owners who produce and sell as little as two litters of dogs (21) in a year once again could find themselves regulated.

Under the bill, dog dealers would be required to:

  • Allow warrantless and unannounced government inspections of areas where dogs are kept, including the owner’s home if dogs are kept indoors.
  • Obtain a state license in order to breed and sell their sporting dogs.
  • Follow new state mandated standards of care for dogs, including new housing and enclosure requirements.
  • Have a veterinarian examine each dog before it can be sold.
  • Be prohibited from selling a dog less than 8 weeks of age.  Many sporting dog breeders sell dogs before they reach 8 weeks old (and in some cases before they are even born).  Typically, these dogs are not delivered to the new owner until the dog is old enough to be on its own. Read more
Animal Rights, Hunting , ,

World’s Largest Convention On Wildlife Trade Rejects Polar Bear Trade Ban

Bangkok, Thailand –  A six month diplomatic initiative by the U.S. State Department and the Department of the Interior to list the polar bear as an endangered species under Appendix I of CITES failed today. The 178 nations that are Parties to the CITES Convention decided that the U.S. proposal lacked the necessary scientific basis for such a listing and was merely a political move requested by the highest levels of the US government. The stakes involved included the right of indigenous peoples to trade in polar bear and to sustainably use the species as a critical wildlife resource. Read more
Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

A Beagle and a Bunny

By Glen Wunderlich

Rabbit and hare hunting have never been easy for me over the past 40 years.  I’ve tried shotguns from the diminutive .410 gauge to the more-than-adequate 12-gauge scatterguns. Additionally, rimfires have been employed at times for an added challenge not entirely necessary in the name of fairness. It’s not that I’m that bad of a shot, either, although I’m far from an expert with a smoothbore.

Without a good dog, several factors contribute to the degree of difficulty:  Tiresome trudging through deep snow and the element of surprise. Deep snow speaks for itself, when foot travel is cumbersome at best and impossible other times without snowshoes. Hard work and snowshoes go hand-in-hand, although they can be the only means to get into bunny country at times. Read more

Firearms, Hunting ,

States Benefit from Economic Impact of Hunting

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released a major new report documenting the importance of hunting activities to the U.S. economy. NSSF is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.   Produced by Southwick Associates, the report, Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation, provides detailed information on 40-plus categories of U.S. hunting-related expenditures, which grew 55 percent, as well as state-by-state statistics for number of hunters, retail sales, taxes and jobs. The report notes an overall nine percent increase in hunting participation between 2006 and 2011. The money hunters spent in 2011 resulted in $87 billion being added to the nation’s economy and supported more than 680,000 jobs nationally. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Win a Hawke Panorama EV Riflescope at NRAhuntersrights.org

Fairfax, Va. -Visit www.NRAhuntersrights.org during the month of March for a chance to win a brand new Panorama EV 4-12x50mm riflescope courtesy of Hawke Sport Optics.
The Panorama EV 4-12×50 model is a great all-around scope for your favorite hunting rifle. Featuring Hawke’s Extreme View (EV) optical system, the Panorama provides a 20 percent wider field of view than standard riflescopes. The Panorama EV also features a unique day/night illuminated reticle that offers five levels of illumination. Other features include: edge-to-edge multi-coated optics; ½ Mil Dot, glass-etched reticle; ¼ MOA low-profile ‘no-snag’ fingertip turrets; fast-focus ocular adjustment; and 1″ matte black monotube. Read more

Firearms, Hunting
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