Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Shelby Township, MI – The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) announced today that Larry and Brenda Potterfield, founders and owners of MidwayUSA, have committed to donate $3 Million Dollars to the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) and Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) for programs in 2012. Read more
An extra $51,000 will fund federal wolf collaring and killing in Montana, thanks to a contribution by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
“The payment is made to (U.S.) Wildlife Services,” said Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim. “We’re just involved in the direction of how it’s used. We’re charged with managing wolves, and that’s what they’ve offered – to provide money that’s in line with what we’re currently doing.” More here…
The D.C. Council is expected to have passed the Firearms Amendment Act of 2012 under expedited procedures so it can take effect this summer. The ordinance will do away with many of the expensive and time-consuming hurdles to registering a gun in the District that were put in place after the Supreme court’s decision. D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown, who will vote for the bill, has made a 180 on gun rights. More here…
(Columbus, Ohio) –With bipartisan support the U.S. House of Representatives today approved the most significant pro-sportsmen legislation in 15 years. H.R. 4089, which passed by a vote of 274-146, is a package of high priority issues supported by every nationally prominent conservation and sportsmen’s organization. The bill was supported by 235 Republicans and 39 Democrats.
Michigan H.R. 4089 Vote went this way:
Hansen Clarke (D-MI)Nay
John Conyers Jr. (D-MI)Nay
John Dingell (D-MI)Nay
Dale Kildee (D-MI)Nay
Sander Levin (D-MI)Nay
Gary Peters (D-MI)Nay
Justin Amash (R-MI)Yea
Dan Benishek (R-MI)Yea
Dave Camp (R-MI)Yea
Bill Huizenga (R-MI)Yea
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)Yea
Candice Miller (R-MI)Yea
Mike Rogers (R-MI)Yea
Fred Upton (R-MI)Yea
Tim Walberg (R-MI)Yea
Entitled The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012, H.R. 4089: Read more
From Kip Adams – Kip’s Corner
During the past few legislative sessions one or two states each year initiated captive deer breeding legislation. QDMA opposed each on a case-by-case basis and urged our members to do the same. The 2011-12 legislative session was far different however, as 10 states ultimately debated captive deer breeding bills. QDMA opposed each and issued a national press release (http://www.qdma.com/news/qdma-urges-hunters-in-seven-states-to-oppose-deer-breeding-legislation) urging all hunters to do the same. This national release gained much attention across the hunting and deer breeding communities, and caused a flurry of letters, questions, and mis-guided comments. QDMA then issued a FAQ sheet on our stance on captive deer breeding to provide additional information on the risks of this issue and to elaborate on some points in our initial press release. The following information was included in that FAQ sheet. Read more
An Illinois man drowned while attempting to swim to safety during an attack by swans. Oddly enough, it was his duty to care for the killers. More here…
KINGMAN, Ariz. – The endangered black-footed ferret continues to shrug off its near extinction as it climbs the steep hill toward recovery. The small, specialist carnivore once numbered just 18 in the world when captive breeding efforts began in 1985. Efforts in Arizona’s Aubrey Valley are showing promise as this animal continues to baffle the odds makers.
Spring spotlighting efforts – the method used to find the nocturnal animal – resulted in
Washington –Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are estimating that over 10,000 migrating birds have died so far this year because of reduced water flow to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and California. Officials say the final death toll may be close to 20,000 birds. Read more
Realtree Nursery Food Plot Trees are now available at select Wal-Mart stores throughout the country. You can find Dunstan Chestnuts™, Sawtooth Oaks, American Persimmons and Native Crabapples in Wal-Marts in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. Read more
Ithaca, NY–The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is pleased to announced that the eBird website will now be sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America. The eBird program is a real-time, online checklist program, that collects more than a milllion bird observations each month from bird watchers around the world. (www.ebird.org) eBird data are visualized in charts, maps, and graphs which can be used by students, researchers, land managers, and conservationists needing detailed information about the numbers and distribution of birds. Read more