Chris Woods and I finally got together for our first actual hunt together since we welcomed Chris to our Pro Staff Team on September 19th.  We of course did not actually meet up until about 10pm by the time I got all of my work done, my gear picked out, packed up and into the truck and then on the road down to Richmond, VA.  As soon as we got reloaded into Chris's truck and on the road down to his hunting camp, I was finally able to relax.  The week had been slammed and I had spent the entire week dreaming about this hunt and it was finally here.

We got down to the hunting camp and crawled into bed as the alarm went off in what felt like minutes.  To be honest we got around three and a half hours of sleep before Chris fried up some bacon and toast and treated me to a camp breakfast and we jumped into the truck and headed out to Kerr Lake.  We got to the boat landing and it was dark and the lake had a really nice foot of fog on the crest of the lake and we had a short 2 mile trip up the lake to what looked to be a fantastic little spot.

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Sometimes the simplest item can make the difference in the success or failure of your hunt.  The Little Sure Shot is just such a simple item and it is absolutely genius.  This product is based on the simple wisdom that a hunter is going to be more accurate if he has a really steady rest.  Whether your in the stand or on the ground having a rest for your gun is essential to making a clean accurate shot.  The statistics show that a hunter with an accurate rest increases his ability to make an accurate shot by over 50%.

The Little Sure Shot was developed in 2005 and has earned a reputation as the world's smallest, most versatile gun rest.  At only six inches long and weighing in at four ounces the Little Sure Shot quickly attaches to any walking staf or a sitck found in the woods with the twist of a knob in order to create a sturdy Monopod.  Whether you are turkey hunting, shotgunning, muzzleloading and or rifle hunting this tool is effective and easy to use.

The Little Sure Shot offers a foam-rubber padded resting area to stabilize the users forearm or allows the rifle to rest directly on the foam-rubber without damaging the rifle.  The Little Sure Shot is available throughout the United States but the best place to pick one of these great little tools is at:  www.thunderboltcustoms.com.

What is not to like about a product that costs $19.95 and fits in your pocket and will aid you in increasing your accuracy by 50%?

We mean it as no slight to the other seasons, but there is just something about autumn. The changing of the seasons brings with it a beauty that keeps minds poetic and a crispness that keeps bodies comfortable. It can be argued that hunters spend two-thirds of the year preparing for this final third, the advent of "hunting season," the opportunity to harvest fruits from the land. And because you've waited all year for this, Pheasants Forever has 10 final tips to ensure this upland hunting season is your best yet!

1.  Get Buddy, Bella and Your Butt Moving.  You shouldn't take an out-of-shape dog into the field, and you shouldn't take an out-of-shape "you" there either. Fit dogs equate to fuller game bags, not to mention healthier hunting companions. Find pre-season conditioning tips at Pheasants Forever's Bird Dog Bonanza presented by Native performance dog food. Don't take your own physical condition for granted, either. Even with most hunting seasons just weeks away, there's still time to get a pre-hunt medical check-up and to start a daily walking or exercise regimen. If you've never learned CPR or taken a first aid course, now is a good time, and even if you have, a refresher in those areas is always beneficial.

2.  Pre-Hunt GamePlan.  It can be said for many things in life that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail, and pheasant hunting is no exception. So let's hurry you up to speed. First, get some expectations for this season by checking out Pheasants Forever's 2008 Pheasant Hunting Forecast. No matter what state you're hunting in, be sure you're familiar with that state's hunting regulations at Pheasants Forever's State Agency page. Finally, take an equipment inventory. Whether you're missing anything, or just plain want something new, your upland gear connection is Pheasants Forever's MarketPlace. 

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Saint Paul, Minn. – September 29, 2008 – KFAN radio (AM 1130) will host the sixth annual Build a Wildlife Area Phone-a-Thon on Thursday, October 2nd from 7 to 9 PM. The FAN Outdoors Phone-a-Thon has generated over $20,000 in the first five years of the partnership. Since 2003, Build a Wildlife Area campaigns have led to the dedication of seven new wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Minnesota.

The Build a Wildlife Area campaign is unique in that all donations are tripled through matching grants from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Once matched, those dollars will be used by Pheasants Forever to acquire land critical as wildlife habitat. The land will then be turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for management, and opened to the public.

Since its inception in 2003, the Minnesota Build a Wildlife Area partnership has generated over $847,000 and acquired seven new Wildlife Management Areas in Minnesota totaling over 2,500 acres, all of which have been transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and are open to the public. The Anoka County PF Chapter, PF National, Game Fair, and Outdoor News partnered to develop the concept. Gander Mountain, Ron Schara, and Minnesota Bound have been the largest financial contributors during the six years of the campaign.

Lincoln, Neb. – September 29, 2008 – Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) announce Scott Smathers of Lincoln, Nebraska, as the organization's new Regional Representative for Eastern Nebraska. Smathers signs on with PF/QF after spending more than 20 years working in the consulting and sales industry, most recently as founder and owner of an executive recruiting and consulting firm.

Smather's primary duties with PF/QF will include starting new chapters while also servicing existing PF and QF chapters in the eastern Nebraska area. He will work with chapters in raising and expending funds on wildlife habitat and conservation education, as well as work with local, state, and federal natural resource agencies on behalf of PF/QF chapters.

"I've had a lifelong passion for the great outdoors and I've always had such great respect for all of the wonderful work that Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever do to ensure that wildlife habitat is here to stay," explained Smathers, "I want to ensure there are always places for our future generations to get outside and truly experience what the outdoors has to offer – that's why I'm really excited to implement our youth mentoring programs."

The battle for Bristol Bay and the protection of that amazing ecosystem continues on and we are going to continue to do everything we can to get the message out to as many folks as we can.

Our partnership with The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska continues with our Moose Promotion and I would like to encourage each and everyone of you to log on and make a donation of $50.00 so that you can have an opportunity to win one of the best packages I have seen put together.  The package includes a Kimber Rifle, A Leupold scope, A set of Sitka Gear and 7 day moose hunt in Alaska.  All of this for a donation of $50.00 to protect one of the greatest ecosystems in America.

Sportsman's Alliance of Alaska Moose Promotion

As well we have some news from the Renewable Resources Coalition to share as well. READ MORE...

MISSOULA, Mont.--As America prepares to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 27) and decades of conservation successes funded via sporting licenses and excise taxes, new data show that groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are increasingly important financiers of fish, wildlife and habitat programs.

Hunters are now spending over $300 million per year on membership dues to outdoor organizations. That total has risen 25 percent over five years.

"Congress created National Hunting and Fishing Day in 1971 to thank hunters for supporting conservation through hunting licenses and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows. Today there's another chapter to the story. Hunters now also support conservation in a major way through their dues and contributions to conservation organizations," said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

Friday afternoon after Tristan got out of school, he and I jumped into the truck and took off through the Virginia countryside out through Fredericksburg, down 20 through Orange, into Charlottsville and over 64 into Waynesboro.  We arrived a bit early and took a walk around the hotel and then walked into register for the Hunters Helping Kids Banquet.  Once we got all signed into the banquet we searched around for some seats.  This was a bit of a recurring problem throughout the night because they had planned for a group of about 200 people coming to the event and the banquet actually topped out at about 325 people for the evening.

Our great friends Max & Stacey Rowe and Buck from Just Kill'n Time Television were there and our table was filled with some really great folks.  Hunters Helping Kids is 501(c)3 was founded to inspire and educate our youth in wildlife conservation and management.  it is thier belief that by involving our youth in outdoor shooting sports, the desire to preserve the conservation and hunting heritage will endure through future generations.

Dennis Campbell and the volunteers at the Waynesboro Chapter through a heck of a great banquet.  The tremendous local support of the local community came out in droves to support this great event. The team of volunteers and Nixons BBQ handled the event with style and grace.  They raised a great amount of money and all of the kids at the banquet had a really great time as well as all of the adults.

Dennis Brauchle, his brother Joe and I had the opportunity to attend the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitors Center.  The day was an amazing experience for all three of us.  From the drive through some of the Pennsylvania Wilds to the wonderful ceremony and the chance to see wild elk .  We saw a nice spike bull and then about an hour later after a wonderful dinner and camaraderie with some of the nicest people in the world we watched a herd bull move his cows and calves along the timberline.  I know that tickers were beating fast on all of us that got to watch that majestic bull bugle and herd his cows closer and then into the timber when he saw the crowd of a couple of hundred people.

Pennsylvania Elk have been flourishing for many years and the town of Benezette, PA has been a destination stop for folks throughout the North East.  It is the number one destination for folks wanting to see elk in the wild and up until and through next year there will only be some sign boards and pull outs off of Winslow Hill Road where almost every evening visitors can have the opportunity to visit and watch elk in the wild. Over 75,000 tourist days a year are logged in the Pennsylvania Wilds with folks looking to view the wild elk.    They are not always easy to find but they are there and this wonderful day was no exception.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation working in conjunction with many other organizations like the State of Pennsylvania, Local County and City governments, Safari Club International, Dominion Power, Richard King Mellon, The Thoreson Foundation and countless individuals who have donated time, effort and funding to make this dream come true.

The Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center is going to be a one of a kind classroom and exhibition center nestled in the woods on the current Elk Mountain Homestead Property off of Winslow Hill Road.  The property abounds with elk and the center will have unique windows and viewing areas where the elk will be able to be watched from inside without disturbing them in the wild.

Last week, in a step applauded by USSA, U.S. Representative Don Young (R- AK) introduced new legislation allowing for the importation of already existing polar bear trophies.  Currently, all importation of trophies is prohibited due to the recent decision by the Department of the Interior to list them as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The bill, HR 6936, will eliminate the questions regarding what happens with already existing trophies and permits that began when the U.S. Department of Interior listed polar bears as threatened this past May.  Under this designation all trophies were banned from being imported.