ThinkingAfield.org

Removes Professionals From Managing Wildlife
2/3/11

An Arkansas senator has proposed to change the state’s constitution to allow hunting, fishing, and trapping license dollars to be used for any government expense. It also strips authority over hunting and fishing laws from wildlife professionals and hands it to politicians.

Arkansas Sportsmen need to call their state senators today and urge them to oppose this dangerous bill!

Currently, the Arkansas constitution requires that all monies received by the Game and Fish Commission, including hunting, trapping, and fishing license dollars, be only used to manage the state’s wildlife. Additionally, the constitution gives the Commission sole authority over hunting, trapping, and fishing laws and regulations.

Senate Joint Resolution 2, introduced by Senator Jeremy Hutchinson (R- Little Rock), would divert most monies received, including fees from sporting licenses, game violations, land sales, and other income, into the state’s general fund where it could be used to pave roads, maintain prisons, or for any other pet project the legislature chooses. The amendment would also take authority away from the Commission regarding hunting, trapping, and fishing rules and regulations and place it with the legislature.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is currently funded by three main sources:

•License fees
• Reimbursement of federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and fishing equipment
• A portion of the Arkansas sales tax.
This amendment would take away the license fee portion of the Commission’s funding and put the excise tax, which amounts to millions of additional dollars, in jeopardy.

“Wildlife conservation works in Arkansas and elsewhere because when sportsmen buy a hunting license, they believe the money will be used for fish and wildlife,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of state services. “When this trust is broken, you sever this link and put wildlife conservation in danger. You also jeopardize a significant portion of Arkansas’ economy.”

Hunting, trapping, and fishing are big business in Arkansas worth $1.4 billion to the state’s economy. It generates $100 million in tax revenues and employs over 18,000 citizens.

Take Action! Arkansas sportsmen need to contact their state senator today and tell them to oppose Senate Joint Resolution 2. Tell them that diverting hunting, trapping, and fishing license dollars will harm the state’s wildlife and put in jeopardy millions of dollars in federal excise tax funds. Remind them also that wildlife management needs to be kept in the hands of professionals. To find your state senator’s contact information, please visit www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.

For more information, contact the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance at 614-888-4868 or email info@ussportsmen.org.

For one day of the year they are the country’s most celebrated animal. For the other 364 days most consider them a pest. They wreak havoc on an unprotected gardens and burrow underneath pastures creating tunnels that can collapse causing harm to cattle and horses. They are groundhogs.

Depending where you are in the country you might know them by a different name. In the East “woodchuck” is common. Some call them prairie dogs or gophers, but those are more western terms. The truth is gophers and groundhogs, while related, are different animals. Gophers only get up to 3 pounds while groundhogs can reach ten. Also, prairie dogs live in big colonies (thus those hunting videos where guys shoot hundreds of them a day) and groundhogs live in colonies of 4 -6 animals.

Some people also call them whistle pigs, but this is an older expression. It derives from a whistle-like sound the animals will emit when cornered. For the record, they are also known to swim and climb trees to escape danger.

Groundhog Day

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania likes to take credit for the inception of Groundhog Day, but its roots go back further. It was a German tradition long before the early settlers of the small American town made it popular. If anything, Punxsutawney deserves credit for the holiday’s modern adaptation.

Groundhog Day is based on the European tradition of Candlemas Day. It falls on the mid-point between the winter and spring equinoxes. German folklore states that if the sun comes out on Candlemas, the hedgehog (or badger) will see its shadow and six more weeks of winter will follow. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania they continued this tradition, using groundhogs instead of hedgehogs to predict the weather.

Hunting Groundhogs

While the fat groundhog pictured on television the morning of February 2 might look cute, it is important to remember these animals are a very serious nuisance to farmers. While hunting them in the East is not as popular as it once was, most farmers welcome those who want to pursue the little beasts on their property. If you go out though, don’t expect a day full of shooting, the little critters are more difficult to harvest than people give them credit for.

A few tips include:

* Flies around a hole indicates it is active.

* Morning and late afternoon are the best times to hunt them. A groundhog’s den is 15 – 25 degrees cooler than the surface, meaning they will settle in them during the heat of mid-day.

* If you jump one and it runs into its hole keep an eye on the cavern entrance. Chances are that within 15 minutes (usually sooner) it will poke its head out to see what startled it and if the danger is still close at hand.

* If you are stalking a groundhog and it turns to look at you freeze. Most of the time it is the movement that scares them and they will go back to eating in 10 – 15 seconds.

* Groundhogs live to eat. They are vegetarians, and if they have a choice, will often eat alfalfa over other types of grasses.

Why Hunt Groundhogs?

* As we stated, groundhogs are a nuisance animal. Farmers and horse owners know this, and if you have ever tried to grow a garden where one is present than you understand this fact.

* Groundhogs are also edible. While it may sound unappetizing, they are vegetarians and their meat is highly prized in some circles – not to mention it doesn’t get any more organic. Most chef’s advise that you should roast them like you would roast beef. The younger, small ones are preferred table fare.

* The small tail of a groundhog is prized among fly tiers. Its thickness and texture is somewhat unique, and is used in the production of a handful of different types of flies.

Winchester® Ammunition takes varmint hunting to a new level in 2011 by adding 17HMR to the Varmint Lead-Free ammunition hunting lineup.

This new lead-free load by Winchester Ammunition features a 15.5 grain bullet designed with a Polymer Tip for ultra-flat trajectories and delivers a blistering 2550 fps velocity. The Varmint LF uses a non-corrosive primer and clean burning powder to generate a sure-fire ignition every time.

“The NTX® Polymer Tip technology assures highly accurate, flat shooting bullets at all ranges,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of sales and marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “ We work hard to offer the most innovative rimfire ammunition, and our offerings continue to expand for small game hunters and shooters.”

The new Varmint LF Bullet features:

Velocity: 2550
Grains: 15.5
Bullet Type: Lead Free NTX® polymer tip jacketed hollow point
Cartridge: 17HMR
Availability: 2011

According to New York city mayor Bloomberg, investigators bought guns in private transactions at an Arizona gun show, despite their having alluded to being unable to pass a background check.

Such sales between individuals are not subject to background checks – but private sellers cannot legally sell to individuals who might not be able to pass background checks otherwise. That makes the seller – and the purchaser – guilty of felonies. Accordingly, anyone party to those illegal purchases (as in the mayor who sent them undercover with the intent to make an illegal purchase) an accessory.

So, let’s start the real prosecution.

GW: Once again, common sense prevails. Hunters are found to be the number one conservationsists through sustainable hunting practices that fund wildlife management.

Washington, DC – Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will allow the importation of 20 elephant hunting trophies annually from Zambia starting this 2011 hunting season. This historic announcement was made at the 2011 SCI Annual Hunters’ Convention in Reno, Nevada.

“After years of collaboration, the FWS has made the determination that sustainable hunting of elephants will contribute to the enhancement of the survival of elephants in Zambia,” said SCI Foundation President Joseph Hosmer. “As a form of sustainable-use, hunting is a key component of wildlife conservation and management worldwide. The SCI Foundation is very proud to be part of the announcement.”

A formal exchange between the FWS and the Zambian government was made on Thursday, Jan. 27 in conjunction with the SCI Foundation Department of Science-based Conservation and Research. The finding of enhancement by the FWS is a conclusion reached after many years of information sharing, including government to government meetings facilitated at the SCI Convention and the African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF).

Underwritten by the SCI Foundation, the AWCF convenes African governments, world renowned wildlife biologists, professional hunter associations and leading conservation NGOs to share information and discuss current wildlife management issues.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

When I ran across this statement defining “Fair Chase”, as it relates to hunting, I thought it would be appropriate to share it with you. To me, it defines the essence of a sportsman: “Fair Chase, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.”

Obviously, other forms of legal hunting exist that do not adhere to these standards, such as canned hunts or fenced-in hunting areas. Because of the nature of such hunts, an “improper” advantage could be gained over the animals. To a true sportsman, hunting is much more than that.

Certainly, proper and improper advantages can be debated beyond free-ranging and fenced-in game and here is where ethics comes into play. Once again, the Boone and Crockett Club gets it right: “Fundamental to all hunting is the concept of conservation of natural resources. Hunting in today’s world involves the regulated harvest of individual animals in a manner that conserves, protects, and perpetuates the hunted population. The hunter engages in a one-to-one relationship with the quarry and his or her hunting should be guided by a hierarchy of ethics related to hunting, which includes the following tenets”:

1. Obey all applicable laws and regulations.
2. Respect the customs of the locale where the hunting occurs.
3. Exercise a personal code of behavior that reflects favorably on your abilities and sensibilities as a hunter.
4. Attain and maintain the skills necessary to make the kill as certain and quick as possible.
5. Behave in a way that will bring no dishonor to either the hunter, the hunted, or the environment.
6. Recognize that these tenets are intended to enhance the hunter’s experience of the relationship between predator and prey, which is one of the most fundamental relationships of humans and their environment.

Today’s regulated hunting is a far cry from the days of market hunting in which populations of game animals were decimated to near extinction. No sportsman would take part in any endeavor that would not perpetuate the hunted game population; it would be self-defeating. The sportsman follows the guidelines set by wildlife biologists in a manner consistent with conservation.

To do otherwise would be analogous to Christmas tree farmers harvesting all the conifers and never replanting; they wouldn’t be in business very long. However, there are still whackos that cry foul when the trees are cut, never acknowledging that the abundance of trees would not exist except for demand of buyers and supply of those that cut the trees.

So, too, it is with the hunter/conservationist. While he is maligned by the extremists, he is largely responsible for the available game that is hunted through his payment of hunting and fishing license fees and substantial excise taxes on related equipment. And, he follows the rules so that his passion can be sustained for not only himself, but for future generations.

7/15/08

(Columbus) – A fact sheet that details the dangers of the nation’s largest and most active anti-hunting group is available from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
The educational fact sheet is part of the organization’s Sportsmen Against HSUS Campaign, designed to educate sportsmen and sportswomen, elected officials, media decision makers and the public at large about the nation’s largest animal rights group.

“Thousands of people each year donate millions of dollars to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) without truly knowing where their money is going,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Senior Vice President Rick Story. “Our idea is to give sportsmen the information they need to understand the dangers of the HSUS and its anti-hunting agenda and to pass the information on to friends and family.”

New members of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance will receive a copy of the HSUS FACT SHEET. Memberships start at $25. Go to www.ussportsmen.org and click on Join Now to become a U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance member.

Also, sportsmen who contribute one dollar to the fund will receive a fact sheet about HSUS that details the organization’s anti-hunting programs, its annual funding and other important facts.

Money collected will be used exclusively to continue the battle against the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and its animal rights campaign.

The Sportsmen Against HSUS drive will also fund campaigns that combat the public policy threats initiated and supported by the HSUS. The HSUS lobbying machine claims to have played a role in getting 86 different state laws passed in 2007 alone.

Sportsmen who wish to receive the FACT sheet or to otherwise contribute to the Sportsmen Against HSUS Fund may send their contribution to Sharon Hayden, Assistant Director of Communications Data, U.S. Sportsmen’s Aliance, 801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH, 43229.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

GW: More evidence of the mask of HSUS…

Thursday, December 23, 2010 1:45:43 PM

By Greg R. Lawson, Director of Communications, United States Sportsmen’s Alliance

Even with the controversy over the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) president’s recent comments about Michael Vick are raising eyebrows, the animal right’s group is on the verge of getting a quarter of a million dollars from Pepsi!

Many sportsmen will remember the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) alert that Pepsi was about to give $250,000 to HSUS through a monthly online voting contest at www.refresheverything.com.

As of press time, there is still no official announcement of the outcome; however, HSUS remains listed as a “finalist”. Barring something completely unforeseen, it looks very likely to receive a $250,000 grant.

In the meantime, it is important to reflect on what this means. HSUS basically continues to “mainstream” itself and works to sanitize its image.

The clever folks at HSUS know that it is unlikely they could raise millions upon millions of dollars if they are perceived as a big time lobbyist association. But, if they are seen to be “rescuing animals from cruelty in underserved areas,” which is the focus of the Pepsi grant, they will get people to open their wallets.

Will HSUS use the $250K to help rescued animals as their application indicates? Probably.

Of course, with over $150 million in assets, it seems strange that they really needed that $250,000 to do something so obvious to the countless local humane shelters across the nation. Why weren’t they spending that amount before?

It has been the topic of many articles and blogs that HSUS spends a small amount of that huge budget on direct animal care and spends the lion’s share on lobbying and campaigns.

We know that HSUS spent over $250,000 to defeat a pro-hunting constitutional amendment on the ballot in Arizona this November. They also spend many times that on other issues and lobbying efforts harmful to sportsmen.

Those are HSUS’ true colors. By potentially getting this grant, HSUS is merely able to reap the benefits of good PR while keeping their “stock of ammunition” aimed at sportsmen and farmers.

This means that many people will never look beneath the surface at the agenda of HSUS. They won’t pay attention to HSUS’ attacks on responsible dog breeders. They won’t pay attention to their efforts to oppose the delisting of many fully recovered animals from the Endangered Species List. They won’t pay attention to HSUS’ nationwide campaign of attacks on traditional farming practices.

Simply put, HSUS will appear as mainstream an organization as the Red Cross. And that is a danger. It’s a danger sportsmen, farmers and all citizens need to keep banding together to fight.

By the way, for those of you that are interested, it has come to the USSA’s attention that a group with a good cause is in the running for another $250,000 grant from Pepsi. The American Freedom Lodge is looking to buy and refurbish a cabin that will be used to house disabled veterans that the group takes on its annual deer and turkey hunts.

GW: For those questioning the tactics as I have aptly described in my recent column, here is some background…

May 9, 2008

(Columbus) -When regional retailer, Meijer, received pressure from sportsmen to sever ties with the animal rights extremists in the Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS), some questioned why the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) acted to oppose the partnership.

“Most people simply don’t know that the HSUS is actually an animal rights organization that is opposed to any use of animals for the benefit of humans,” said USSA president and CEO Bud Pidgeon. “The public deserves to know the hidden agenda behind this is to deceive them.”

On April 24, 2008, HSUS, the world’s largest animal rights organization, announced a partnership with Meijer, a regional discount retail chain to raise $5,000 for the organization’s fund to address the purported problem of abandoned pets as a result of the national home foreclosure crisis.

The USSA, a national organization founded to protect the rights of sportsmen, responded with an alert asking hunters to contact the retailer to protest the partnership. Meijer quickly responded by canceling the arrangement. Since that time, some animal welfare activists have questioned why USSA would oppose a partnership alleged to benefit pets.

The Washington DC-based HSUS, raised $100 million dollars according to its 2006 IRS filing. Despite a name that seems tailor made to animal shelters, HSUS is in fact an animal rights organization. Its main function is to change laws that permit Americans to gain any benefit from animals. It advocates for restrictions on livestock farmers, bans on life-saving medical research performed on animals and opposes zoos, circuses and rodeos. Of course HSUS also opposes hunting. The HSUS does not operate or represent the local dog and cat shelters that exist across the United States.

“With a name like the Humane Society of the United States, it’s easy to see why some people believe that there is a connection between it and local animal shelters, which struggle every year to make ends meet,” explained Pidgeon. “HSUS spends the bulk of its money on making contributions to politicians, lobbying, lawyers and expensive 30-second advertisements to promote voter issues aimed at banning various uses of animals.”

The Humane Society uses campaigns, such as the Meijer campaign, as a public relations tool to help it raise its $100 million dollar war chest for its animal rights crusade. Evidence of this is contained within its leadership. Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the organization, is the former executive director of the Fund for Animals, which was the nation’s leading anti-hunting group. Upon accepting the executive job at HSUS, Pacelle announced a merger with the Fund for Animals and quickly hired its most ardent hunting opponents as his top management staff.

The HSUS then swallowed several anti-livestock organizations, hiring their leadership as well. Its takeover of the Doris Day Animal League has given it access to Hollywood dollars, previously the home turf of the radical People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Unlike PETA, however, Pacelle and HSUS are not interested in making a large public relations spectacle using naked models or making outrageous statements comparing the Holocaust to the slaughter of chickens. Instead, HSUS has launched a series of campaigns that put it in a positive light with animal lovers in general.

Such was the case in 2005, when HSUS created a fund to aid animals stranded as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Later, the Louisiana Attorney General’s office launched an investigation of HSUS when allegations surfaced that the money never made it to the pets in need.

In 2007 it launched a campaign to address the issue of so-called “puppy mills,” abusive large-scale commercial dog breeding operations. Using sentimental images of suffering puppies, the organization is backing legislation in Pennsylvania that would devastate small hobby breeders, dog show kennels and sporting dog enthusiasts. The legislation is so radical that it has been opposed by the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and even dog rescue shelters in the state.

“Taking advantage of the American people’s love for their pets, HSUS is able to deceive donors and the public into believing that the organization is in the mainstream of American values,” said Pidgeon. “It is this mainstream image that allows HSUS to raise its 100 million dollar budget to take our hunting and fishing rights away. At the same time, by deceiving animal lovers, HSUS robs financially strapped dog and cat shelters of critical funds needed to actually look after abandoned and abused pets.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance recommends that people who want to help real animal shelters give to their local shelter organizations.

“Some animal rights groups masquerade as pet shelters, so donating to a local organization gives the contributor the opportunity to determine how their funds will actually be spent,” said Pidgeon.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

The animal rights group PETA may be stepping into some hot water in the Sooner state. The director of an Oklahoma animal park claims to have evidence that PETA used a former employee as a spy in order to give the park a black eye.

Joe Schreibvogel, the director of G.W. Exotic Animal Park, indicated he has a taped confession that proves PETA paid the employee to essentially act as a spy. Schreibvogel says the employee used an external hard drive to copy files from the park’s main computer and that he used a camera to take pictures that might be embarrassing. That camera was allegedly purchased for the employee by PETA.

The County Sheriff’s office is currently investigating the claims and whether any laws related to downloading of information were violated. As of press time, no arrests have been made or charges filed.

In quotes to the media, Schreibvogel states, “If they make it look like they’re rescuing our animals then more money goes to PETA.”

He also maintains that the park has received high marks over the last few years with all required state and federal inspections.