7/29/10 - Generally older-age-class bucks live where you don't hunt. That's how they develop big racks and heavy body weights. You need to identify the areas on the land you hunt that no one else ever hunts, including: thick-cover areas; briarpatches next to the main gate; piled-up logs; limbs and brush out in the middle of a field; an overgrown ditch that you can't walk through; and head-high briar-thorn patches. Older-age-class bucks will live in places like these to avoid hunting pressure.


To survive and put-on weight for the winter, these bucks have to feed. Many hunting clubs and landowners plant green fields for wildlife and especially to harvest deer over, but when deer season arrives, the last place you'll probably encounter a white-tailed buck during daylight hours will be on those green fields. Mature deer primarily will feed in the green fields after dark.

SANTA ROSA, CA - Buff, Inc., known for stylish, versatile and innovative multifunctional headwear, unveils its new Mossy Oak® Collection for hunting adventurers at the 2010 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.
 
The all-season Original Buff® and cold weather Polar Buff® now have been designed to match the elements in the new Mossy Oak® collection.
 
"We are thrilled to partner with Mossy Oak®," said Shirley Choi Brunetti, general manager and vice president, United States. "Just about every market has adopted the versatility, functionality and protection of Buff® headwear, and the hunting market is no exception. We knew there was high demand among hunters, and we felt that now was an opportune time to partner with Mossy Oak®."

On June 29, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Firearms Excise Tax Improvement Act of 2010 (HR 5552) by a vote of 412 to 6.  The bill is now pending in the Senate.

This legislation corrects a longstanding inequity in the Internal Revenue Code by permitting firearm and ammunition manufacturers to pay the federal excise tax payment on a quarterly basis, like other industries that support conservation through a federal excise tax. Currently, manufacturers pay this tax on a bi-weekly schedule, forcing many manufacturers to borrow money to ensure on-time payment. Industry members spend thousands of man-hours administering the necessary paperwork to successfully complete the bi-weekly tax payments -- monies that are due to the federal government long before manufacturers are paid by their customers. This excise tax is the major revenue source of wildlife conservation in the United States. This legislation will not increase the federal deficit, nor does it reduce the excise tax rate -- it simply changes the payment schedule.

Call your senators today at 202-224-3121 and ask them to support Senate passage of H.R. 5552 before Congress adjourns for the summer.

Washington, DC - Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) today announced that it had distributed over $217,000 in the final quarter of its last fiscal year to fund five critical conservation projects in North America, Asia and Africa. Specifically, SCIF has dedicated the funding to managing sustainable wildlife conservation programs that expand research into the complex interplay between predator and prey species.

"These funds will go a long way to help expand SCIF's efforts as we continue to fund, support, and manage worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian services around the world," said SCIF President Larry Rudolph. "A better understanding of predator-prey dynamic will facilitate best management practices around the world for continued sustainable wildlife conservation and management.

MISSOULA, Mont.—For elk hunters who’d like to be better elk callers, there are few mentors more qualified today than Joel Turner, reigning and two-time champion of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation/Leupold World Elk Calling Championships.

Turner, 33, of Eatonville, Wash., won his second world title in three years at the March event held as part of RMEF’s Annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo.

A police officer and state firearms instructor by trade, Turner also is a devout elk nut, bowhunter, guide, naturalist and call maker. He’s spent the past several years developing an elk calling philosophy and hunting system—some of it based on tactical theory—that has consistently produced bulls in multiple states.

Angie Kill sent me the following announcement and I thought I would share it with all of my readers.  I am hopeful as many of you will come out nad support this great event.  Angie's Husband Tom has been fighting Cancer for quite some time and all of us are hoping and praying for his fast recovery!!!  The Details for this event are as follows:

http://www.honeycreekoutdoors.com/calendar.html

Dearest Family & Friends--

Above is the link to the First Annual "KILL cancer, not HOPE!" benefit to be held in Coffeyville, KS, August 21st & 22nd at Walter Johnson Park.

There will be an online auction, featuring many Bob Timberlake Prints and several donated hunts from all over the United States!  The list on the site is only a partial list, and does not list the hunts yet.  Also, there are several contributors from the Coffeyville area who are not listed yet.  The community has really rallied together and is working miracles in helping Honey Creek Outdoors, Angela Palmer Keath of Off the Beadin' Path and S&J Outfitters get this fundraiser off the ground!!!  What ANGELS have answered the call to help out with this amazing endeavor!

This link includes a PARTIAL list of sponsors and donators, which, again, has not been updated in a few days, as Lisa Vileta of HCO and Angela Palmer Keath have been absolutely flooded with people wishing to donate, sponsor or participate in this amazing event! 

Be sure and check out the guest appearances and the various archery clinics that will be held.  Come prepared to participate in a 3D shoot!!!  Also, there will be special, SURPRISE guest appearances from folks in the outdoor industry, archery clinics, activities for kids, praise and worship services, online and silent auctions, live music entertainment, a dance, a community brunch, a kids movie night and SO much more! 

Tom and I are so very thankful to everyone who has worked to put this event together over the past 10 days.  God is working in AMAZING ways to allow all of this to come together so easily! 

I have been asked to invite anyone who is interested in sponsoring, donating, volunteering time or talent for the event to please contact Angela Palmer Keath @ 620-515-3021, or Lisa Vileta of Honey Creek Outdoors @ 319-330-8294.  I know very little about this event, other than what I have shared with you here, and also what is listed on the link I provided above, so if you have further questions, please feel free to contact one of these wonderful ladies! 

Also, please forward this info to anyone you feel may be interested in attending...and encourage them to forward this as well.  There are literally people from all over the US traveling to attend this event and to see what Coffeyville is all about! 

By the way...Angela Palmer Keath is taking pre-orders on the event t-shirts, should you want one to wear the day of the event. 

Thanks to everyone who is planning on attending, and especially to those of you that we KNOW will be more than happy to volunteer your time to help make this event run smoothly!!!  CommCommittees teams are forming soon (like this week!), so please let Angela Palmer Keath know if you are truly interested in participating!
Big hugs to all!  God bless each and every one of you!!!

Grafton, N.D. – July 12, 2010 – Dedicated pheasant hunters with high interest in conservation have formed the newest Pheasants Forever chapter in North Dakota. Known as the North Valley Pheasants Forever Chapter, the Walsh County group has rallied around introducing youth to outdoor activities.
 
"My family and I have been passionate about pheasant hunting and conservation for many years," explained Jared Pokrzywinski, a Grafton, North Dakota, resident and the chapter's first president. "With the current decline of outdoor interest from the next generation, I feel it's important to promote activities to spark an interest in the outdoors from today's youth." North Valley Pheasants Forever joins the national Pheasants Forever organization's No Child Left Indoors® initiative, a nationwide movement to get kids unplugged from electronics and turned on to the outdoors. The chapter will do this through activities such as mentored youth pheasant hunts and youth outdoor field days.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- If you're a new hunter or you're planning to take someone on a first hunt this fall, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reminds you that summer is the perfect time to take a hunter education course and acquire the certification necessary to purchase a hunting license.

"Don't have your fall hunting plans spoiled by forgetting to take that all-important hunter education course," said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president. "New hunters who are excited about going afield for the first time will need a hunter ed certificate to buy their hunting license, whether in their home state or out of state."

For this reason, July, August and September are popular months to enroll in hunter ed classes. Check with your state's wildlife agency to find a class that is convenient for you to attend, keeping in mind that a class may take up to 16 to 18 hours to complete. A commitment to multiple evenings or a weekend will be necessary depending on the state you live in and the course you take, though the investment in time will be well worth it. The NSSF website www.huntinfo.org provides links to each state's wildlife agency and can help you locate a class.

MISSOULA, Mont.—With federal forestlands choking for management, agencies strapped by budget cuts and other constraints—and with elk and other wildlife caught in the middle—the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is positioning for a new way of making habitat conservation happen.

RMEF is announcing the hiring of Dale Kerkvliet of Newport, Ore., as its new director of habitat stewardship services.

Kerkvliet will spearhead a growing emphasis on RMEF stewardship contracting and other agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The documents allow the agencies to hire RMEF as a contractor for forest thinning, grassland and aspen restoration and other habitat management projects. These services are then traded for the value of wood products harvested as part of the work for wildlife.