Unfortunately the vast majority of elected officials are not hunters.  So it is up to sportsmen to convince them why they should care about our issues.  Of course there are roughly 20 million hunters in America, so that is a huge start.  But what about the many candidates for office who represent areas where we just don’t have a lot of sportsmen and women?

If you live in one of these places you need to be armed with some good reasons why your elected official should care about hunting.  For many of them, hunting just doesn’t seem like a big deal.  Many dismiss it as a second-class issue.

Hunting in Alaska is not like any other hunting you have done before. You can imagine getting around Africa in a Land Rover with a slew of packers. You can imagine getting on a horse in Montana and hunting the Bitteroot country. BUT, what most of you cannot imagine is what you are in for when you hunt in Alaska's remote bush country! The simplest oversights, mistakes or errors can magnify quickly in the Alaskan Bush-there’s no one around to help if you need it AND In Grizzly/Brown Bear country you slipped down a notch on the food chain!

This is the place you have all dreamed and read about in every Sports Afield, Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazine article since you were a kid. You know, have read and heard how beautiful Alaska is, yes, we all have. BUT, few speak of how mean She can be. Amidst all that natural beauty lurks Lady Alaska. My book speaks of her often! She's always there, around you. Waiting for a weakness or better yet, a mistake... She will kill you for it or if you are lucky, just ruin your trip. Readiness is ALL!

I will be the first to admit, unless I was considering a lighted hunting nock, I have never given any thought to the kind of nock that was on my arrows. That is a piece of equipment that most of us never consider, and we simply go with whatever comes with our arrows upon purchase. I recently sat down with Rob Eastman, owner of Carbon Express, and he really enlightened me on just how important a high quality nock can be.

Our conversation started when I found out CX had developed and released their new  Precision Nock, and I simply wanted to know why and how it was different. Rob told me that the team at CX has been trying to build the perfect arrow from end to end, and as they feel they have the best shafts on the market, they began looking into the inserts and the nocks as areas of improvement. Eastman said, “We have great arrow shafts, and we are a company that realize that details are what make perfection. The components of an arrow really matter, and that includes fletching, inserts, nocks as well as the shaft. They all must perform well if we are to have the ultimate high performance arrow?”

I've always felt bad for Lower 48 sport hunters who wanted to come to Alaska and hunt. When they made inquiries about costs, it shot most of them out of the saddle! THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE! Our big game should not be relegated to the wealthy, especially non-resident aliens! Like everywhere else though, it's happened here too. Did you know that most resident Alaskans cannot afford to go on an Alaskan big game hunt!

I want to help Lower 48 hunters achieve their "trip of a lifetime" and you need not break the bank or your marriage to do it! FIRST THING you need to realize, that on a small budget you have limited big game species you can legally hunt as US citizens without the aide of a guide. They are Moose, Caribou, Black Bear and Sitka Blacktail Deer. All other big game species require a guide- based on my own experience that is costly! Note: Folks from outside the US(non-resident aliens) must have a guide for ALL big game. The State made concessions to fellow US sportsmen, use them!

Avid feather collectors from across the country are buckling the locks to their shotgun case and shoving it back into their closet. Many hunters are looking for the ultimate bowhunting challenge - bird by bow.

Hunting turkey with a stick and string is a radically new undertaking that has grown to be a bird-busting bonanza. The turkey hunting population agrees that it's a gobble of a good time and great chance to throw carbon into the vitals of a strutting tom.

Natural human instinct enjoys a fresh dare every now and then - an opportunity to defeat the odds, win-big, and put a checkmark on the to do list! Ultimately, accomplishment gives us a feeling of achievement, self-assurance, and triumph. Slicing an arrow through a collage of shimmering feathers and into the tiny vitals of a wild turkey will boost any hunters confidence and is sure to raise ego in the pecking order. Typical turkey loads are made to splash a devastating face-wash full of bb's into a turkey's head and neck area - however, bowhunting kill shots will change your aiming point drastically.

This is a subject that needs some attention. I don't think I have ever read much about this subject. However, deciding on a cold camp or not, can make ALL the difference. Some have came a long way, spent a bundle to get here (not to mention the wife's offsetting costs) and are in the middle of a dream of a lifetime! Bruice Sermonis from New York State is pictured in the photo. They followed this blog series when it was first posted and is pictured here just landing in remote Alaska with three of his friends September 2011. Readiness is ALL! Every decision you have made about gear, food, and safety will make this experience better or worse.

As a rule Alaska's wildlife is not to overly concerned about camp smoke. In fact, wildfires are commonplace in Alaska. At any given time during the summer in Alaska there is a fire burning somewhere around the State.  Unless you have managed to get in a spot where there has recently been people hunting, you should not have to worry about that. Just be safe with your fire and don't overuse it.

The lusty gobbler had been gobbling non-stop for the past half hour as dawn slowly started to brighten the eastern horizon. I had softly yelped 3 or 4 times, only to be cut off by intense gobbles every time. So I shut up and waited for fly down time. I heard his wings flap as he glided off the roost and came to land 20 yards in front of me. BOOM, that's how it should happen!

Countless gobblers have taught me lessons to prove this was rare day indeed. There are no rules in the game of spring turkey hunting, and I will try to show you the dichotomy that is the hormonal Tom turkey.

I always call sparing to a roosted bird. My general rule to a roosted bird is; get his attention, and shut up. I've always thought most birds will come to investigate eventually. It can work out just like above or I have patience and can wait out a gobbler's curiosity and breeding instinct.

The call to action program Two Million Bullets is challenging hunters and shooters to make youth the top priority in the nation’s conservation effort. Camp Compass Academy’s founder and award winning professional educator, John Annoni is spearheading the mission to not lose any more ground with the future of shooting and hunting in the United States. Annoni’s success as a leader in helping youth lead better lives through gun related activities demonstrates his track record in program creation, mentoring, educating and fostering American outdoor values.

At a time where concern for wildlife conservation and gun rights seems to trump most issues, it seems the outdoor industry should be worried about something much more. The asset children hold in their hands; the mere existence of any future shooting and hunting.

Wildlife food plots are a key part of building bigger and healthier animals. Whether you are planting chicory, alfalfa, clover, or perhaps turnips, you must know that a plant must have an assortment of resources to reach its maximum growth peak.

A seed must have proper soil, fertilization, minerals, pH levels, and an adequate amount of sunlight in order to thrive to its full potential. If you happen to lack in any particular area mentioned above, you are not only cheating the groceries in your food plot, but also short changin' your consumers - deer, turkey, and other wildlife.

The reports continue to come across the wire about August, 2010 hunt by Eric and Donald Trump, Jr.  This story by GILLIAN GOTORA Associated Press Reporter that ran on The Huffington Post is just one example of the kind of poor journalism that exists in todays society and should be a wake up call to the hunting community that we must stand up and speak out.

The article appears on The Huffington Post:

Trump's Sons Hunting Trip Probed By Zimbabwe Officials

I could not help myself and had to respond to the article that has so many holes in this story...Here is my response:

It is shocking to me the comments on this story and frustrating all at the same time.  It shocks me that the AP wire runs stories like this without seriously looking at the sources for the information.