MISSOULA, Mont.—Athlete, archer, communicator, backcountry fanatic and self-described “average guy living an elk hunter’s dream,” Cameron Hanes has been selected to host Elk Chronicles, the new television show of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Elk Chronicles premieres July 3 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Outdoor Channel. The show will air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m., all times Eastern.

Hanes, editor of Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal, co-host of Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal TV, author of Bowhunting Trophy Blacktail and Backcountry Bowhunting, brings a loyal following of extreme hunters and devoted conservationists.

“For those who haven’t followed his adventures, buckle up and hold on because this guy takes elk hunting to a whole new level. When you find someone who trains for bow season by running 50-mile ultra marathons through the mountains, you know they take their hunting seriously,” said Elk Foundation President and CEO David Allen.

In the last month I have spent the better part of 3/4 of my month away from home and traveling between home in Virginia to Pennsylvania and Ohio for business with the company that I work for CliCKS Document Management .  This travel is an important part of my role as National Director of Business Development the traveling can get old.  On a recent trip from Pittsburgh to Columbus, OH I had the pleasure of stopping in Wheeling, WV for an extended shopping trip to wait out some thunderstorms at the Cabelas Store in Wheeling.  I took several walks around the store and while in the archery section I came across a book that has consumed me for the past several weeks.  BackCountry Bowhunting, A Guide to the Wild Side by Cameron R. Hanes.

READ More... for the rest of my Review of this wonderful Book. 

The National Geographic Society has a great article about the wildfire epidemic in the west from the Rocky Mountains to the Coast of California where wildfires are burning bigger, hotter and closer to home.  The article details why this is happening and provides some great insight into the situations throughout the west.  Having grown up in Forest Service Family, I am absolutely obsessed with wildfires and the situations in our National Forests.  As a true conservationist I want to see healthy forests and amazing wilderness areas.

Give this article a look online and/or purchase this months issue of National Geographic to read this article.

UNDER FIRE, By Neil Shea and Photographed by Mark Thiessen 

Hunting The First State - A Guide to Delaware Hunting is a great resource for those interested in hunting the state of Delaware.  I think it might be a great resource for those looking to hunt any of the states in that Delmarva Peninsula as well like Eastern Shore Maryland and New Jersey.  Steven puts together a great resource on everything from traditional Whitetail Deer Hunting, Turkey Hunting to Small Game and Migratory Bird hunting.

This book will give you general areas to hunt with specific names of Wildlife Management areas to focus your attention on and a full wealth of knowledge on tips and tactics to use in those specific areas.  His book covers a majority of the species available to hunt and a things you need to know about hunting each species and where to hunt and locate those species.  Of course Steven isn't going to point you to his best farms to hunt but gives you generic information that with your own scouting and the knowledge gained from this book you can take to the field and have reasonable hopes of taking your choice of many different game species.

I especially enjoyed the section on Turkey hunting and I gained some valuable insight into the areas that are available to hunt Turkey on public land in Delaware and I am thinking about applying for a permit for the 2009 season.

I enjoyed the book tremendously and at a price of $19.95 I think you are gaining a real value and a great work that will surely be welcome in your home library.

Harry was looking through his stash of photos from this springs season hunting bear and sent me some of the great pictures that he took.  We have some amazing shots and i thought I would share them all with you.  The video from my hunt is still being worked on and has been handed off to a very capable video editor and should be completed in the next month or so.  We are going to take the final footage from all of our hunts over the last couple of years and get them edited down into a DVD format.  We have two great bear hunts and two great Antelope hunts that I am working on getting put together for a pilot DVD that we are going to be selling at cost plus one dollar to go towards conservation programs.

Without Further Ado... Heres some of the great shots.

If you're serious about taking home the kind of trophy most bowhunters only dream about, practice makes perfect. (Even a large target can be hard to hit if you're a little rusty.) That's why Rinehart Targets®, leading manufacturer of innovative and lifelike 3D archery targets, has developed the new Rinehart Giant Mule Deer Target™ - designed to help bowhunters sharpen their skills before stalking their prize on the next great hunt.

The new Rinehart Giant Mule Deer measures 28" tall and is 40" from its nose to its black-tipped tail. Large branching antlers rise from the top of its head - just like the noble animal hunters will encounter in the wild. In fact, the body shape and brownish-gray color of this new target look so much like a real mule deer, it can also be used as a decoy when bowhunters are in the field watching a bachelor group graze on blooming canola or oats. And, this exceptional target makes practice a lot more fun and worthwhile because the lifelike features provide the ideal conditions for improving accuracy and gaining the confidence needed to hit the mark when a real mule deer when that real trophy comes within range.

Alabama - June 24, 2008 - Alabama quail enthusiasts have stepped up their quail conservation efforts through the introduction of two new Quail Forever (QF) chapters. The Alabama Covey Rise Chapter of QF and the Black Warrior Chapter of QF - located in central and west Alabama, respectively - are aiming to restore quail habitat while introducing youth conservation education programs within Tallapoosa, Coosa, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Hale, Greene, Pickens and Fayette counties.

"With both of these chapters focusing their efforts within the central and western regions of Alabama, there is an opportunity to create a lot of progress in the advancement of better land management practices, and this will ultimately help the quail and other wildlife in the area," explained Andy Edwards, Regional Wildlife Biologist for QF. "When you combine the newly passed Farm Bill legislation with the efforts of these two chapters, the benefits for quail will be tremendous."

Springfield, Ill. - June 24, 2008 - Eligible Illinois landowners now have the opportunity to conserve valuable wildlife habitat by enrolling their property into the Illinois State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program. As part of the continuous enrollment portion of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the SAFE program seeks to enroll 24,600 acres of wildlife habitat in Illinois.

The Illinois SAFE was developed by Pheasants Forever (PF), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Audubon Society and aims to strengthen conservation efforts by offering incentives for landowners to enroll privately owned grasslands and other wildlife habitats into the program. In addition to annual rental payments, SAFE allows for continuous enrollment, a signing incentive bonus payment, and additional cost-sharing for establishing new habitats.

FLORA, MS - With the Primos Floating Blind Bag, you never have to worry about dropping your gear in the water.

The bag is made with 600 denier polyester with weather-resistant coating, and has eight pockets to organize your waterfowl gear. It will hold and float up to 12 boxes of shotgun shells.

The rubber bottom allows you to set the bag down in the mud or wet grass and still keep the contents dry, and the shoulder strap provides easy carry to and from the blind.

The new Primos Floating Blind Bag is available in Mossy Oak® Duck Blind^TM Camo. Duck Blind features elements from every sector of the nation's waterfowl highways and was skillfully designed to maintain its effectiveness throughout the waterfowl season in a wide variety of actual waterfowl hunting environments.

It is the perfect accessory for serious waterfowlers. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Sam Crouch, Sr. and Sam Crouch, Jr.

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — National Wild Turkey Federation pioneer Sam Crouch, Sr. of Edgefield, S.C., passed away last Friday. Crouch was an NWTF Life Member and had a long and distinguished history with the Federation. He was 85.

He played a major role in the decision to relocate the NWTF, founded in March of 1973 from Fredericksburg, Va. to Edgefield in June of 1973. He was instrumental in organizing the Edgefield Chapter, which was the first NWTF chapter in S.C., and in 1974, became the first President of the South Carolina State Chapter.

His fingerprint on the organization was mimicked across the country. Today, more than 2,350 chapters, just like the one he started in Edgefield, have cropped up throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. These chapters, together, the NWTF's conservation partners, have spent more than $258 million on the NWTF's mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving the hunting tradition.

"Sam has one of the longest, richest and most colorful histories in the NWTF family," said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF's senior vice president for conservation programs. "He was a friend to the organization, he was a great personal friend and he will be dearly missed."