The Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA) recently announced that Magnum Research Inc., Minneapolis, MN has generously donated 12 new Magnum Lite Stainless Steel .22WMR rifles to the YSSA in support of their Donated Firearms Program.

The Donated Firearms program, featured on YSSA's website www.youthshootingsa.com, encourages the donation of firearms which, in turn, will be sold on GunBroker.com - the web's largest hunting and sport shooting auction. Firearms are listed without a reserve bid and are awarded to the highest bidder. The Youth Shooting Sports Alliance, a 501(c)(3) private foundation, will provide donors with a tax deductible receipt upon the sale of each firearm.

These Magnum Lite stainless steel barrel .22WMR rifles include a combination of Hogue Overmolded, Barracuda Pepper and Barracuda Nutmeg stocks. The rifles feature an 18-inch straight bull barrel made from 4140 steel. The receiver is machined from aircraft aluminum. A tapered throat area aligns the bullet perfectly with the bore to maximize accuracy. Magnum Research's patent-pending gas-assisted blowback system eliminates problems related to time-to-peak pressure issues with .22WMR ammo.

For more information on Magnum Research products, visit their website at www.magnumresearch.com .

The Youth Shooting Sports Alliance is a 501 (c)(3) private foundation whose mission is to identify and support the needs of successful and safe youth programs. Youth groups and industry members interested in learning more about the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance are encouraged to visit their website at www.youthshootingsa.com .

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - August 21, 2009 - Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 will be released September 29 in North America for Wii^TM, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii^TM version can be purchased with the innovative Top Shot hunting peripheral, packaged with the game. In Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010, the player must combine precision, guts, and technology to earn a place among world's most respected hunters.

"We are elevating the first person action hunting genre because it's what fans demand," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "Skill, extreme danger, real world equipment - you get all of that in Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010, and it all takes place in stunningly rendered outdoor environments packed with animals that look and act like the real thing."

In Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010, players seek "Super Hunter" status aiming to take their "game" to the next level and join the ranks of hunting's best of the best - a club where it takes much more than tall tales to gain respect. Players must prove their fearlessness and ability by successfully bagging the largest trophies in the world's most rugged regions. The most prized animals can only be reached by climbing cliffs, crossing raging rivers, and facing countless more perilous situations. Brand new elements, such as rewards for successfully using cover to progress through missions and a VITALS system which helps players visualize the perfect shot, promise to make this the most fun and action-packed Cabela's game yet.

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has filed a motion in Missoula federal court to enter an amicus curiae brief supporting state-regulated wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana. If the motion is granted by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, RMEF documents will be considered in Molloy’s decision on whether to allow or stop the hunt.

A hearing is scheduled for Monday and a ruling could follow soon afterward.

A coalition of 13 environmental groups filed an emergency injunction asking Molloy to stop the planned hunt and return wolves to the endangered species list.

“Long gone are the days when species like elk, bears and wolves can go completely unmanaged. We don’t live in a zoo and this isn’t the old West. It is frustrating that America’s wildlife conservation system, which has worked wonderfully well since the time of Theodore Roosevelt, has been reduced to a legal chess match,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

Allen said the Elk Foundation’s brief reinforces four main points:

•    Historic success of modern, hunter-based conservation in North America.

•    Viewpoints of hunters who continue to pay for the big-game resources that made wolf recovery possible.

•    RMEF-funded research, along with other scientific and anecdotal evidence, showing that wolf populations are fully recovered and that, where wolves are present with elk, wolves are having detrimental impacts on elk.

•    State wildlife agencies are best suited to manage wolves alongside other species.

Allen urged Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work together on a mutually agreeable wolf management plan to help clear a legal path to regulated wolf hunting in The Cowboy State.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.6 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

LUVERNE, Ala. - The Pursuit Channel proudly announces the addition of the NWTF's two highly acclaimed programs "Turkey Call" and "Get in the Game" to the rapidly expanding 2010 line-up.  
 
With its over 400,000 members and volunteers, the NWTF is a shining example of how passion for turkeys and a focus on conservation can impact the hunting lifestyle. Through an astounding variety of efforts, from restocking and securing habitat to expanding the number of hunters in the woods, the NWTF is to be congratulated for it's over 35 years of service to the outdoor lifestyle.
 
"Turkey Call" and "Get in the Game" are two top level programs that allow NWTF members and turkey enthusiasts everywhere to share hunts with the NWTF and learn more about how to make their own turkey hunts more successful.
 

 

Jackson, Wis. – Browning Outdoor Health and Safety Products offers five first aid kits to support groups of varying size and excursion length. Each kit is crafted from the highest quality materials and is designed to stand up in the field. They also contain a wide variety of hospital-quality supplies and medications to quickly treat the most common outdoor injuries, including cuts, blisters, insect bites and burns.

“There’s no question that serious outdoorsmen seek out brands they can trust,” said Mike Kermendy, vice president of marketing for Wisconsin Pharmacal Company, the manufacturer of Browning Outdoor Health and Safety Products. “And, when hunters see the familiar Browning Buckmark on a first aid kit at their favorite retailer, they just know right away that it’s a durable and dependable product that was designed with their specific needs in mind. Other, less trusted brands simply can’t deliver that immediate, positive connection.”

Browning’s expanded Outdoorsman Series of first aid kits encompasses four different kits that offer varying levels of protection. The Outdoorsman 1.0, the smallest in the series, is very lightweight and ideal for one-day hunts. It holds a variety of bandages to help treat the most common hunting and outdoor injuries, including blisters and abrasions. The Outdoorsman 4.0, the largest in the series, features well-organized compartments that allow for immediate treatment during extended backcountry excursions. The professionally-selected components in the Outdoorsman 4.0 can treat much larger wounds, bleeding and abrasions. The four kits in the series range in price from $14.99 to $39.99.

Overland Park, KS. — Successful waterfowl hunters know that mobility is the key to success particularly late in the season after birds have been pressured. The new Eliminator Cargo Blind (E.C.B.) from Final Approach makes it easy to move all your gear — ground blind, decoys, guns, etc. — with mini mal effort.

The Eliminator Cargo Blind (E.C.B.) is a full-featured ground blind with removable wheels that will carry up to four dozen silhouettes or over 200 rag decoys, plus your gun, flags and other gear. The blind is built on a lightweight, collapsible aluminum frame so it won’t rust. Just attach the wheels, roll it out to your favorite field and set up your decoy spread. No need to make multiple trips. If the action moves to another location, you can be on your way within minutes.

The ground blind is constructed with durable 600-denier poly fabric with a waterproof PVC coating for extra protection from the elements. The base of the blind uses ¾-inch closed cell foam to insulate the user from head to toe against wet and cold. For extra comfort and convenience, the blind has fast-access flagging holes on each side, a padded head and gun rest, built-in gun scabbard for transporting shotgun and a roomy interior.

(ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 26, 2009) -- Hundreds of hunting and fishing groups representing millions of America’s conservationists and anglers, outfitters, guides, lodge owners and others have asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey to protect from mining 1.1 million acres of federal fish and wildlife habitat near Bristol Bay, Alaska.

This large swath of BLM land is near one of the world’s most productive salmon and rainbow trout fisheries. In a letter to Salazar, the group expressed deep concern that during their final days in office, Bush Administration officials finalized a plan to remove existing protections for fish and wildlife on the BLM lands and to open the area for mining. The group called on Salazar to direct Abbey to reverse that decision.

“Sport fishing in Bristol Bay is a $60 million business while commercial fishing pumps another $300 million into the economy,” said Chris Wood, Chief Operating Officer of Trout Unlimited. “One out of four wild fish sold in America comes from Bristol Bay. Thousands of Alaska Native families depend on the area for subsistence. Never before have commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and subsistence users been so united on a single issue. Secretary Salazar and Director Abbey have a chance to do the right thing for Alaska Natives, commercial fishermen, and recreational anglers and hunters who come to Alaska from all over the world.”

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 26, 2009 – Ducks Unlimited will honor its young members in Nebraska for their commitment to the ducks during two simultaneous dedication ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Saturday August 29. Two restoration projects in Nebraska were made possible by contributions from legacy Greenwing members. These projects will have lasting value to migrating waterfowl as will the gifts from these young members.  

“These young people are the future of waterfowling in Nebraska,” said Steve Wilson, DU regional director in Nebraska. “They are establishing their commitment to conservation at a young age, and we hope they will carry those values with them as they grow up and continue to pass waterfowl traditions on to subsequent generations.”

DU Greenwing members in Nebraska, age 17 or younger, who have contributed $200 or more to DU since 2003 will have their names engraved on a bronze plaque. During the dedication ceremonies, DU volunteers and staff will unveil the plaques that will remain on the project sites as a reminder of who helped restore the wetlands. Speakers will discuss the importance of waterfowl habitat across the state and the significance of the youngsters’ gifts. 

OLYMPIA - An additional public meeting has been scheduled August 27 in Mount Vernon to discuss potential pheasant release sites in Skagit and northern Snohomish counties, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

The public meeting is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland St. During the meeting, WDFW staff will give an update on efforts to secure public and private lands to release pheasants for recreational hunting.

At a public meeting earlier this year, department staff presented a list of possible pheasant release sites, said Lora Leschner, regional wildlife program manager for WDFW.

"We'd like to meet with the public again and discuss progress toward securing alternative sites where we might be able to relocate our pheasant release operations," Leschner said.

WDFW is seeking new areas to release the birds because restoration projects on the Skagit Wildlife Area's Headquarters and Leque Island units will soon return those areas to estuaries. Both restoration projects are scheduled to be completed later this summer.

Restoration projects on the Skagit Wildlife Area are intended to restore important habitat for wildlife and fish, particularly salmon, Leschner said. WDFW owns and manages the entire 16,700-acre Skagit Wildlife Area to preserve habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide a site for outdoor recreation.

On Leque Island, about 110 acres of the Stillaguamish estuary is being restored. At the Headquarters Unit, the Wiley Slough project is designed to restore 160 acres of estuarine salmon habitat that was diked and drained to create farmland.

To address concerns about lands lost to hunting, WDFW has been working with a coalition of hunters, recreationists, farmers and other landowners to secure hunter access to private lands in the area.

For more information on the Skagit Wildlife Area, see WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/skagit/ .

CAT SPRING -- Helping landowners and others understand reduced quail habitat in the Blackland Prairies and Post Oak Savanna of Texas and how they might be restored is the focus of the Texas Quail Study Group workshop.

The workshop will take place Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Cat Spring.

 According to Dr. Jim Gallagher, Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist based in Uvalde and workshop presenter, Washington County and the surrounding area were once billed as "the quail capitol of Texas." However, over the past century, much of the quail habitat has been converted to other uses and quail populations in the region have plummeted.

"We want to give folks a better understanding of what kind of landscape quail require and examine the things that have been done to try to restore their habitat and populations," Gallagher said.