As many of you may know ducks and geese are not getting any less wary. Hunters today employ any number of sneaky devices such as mojo mallards, quiver magnets, duck kites and many others in order to bag more ducks. Ducks in my home state of Virginia can become very decoy shy as the season winds on so a different approach is needed to insure success.

Take one part summer fun boat plus one part camo and viola. You have yourself a sneaky low profile duck hunting machine. I started with a 12 foot dark green kayak. The color of the kayak is very important. You cannot and I mean cannot paint a polyurethane kayak. I tried and within minutes of being in the water the paint was sloughing off in sheets. So the base color of your kayak needs to be a dark color such as green or brown.

When the package from Campbell Industrial Supply  arrived, the first thing I noticed was it’s hefty weight, telling me a substantial piece of equipment was enclosed.  I was not disappointed!

The carefully packed assembly went together extremely easily, with no additional tools required.

The swivel base rotated effortlessly and silently. The real surprise came when I  placed  my first gun on the beautiful gun rack and felt the magnet “reach out” and clasp the barrel in complete safety and security. These fine gun racks are manufactured in numerous sizes and configurations to fit almost any need. Their web site - www.gun-racks.com - is both informative and easy to navigate. These fine people will even consider custom work in the unlikely event that the unique configuration you require is not available.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The date and location for potentially the most important meeting for the future of wildlife conservation and hunting has been set. The White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy will be held October 1-3 in Reno, Nevada. Mandated by the Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation executive order signed by President Bush in August 2007, the goal of the conference is to establish a 10-year plan to improve wildlife conservation and boost hunting opportunity on public lands. The President will address the participants, which is expected to include a wide range of stakeholders including grassroots hunter conservationists, representatives from national and local conservation organizations, local sportsmen's clubs, a bipartisan group of members of Congress, Governors, as well as state and federal officials.

"This conference elevates the challenges facing hunters to the highest level in Washington - the President of the United States," noted Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation and a member of the Sporting Conservation Council, the federal advisory committee that guides administrative policy on issues important to the hunting and conservation community. "It has been 100 years since a President convened a group of dedicated conservationists who set in motion a wildlife plan that has become the most successful in the world. With this conference, today's political, conservation and outdoor industry leaders and everyday sportsmen and women have that same opportunity to strengthen and update the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation for the 21st century."

MISSOULA, Mont.--This year marks the 20th anniversary of the great Yellowstone fires. It was an event that turned America's first national park into a living laboratory for measuring fire's effects on habitat for elk and other wildlife, and shaped the conservation vision of a young Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Just four years old in 1988, the Elk Foundation saw Yellowstone as the impetus for two new programs that remain top priorities today.

These efforts have now benefited 24 states with improved habitat and healthier elk herds.

The Elk Foundation's first Yellowstone-inspired program was a more aggressive habitat stewardship effort emphasizing controlled fire. Today the Elk Foundation has facilitated more than 870 projects involving prescribed burns across 18 states, enhancing over 1 million acres of elk habitat, nearly all on public land.

Taking great pictures in the field is an art form.  In the coming weeks we are going to run a couple of lessons on taking some great pictures in the field.  That being said as the season is about to kick off many of you are going to be out their pursuing the animals of your dreams and you are going to want to preserve those memories because of how important they are to you.

Wudyaget works with hunters to create a fantastic portrait for hunters that really stands out from the rest.

John DeWilde owns this beautiful pup and this year he has spent his entire summer at Dog Shows. Gauge has a really great shot at going to Westminster and he has a junior handler that is doing a great job or working with him. This year he is taking Gauge out for some grouse this fall. John looks like you have one beautiful dog there.

At the age 5, I began reading comic books and now with my own children we are still reading them to this day.  There really are not a lot of graphic novels that focus on hunting. The Rather be Hunting Guy is not focused on the youth market but it is still a great little read.  This book is more of an adult gift for the hunter who is absolutely obsessed with hunting......

Hmmm... Do any of you know someone like that?

This is a great little gift and conversation piece for the coffee table in hunting camp.  It is funny and will fit well into your hunting cabin.  It is at a price point that is more then resonable and I look forward to seeing more from this team.  Go check them out at:  Rather Be Hunting Guy

This fall I had the pleasure of hunting with the Capps Family.  Hayden, Robin and Chris were an absolute joy to hang out with in camp and Chris at the grand old age of 15 is wise beyond his years and I would share a camp with this family anywhere in the world.  The Capps Family lives in Madisonville, Kentucky and Hayden and Chris took a couple of nice bears.  

The following pictures were shot by the Capps family and I thought I would share them all here with you.

These pictures were all taken in Manitoba at Sandy River Outfitters and if you are looking for a bear hunt, I know Harry Walker has a few openings in September for Fall Bear when the bears will be bigger and you can take a wolf on your bear hunt.  Hayden has some great photos of some wolves but we could not take any in the spring.

Madison, Wis. – August 21, 2008 – Pheasants Forever (PF) announces Cabela's will continue the tradition of serving as presenting sponsor for National Pheasant Fest, to be held February 6th, 7th  and 8th at Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The Nebraska-based outdoor retailer was the presenting sponsor for the previous three National Pheasant Fests – in Saint Paul, Minnesota (2008), Des Moines, Iowa (2007) and Omaha, Nebraska (2005).

National Pheasant Fest 2009 presented by Cabela's will be Pheasants Forever's (PF) fifth such event, combining a national consumer show, habitat seminar series, and family event complete with puppies, tractors, shotguns, and art. This annual gathering has grown into the nation's largest event for upland hunters, farmers, sport dog owners and wildlife habitat conservationists. In fact, the nearly 30,000 people that attended this past year's event in Saint Paul helped make that the largest PF event ever held.

"Cabela's is proud to partner with our friends at Pheasants Forever and again serve as presenting sponsor of National Pheasant Fest," said Dennis Highby, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabela's. "Conserving wildlife and wild lands is an important part of Cabela's mission as evidenced by our long-standing relationship with Pheasants Forever and ongoing support of National Pheasant Fest."

Tucson, Arizona – Safari Club International (SCI) congratulated the voters of Alaska for defeating Measure 2 on their August 26 primary ballot. Measure 2, defeated by a 55% to 44% margin, would have limited the state’s authority to manage predator populations that threaten the state’s wildlife, livestock and even pets.  
 
“The true winner in this vote was Alaska’s wildlife,” said SCI president Merle Shepard. “Anti-hunting organizations that ignore science-based conservation should take a lesson from the defeat that Alaskan voters have dealt to them. It’s time for the animal-rights groups to try to understand, once and for all, that Alaska’s professional biologists at the Department of Fish and Game are best qualified to manage the state’s wildlife.” 
 
SCI’s Alaska Chapter president, Eddie Grasser added, “The misinformation spread by the proponents of this ballot initiative was amazing, but not surprising considering these individuals are not Alaskans and do not understand Alaska’s wildlife and ecology.  Many organizations rallied together to ensure that Alaskan wildlife management remained the prerogative of the state Department of Fish and Game – not out-of-state extremist groups.”