ThinkingAfield.org

Submitted by Joel Malcuit
Eaton County Quality Deer Management

Brent Rudolph, DNR Deer Research Specialist, gave a presentation to the Michigan NRC regarding a possible change of the Firearms Deer Season Opener. The major points discussed were as follows: 1) The possible reduction of conflict for hunters between work and school with a change to a Saturday opener, 2) The economic impact of a Saturday opener, 3) The impact on hunter recruitment, and 4) The biological impact of moving the opener in relation to the whitetail breeding season. These issues were discussed in the context of only three possible opening date changes that are being considered.

Saturday before Thanksgiving
Saturday closest to Nov. 15th
Saturday after Nov. 15th

He noted that positioning the opener ahead of the breeding season would have a negative effect on fawn recruitment. The presentation was well done and persuasive to these conclusions and there was no rebuttal from the commissioners or others at the meeting. A 2006 attitude survey shows that 84% of Michigan hunters prefer a Nov. 15th opener and 12% were opposed. It was also noted that any change to the opening date would require extensive rearrangement of many of the other hunting seasons because they are anchored to, or coordinated with, the deer season, e.g., early and late archery seasons and small game seasons.

At the end of the presentation Commissioner Wheatlake, who initiated the investigation into this issue, made the statement that any action by the commission would not be imminent. He recommended to the board that they continue discussion of this matter only after the DNR collects new attitude survey data for 2009-2010 and he also wanted to contact some of the captive cervid biologists in the state (Legends and Sanctuary) because they have data that may indicate that the peak of the rut is starting to occur later in November than it traditionally has. He also made the statement that if they made any changes that he would recommend moving the date back instead of forward in order to avoid any possible negative biological impact.

BELLEVUE, WA – Yesterday’s primary defeat of career anti-gunner Richard Aborn in his race to become Manhattan&rs quo;s District Attorney shows that even residents of a city with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation reject the gun control philosophy espoused by Aborn and those who supported him, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said Wednesday.

Aborn, a former president of Handgun Control Inc. – now known as The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence – ran primarily on his gun control record. He collected only 26 percent of the vote.

“Keeping guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens m ay appeal to demagogues like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but it doesn’t play well with average citizens who are tired of being victimized, not only by criminals, but by the very laws that people of Aborn’s ilk have forced on them.

“Richard Aborn had the endorsement of the Brady Campaign, Million Mom March, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence and other anti-gun-rights organizations,” he added. “We hope that his rejection sends a message to other gun control extremists that voters have had enough rhetoric and are fed up with restrictions on their gun rights.”

Gottlieb said Aborn’s last-place finish in the three-way race, which was won by attorney Cy Vance, is a repudiation of the gun prohibitionist philosophy he has represented over the past 17 years.

“Aborn’s defeat should be a signal to other politicians that an endorsement from the Brady Campaign or any other anti-gun group is a political kiss of death,” Gottlieb observed. “This de feat shows that there is no room in politics, especially in a prosecutor’s office, for anyone harboring the kind of extremist opinions about gun rights and gun ownership that Richard Aborn has wanted to enforce as public policy.”

Task Force 20/20 Continues Setting Agenda for Five-year Plan

Group to meet this week in Buda, Texas, to capitalize
upon gains made at NSSF Summit in June

NEWTOWN, Conn.–The Task Force 20/20 group, comprising industry leaders from the hunting and shooting sports, is continuing to work toward its goal of increasing participation in hunting and the shooting sports by 20 percent over the next five years. The task force is meeting this week at the Cabela’s store in Buda, Texas. This is the group’s first meeting since the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Summit in June in Weston, Fla., where each Task Force subgroup presented ideas to achieve this momentous goal.

Task Force 20/20 began in 2008 during the NSSF Summit whose primary focus was discussing research from a three-year study titled “The Future of Hunting and the Shooting Sports–Research-based Recruitment and Retention Strategies.” The report condenses the findings of one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on factors related to the hunting and shooting sports industry. Funding for the research came from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the form of a multi-state conservation grant. NSSF commissioned Responsive Management to conduct the research for the report.

“This meeting is taking what we learned from the Shooting Sports Summit in June and further breaking it into actionable items,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president. “By working together we can make real and measurable headway toward achieving our goal of increasing participation by 20 percent over the next five years.”

Since 2008 the group has divided out into subgroups to help separate a larger goal into smaller parts. Those parts are Youth Programs, Recruitment, Retention, Access & Opportunity, Aging Demographics and Coordinating Efforts. Each group named a “Champion” or “Co-Champions” to help lead the efforts. This past June each champion led breakout groups to discuss possible models to move forward with the proposed efforts.

“Since the Summit our committees have digested all the information from the stakeholders involved, and we are prioritizing what we can accomplish in the short and long term. We are establishing efforts that will have a lasting impact in hunting and the shooting sports,” said the Youth Group Committee Champion Jeff Rawlinson from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The Task Force consists of leaders from the media, state and federal agencies, manufacturers, retailers, non-profit and non-government agencies and shooting ranges and retailers.

BELLEVUE, WA – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) is once again demonstrating her disdain for gun owners and their rights by opposing an amendment to her Amtrak funding legislation that would allow firearms to be carried in baggage aboard trains, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Patty Murray evidently has a short memory span,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Has she already forgotten what happened to her friend, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, in the primary because of his extremist anti-gun philosophy? Surely she knows about Tuesday’s primary election results in New York City, where anti-gunner Richard Aborn came in last in a three-way race for Manhattan prosecutor by running on his gun control record.”

Murray is opposing an amendment, added to her Amtrak bill by Sen. Roger Wi cker (R-MS), that would allow train travelers to transport firearms in their luggage, provided the guns are declared at check-in and they are locked up for transport. This is no different than flying with firearms, Gottlieb noted, “and people do that every day.”

“The amendment passed 68-30,” Gottlieb noted, “and Murray’s opposition shows she is way out of the mainstream on this issue. Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid supports the measure. People used to take firearms on trains all the time. Someone should tell the senator that constitutional rights don’t end at the Amtrak boarding platform.”

Murray argues that the amendment would be too costly and time-consuming, because Amtrak would have to create a process for checking and tracking guns.

“That’s a bogus argument,” Gottlieb countered, “and she knows it. The Transportation Security Administration already has that process down pat. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. That option has apparently not occurred to her, or maybe it has and she just can’t get beyond her narrow gun prohibitionist viewpoint.

“Amtrak has been losing money for years,” Gottlieb concluded. “Maybe it’s because American gun owners won’t travel with a carrier that treats them like outcasts. Maybe gun owners will return that sentiment when Murray runs for re-election next year.”

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Years ago, I worked with a gentleman from Scotland who once remarked that if he were wealthy, he would hire someone to break in new shoes for him. I, too, have my own wealthy bucket list: I’d get someone to fetch arrows for me after I fling them downrange. Kids would be good for that, but I’m fresh out of them now. A Labrador retriever might work, but bent up arrows would be as useful as Barack Obama’s lecturing about the virtues of green jobs to coal miners in West Virginia.

I’ve never been one to practice with my bow for months before the season – in a large measure because of my aversion to retrieving arrows. But, it’s more than that. My bow is an ancient PSE Fireflight – the only one I’ve ever owned. I pull it out of the case every year, nock an arrow and take pleasure in its accuracy without any tweaking whatsoever. At a mere 57 pounds draw weight, it’s smooth, easy, and predictable.

But that was then. No, I didn’t splurge on a crossbow, although I’ve given it careful consideration. For many years I have used an electronic transmitter in the arrow shaft, when coupled with its receiver, permits me to locate my arrows, which are designed to remain in game by means of a penetration limiting design. The trouble is that the system appears to be obsolete, which means when the battery-powered transmitter finally dies, so does the whole concept. So, rather than wait for the inevitable, I have chosen to revert to more conventional methods of game recovery: watching, trailing, and a good hound dog.

One of the disadvantages of having a transmitter in the arrow shaft has been its weight of 65 grains. Even with the lightest of broadheads at 75 grains, my arrows have been quite heavy and slow.

It was time for an experiment to see if I could flatten trajectory a bit. I wondered how much speed I would gain by eliminating the transmitter and going with only a 75-grain tip. I set up a chronograph to measure arrow speed and found that the 140-grain model was poking along at 193 feet-per-second (fps.) I swapped tips and gained a whopping 10 fps. I was hoping for much more but without increasing draw weight or going against my innate cheapness and moving up to carbon arrows, I’d have to settle for my new reality.

But statistics are just that. Statistics. I had to determine what the extra speed and lighter shafts would mean at the range. So, I set up three arrows with 140-grain practice points and three with 75-grainers. Without moving my sight pins, I shot the heavy ones first. As usual, they were on the mark at 20 yards; the lighter ones were several inches higher, as anticipated.

Moving back to 25 yards, the difference became more evident, and at 30 yards about six inches of elevation drop was eliminated with the “speedy” models. No doubt I was on to something but it will take some tweaking and practice to get acquainted with my new, old bow. Anybody have any ambitious kids with time on their hands?

Glen Wunderlich: “Obama stays the course by surrounding himself with tax cheats, communists, Second Amendment enemies, and now an anti-hunter, as well, to further change – change from the greatest country in the world to one of tyranny.

Columbus) – Last night the sportsmen’s community came within five votes of stopping the nomination of Cass Sunstein to serve as the head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), otherwise known as the “Regulatory Czar.” Sunstein is an avowed anti hunter and does not believe the second amendment applies to individual gun ownership.

While a confirmation vote took place today, it was a formality after the Senate voted to over-ride a hold placed on the nomination by Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson. It would have taken 40 votes to prevent the confirmation. Opponents of Sunstein were only able to earn 35. Alarmingly 22 out of 53 senators who are members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus voted in favor of Sunstein.

“Having 42 percent of the sportsmen’s caucus vote for an anti-hunter when were just five votes away was a real blow,” said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO. “As we have, sportsmen should take note which of their ‘friends’ voted for them and which did not.”

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow is one sportsmen’s caucus member that voted for Sunstein.

“As a hunter and conservationist I am extremely disappointed that Senator Debbie Stabenow voted to confirm Cass Sunstein,” stated Bill Walker, member and past president of the Michigan Bear Hunters Association. “As a member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Congress, Senator Stabenow’s vote is hypocritical because it confirms the appointment of an outspoken animal rightist who could undermine hunting and effective wildlife management.”

The USSA and others, including the National Wild Turkey Federation, argued for weeks that Sunstein’s views against recreational hunting, the second amendment and on giving animals standing in court should persuade the Senate to defeat the appointment.

(Columbus, Ohio) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has scheduled a vote for Wednesday, September 9 on a presidential nominee opposed by many American hunters, gun owners, and farmers.

The nominee, Cass Sunstein, has been tapped to lead the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) or “Regulatory Czar” as the position is known. The job functions as the “choke point” between the White House and regulations from government agencies including the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The vote will take place over the objection of Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), who is attempting to place a hold on the appointment. To force the confirmation vote, Senator Reid has scheduled a vote of cloture – a procedural move to force a vote on an appointment. Cloture requires 60 yes votes.

That is where the controversy begins. Sunstein has written and spoken extensively regarding his anti-hunting and anti-2nd amendment positions. He’s also advocated in favor of legal standing in a court of law for animals.

For example, he has written that the history of the 2nd amendment does not support the concept that it covers individual gun ownership rights, but rather that it was intended to cover state militia’s or today’s national guards. This in spite of the recent Supreme Court decision reaffirming an individual’s right to own firearms.

Sunstein has also written that if the sole purpose of hunting were recreation, perhaps it should be banned. Many American hunters pursue game species such as pheasant, ducks and rabbits not for any population control, but to provide recreation for those who prefer to hunt and eat game.

He has advocated that state animal cruelty laws should be applied to hunting and livestock, and further that organizations should be able to sue on behalf of animals in court.

“All of Mr. Sunstein’s views are far outside the mainstream of American opinion,” said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO. “If he was able to implement them, severe damage would be done to the sporting goods industry in general, cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, dry up funding for wildlife conservation and hurt the economies of rural towns all over the country.”

“When his views came to light during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Sunstein wrote off years of speeches, books, and academic papers he has authored by saying he would not seek to implement his views into this job,” said Pidgeon. “We remain unconvinced as his recantation of his extreme views did not come about until his nomination seemed in question.”

The Alliance has received a flood of calls, letters, and emails from sportsmen across the country who are deeply concerned about this nominee and who wanted to know their Senator’s position on the issue.

Pidgeon said that win or lose, the USSA will report to sportsmen and all citizens about how each Senator voted.

Take Action!!! It is imperative that sportsmen and all citizens who believe in American traditions contact their Senators TODAY and tell them to vote AGAINST the confirmation of Cass Sunstein to head the powerful Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Tell them he has been an advocate for the animal rights movement and is an anti-hunter, against gun ownership, and wishes to give animals the right to sue in court.

Please use the Legislative Action Center to contact your senator.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

The use of crossbows in Michigan’s woods will increase dramatically this hunting season with relaxed regulations paving the way for consumer stimulus via the devoted hunting community. In a nutshell, the Natural Resources Commission approved the use of crossbows for all bowhunters in southern Michigan this year. In addition, archers over 55 years of age are permitted to use them in northern Michigan, as well. With a burgeoning deer herd and hunter numbers in decline, (and hunter revenue, too) lawmakers took a bold move to address these issues.

I realize misconceptions exist, because I harbored some of them myself. But on a recent media shooting event in Missouri, I was able to get the facts from the International Hunter Education Association and was able to test one of the slickest crossbows going.

Here are some basics. Crossbows are believed to have existed for over 2000 years, well before gunpowder was introduced. By the mid 1970s short crossbow seasons were tested in Ohio and Arkansas to determine the impact on hunters and wildlife populations. Since then, seasons have been expanded and have provided greater opportunities for hunters.

To produce the same arrow speed as modern compound bows, crossbows must have more than twice the draw weight than that of compound bows. The reason is that “power stroke” – the distance the arrow is pushed – is less than half of the compound’s. The crossbow must have substantially more mass to absorb the shock so that it is not transferred to the shooter. Because of this, they make more noise when discharged than the compound bow.

Ballistic tests show that there is very little, if any, difference in the impact of broadheads shot from a crossbow and a compound bow. The trajectory of arrows shot from each is virtually identical in a 40-yard shot comparison.

What makes crossbows inviting, however, is the fact that they can be cocked at the beginning of a hunt, and therefore, remain at the ready without further effort and movement. With cocking aids such as hand cranks, hunters without the strength to pull back a compound bow or a crossbow are able to do so.

At the range, I was able to test a modern crossbow and was surprised at the ease of operation. It was no big deal to simply pull the string back with the proper use of my legs and arms. No special mechanism was necessary. Lee Zimmerman, Director of Market Development for Horton Manufacturing, gave clear instructions on the grip with the supporting hand: Keep the fingers away from the arrow’s flight groove or your texting chores would become a bit more difficult.

Next we performed a side-by-side comparison of Horton’s new Vision compound bow to a more conventional model. The Vision makes up a substantially smaller overall package than others because of its innovative reverse limb design. Arrow speed is advertised at 325 feet per second, and although not the fastest on the market, it might be the quietest! (And, what hunter doesn’t want a quiet bow?) Shooting it was a breeze, which is another great feature of crossbows and the learning curve is short.

As stated in a previous column, I like tools that can get the job done with minimal risk of errant shots. A decked-out crossbow fits the bill and I look forward to the day when I tote one afield.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Senator Diane Feinstein and another Democrat from Maryland, Benjamin Cardin, have introduced legislation aimed at curtailing aerial shooting of wolves in Alaska. It’s mind boggling how a couple of city slickers such as these two could conjure up a scheme to manage wildlife better than the experts in the Alaska Division of Fish and Game, Wildlife Conservation, but they’re giving it their best shot.

You’d think that Alaska’s wildlife biologists might want to have a say in the matter, and they do: “Wolves and bears are very effective and efficient predators on caribou, moose, deer and other wildlife. In most of Alaska, humans also rely on the same species for food. In Alaska’s Interior, predators kill more than 80 percent of the moose and caribou that die during an average year, while humans kill less than 10 percent.
In most of the state, predation holds prey populations at levels far below what could be supported by the habitat in the area. Predation is an important part of the ecosystem, and all ADF&G wolf management programs, including control programs, are designed to sustain wolf populations in the future.

The Alaska Board of Game approves wildlife regulations through a public participation process. When the Board determines that people need more moose and/or caribou in a particular area, and restrictions on hunting aren’t enough to allow prey populations to increase, predator control programs may be needed. Wolf hunting and trapping rarely reduces wolf numbers enough to increase prey numbers or harvests.”

Feinstein, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and Defenders of Wildlife counter this way: “Shooting wildlife from airplanes is not sport…It undermines the hunting principle of a fair chase…”

Fair chase can be defined as a snarling pack of wolves running down a defenseless infant moose. That’s about as fair as it gets in the wild and apparently, as long as a wolf does the killing, it doesn’t matter how gruesome the kill is. For lunatics on the left, being eaten alive is a better way to go than being shot from an airplane. It just doesn’t seem to make sense to me, however, – even given the likelihood that not all aerial attempts will make for instant kills.

Employing bow and arrow would seem to fit Feinstein’s definition of a fair-chase type of hunt, but how many people are signing up for wolf hunting with archery equipment? Fair chase tends to lessen the odds of a kill by a hunter. But when the issue is control – and, make no mistake, wolf control is Alaska’s issue – the most effective method must be used: aerial shooting.

But, Feinstein’s proposal provides an exception to allow airborne hunting during biological emergencies, which is defined as a case where a wildlife population’s sustainability is significantly threatened by an excess of predators.

Notice there is no mention about people, just animals. You see, the people in remote areas of Alaska aren’t able to get jobs at the mall and then parlay their pay into ground chuck at Kroger. These Americans eat from the bounty of the land to survive.

But, this isn’t about them, is it? It’s about one component of a fractional element and special interest groups being paid back for their political funding and support of cooperating candidates. In fact, this issue typifies how the Democrat party has become no more than a conglomeration of whiners asking what the government can do for them. John Kennedy, how did your party get your most famous quote so goofed up?

What makes perfect sense is that if hunting is practiced, the HSUS is against it. That’s always its common denominator. And, it doesn’t matter to them if sustenance hunters are going hungry, as long as hunters cannot hunt.

So, instead of using volunteers who pay for the privilege to participate in game management, Feinstein and her comrades will pay government employees to do the job with taxpayers’ money but only when the animals – not the Alaskans – are in peril.

I’m sure Feinstein will praise the job-making maneuver just when jobs are needed most! I wonder why the ignorant Alaskans didn’t think of this.

This from the National Shooting Sports Foundation…

United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator John Ensign (R-NV), Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R), Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and Commissioner Tom Collins joined with senior executives from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) — the trade association for the firearms industry — in dedicating to Clark County (NV) 178 acres of the Clark Country Shooting Park (CCSP) as a public module.

Set to open later this year, the CCSP public module includes:

Shotgun Center: This feature contains 24 combination Trap and Skeet fields, a 5,443-square-foot shotgun center with a reception area, a pro shop, shotgun storage lockers and a cafeteria. It also features 80 full-service RV sites, a clay target storage building, lit ranges and shade ramadas.

Public Rifle/Pistol Center: The Public Rifle/Pistol Center offers 30 shooting points up to 50 yards; 15 shooting points up to 200 yards; 15 points up to 100 yards, night lights, shade ramadas, concrete shooting tables, covered shooting areas, a 3,000-square-foot building with a convenience store, a reception area, a 30-seat classroom, restrooms and a pro shop.

Hunter Education Center: This 4,400-square-foot building contains three 30-seat classrooms expandable up to one 90-seat classroom, two offices for Nevada Department of Wildlife use, and restrooms. It also features night lighting, a 100-meter archery range with 10 positions, a 100-yard range with 10 positions and a 50-yard range with 20 positions. It will also contain a shotgun range and two walking field courses.

Archery Center: The Archery Center houses a known-distance archery range, covered firing points, classroom area, restrooms, and shade ramadas.

“As the largest shooting park in the world, this state-of-the-art facility represents Nevada’s pride in gun ownership and shooting sports,” Senator Reid said. “In addition to providing a safe place for Nevadans to hone their shooting skills, the park will provide important firearms training and gun safety programs. I am glad to have been a part of securing land and funding for this project and I thank everyone involved with the project for making it a reality.”

The CCSP is a member of NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges (NASR), the National Rifle Association (club member) and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. The NASR is the leader in shooting range management and operations and has established a “five star” program, which sets standards for recreational shooting ranges. The CCSP has been designed to meet and exceed this “five star” rating.

“We congratulate the people of Nevada on establishing a premiere shooting facility where all law-abiding Nevadans, and visitors to the Silver State, will have an opportunity to engage in firearms training and the shooting sports,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “We as an industry are thankful to the many legislators at the federal, state and local levels of government who have played a role in helping to develop the CCSP. In particular, we would like to thank Sen. Reid for his outstanding leadership in this regard.”

The general manager for the CCSP is Don Turner, who has been an officer of the NASR and has previously served as Chief Rangemaster for the Ben Avery Shooting Facility (Arizona) and the statewide project leader for shooting ranges in Arizona.

“In 2002, Sen. Reid and Sen. Ensign, Rep. Gibbons (now Governor), and Rep. Berkley submitted a bill to transfer 2,900 acres of land to Clark County specifically for this shooting park,” Turner said. “All of the shooters in Nevada appreciate their help, the great support from the Clark County Board of County Commissioners and our very dedicated 30-member Citizen Advisory Committee for allowing this facility to be realized. There can be no doubt that the CCSP is a community project with tremendous backing from the public.”