The variables and elements to sustain wildlife through a Midwest winter haven’t changed. Food, water, shelter and space – the four components of good habitat – are all required to varying degrees, depending on the species and climatic conditions. Wildlife management has changed over time. One prime example is the historical practice of feeding wildlife – deer, birds and just about everything in between, especially during winter when people perceive a shortage of food. Food, water, shelter and space – the four components of good habitat Food, water, shelter and space – the four components of good habitat This practice was once embraced by most wildlife professionals, and the traditional thought process made sense to biologists, hunters and citizens. But over the course of time, what was once the standard has been reviewed. New research produced new knowledge that prompted questions future wildlife management decisions.   http://www.uplandgameadventures.com/four-components-of-good-habitat/

Before Butterball, a fat wild turkey taken in fall was the centerpiece of many Thanksgiving tables. This year, honor the holiday’s heritage by playing Pilgrim and hunting a fall bird of your own. The basics to harvesting a Thanksgiving Turkeyaren’t all that complicated, but I’ve learned a few moves over the years that’ll help give you an edge. Here’s how to bring home a turkey dinner for your whole family to enjoy. http://www.uplandgameadventures.com/harvesting-a-thanksgiving-turkey/

I’ve spent the past two weekends in the thickest, nastiest, aspens I could find. Pushing through pines so dense that I couldn’t see an inch in front of my face. My elbows are scratched and stuck with tiny bits of thorns. My knee is swollen with a bruise the size of a baseball. It’s late September. When pain and ice packs mark the new season as much as that first trip to the cider mill. Most feather-chasers laugh when I say I’m hitting the northern Michigan woods for the grouse and woodcock openers. They tell me they don’t hunt until the leaves are down. The forest is too thick. The odds are stacked against hunters. They tell me they don’t waste the time. - See more at: http://www.uplandgameadventures.com/the-good-hurt/#sthash.DyRkRzt4.dpuf

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 30th, 2013   Krieghoff International Teams With Hunters, Boy Scouts In Fundraiser Shoot    Washington, DC – Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) and the Boy Scouts of America Foundation (BSAF) will host their second annual sporting clays shoot on February 4, 2014 at 9:00 am.  This event precedes the kickoff of the 2014 Safari Club International Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. and all proceeds from the shoot benefit the programs of both SCI Foundation and BSAF.   “I am extremely thankful to be working again with the Boy Scouts for our 2014 Sporting Clays Fundraiser,” said SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer. “Krieghoff International’s generous donation of a world-class K-80 Pro Sportermakes it that much more special for our second year. If you are a supporter of SCI Foundation’s mission of wildlife conservation or the Boy Scout’s mission of developing future leaders, then we know you’ll be with us on February 4th.”   A variety of celebrity sporting clays experts will be in attendance.  Participants will even have a chance to take pointers from Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell.    “Both SCI Foundation and the Boy Scouts know that the future of hunting and shooting depends on developing the next generation of participants and at Krieghoff we have always had a passion of bringing more shooters into the field,” said Alex Diehl, Chief Operating Officer of Krieghoff. “When we were approached to sponsor the 2014 Sporting Clays fundraiser, not only did we want to field a team, we donated a top-tier sporting clays shotgun.”   As the lead sponsor for the 2014 shoot, Krieghoff International has donated a new Krieghoff K-80 Pro Sporterover/under, 12 gauge shotgun with 32-inch barrels.  A sweepstakes drawing for the gun will be one of the highlights of the Second Annual SCI Foundation & BSAF Sporting Clays Fundraiser. Every shooter who registers for the competition will receive one ticket to the drawing, with additional tickets available for $100 apiece. A maximum of 300 tickets will be sold, so register soon to secure your team for February 4th.   The Boy Scouts serve nearly three million youth annually through their leadership driven programs and award more than 200,000 shooting sports achievements yearly. SCI Foundation promotes wildlife conservation and education worldwide and has donated well over $50 million in support of its vital projects and programs since 2000.   Make your reservation to join SCI Foundation and BSAF for the Second Annual Clays Shoot by contacting Kimberly Byers at the SCI Foundation Headquarters at (520) 620-1220, ext. 322 or email to kbyers@safariclub.org   MEDIA CONTACT: Nelson Freeman; Nfreeman@safariclub.org   Like SCI Foundation on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SCIFOUNDATIONCONSERVATION Join SCI Foundation on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SCIFoundation Learn more today at http://FirstForWildlife.wordpress.com   Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that funds and manages worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation, and outdoor education. Since 2000, SCIF has provided over $50 million to these causes around the world.   Visit the SCI Foundation’s website at www.safariclubfoundation.org for more information on how you can contribute to international conservation.  

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 2013   SCI Takes Battle Over Polar Bear Imports to the U.S. Supreme Court   Washington, DC – Safari Club International (SCI) today filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2008 listing of the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.  After the listing of the species, private conservation funding generated through sustainable use hunting evaporated.  By filing this petition, SCI is seeking to rectify this bad public policy.   “The listing of the polar bear was not called for under the law or science,” said SCI President Craig Kauffman.  “The polar bear enjoys historically high population numbers and occupies its entire historic range.  Canada has the best and most scrutinized conservation program in the world for its polar bear populations.  The listing of the polar bear was based on speculative projections about the impact of climate change on its habitat.  The listing has done -- and will continue to do -- more harm than good.”   The listing led to a ban on the import of polar bear trophies from Canada by U.S. hunters.  Before the ban went into effect, U.S. hunters had been allowed to import polar bears harvested from six approved populations in Canada.  These imports generated almost $1,000,000 in fees that was used for polar bear research and conservation in the U.S. and Russia.  U.S. hunters also contributed millions of dollars annually to local communities and companies, further encouraging sound management of the species.  The listing of the polar bear has eliminated these sources of conservation dollars, to the detriment of the species.    SCI is joined in filing the petition by Conservation Force and the Congress of Racial Equality.  All three groups sued the FWS in 2008 over the listing of the polar bear.  The parties have been litigating the case in the District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia since that time.  Both of those courts upheld the listing of the polar bear.   SCI and the other parties argued to the Supreme Court that the listing was contrary to the ESA in several ways.  First, the FWS failed to establish that the polar bear meets the definition of a threatened species.  Second, the FWS failed to explain its conclusion that the bear qualifies as “threatened” despite the fact that the modeling on which the Service relied indicates that 6,000-8,000 bears will exist 45 years from now.  And third, the FWS failed to take in account Canada’s extremely successful conservation program, including sustainable use hunting, before listing the species.   This will mark the fourth time that SCI has ventured to the Supreme Court.  In one case, the Supreme Court cited SCI’s brief in its published opinion.  SCI has filed Supreme Court briefs in cases involving depictions of animal cruelty, the Second Amendment, and the sound management of roadless areas of federal land.   The Supreme Court likely will decide whether to review the polar bear case sometime in the fall.  While SCI and the other groups have made strong arguments for reviewing this case, the Court regularly receives around 10,000 petitions a year and grants fewer than 100.  The future of successful hunting-based conservation programs in Canada and the ability of U.S. hunters to contribute to those programs hang in the balance.    “All hunters and individuals concerned with the expansive overreach by the ESA should consider financially supporting SCI, as fights at the Supreme Court are costly and require considerable resources,” concluded Kauffman.   For those interested in making a financial contribution please send donations Attn: Litigation, Safari Club International, 501 2nd St, NE, Washington, DC 20002.   MEDIA CONTACT: Nelson Freeman; Nfreeman@safariclub.org   Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s has approximately 200 Chapters worldwide and its membership represents all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.   ###    Washington, District of Columbia • Ottawa, Canada • Tucson, Arizona www.safariclub.org

  Gunny Joins the World Wild Adventure Team                    Drop & Give Me 20!     Judge Julie Mogenis determined to maintain   the hot show branding momentum has begun to launch some big surprises and will continue thispace into the fall hunting schedule. With that said, the Judge strikes yet another milestone for World Wild Adventures TV by recruiting a high profile actor, hunter and outdoorsman to the World Wild Adventure Team.  Best known as “The Gunny”,Hollywood & TV star R Lee Ermey has agreed to a long term position as the official “Celebrity Hunting and Outdoors Consultant” for the show.    Gunny considers the Judge a “good ole Hunting Buddy” and previously hasbeen a star hunter in several episodes of Huntin With the Judge-- traveling with the Judge to Canada for elk and whitetail, to New Zealand for monster stag and chamois action in the Southern Alps. Needless to say, we are very excited about him now co-hosting World Wild Adventures TV, and additionally sharing his humor, knowledge and expertise both on and off the “set”.   Briefly, R. Lee Ermey is primarily known as the Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”. However he has also done over 60 feature films and hosted one of the History Channels longest running series, “Mail Call”, and more recently, “Lock N Load”. He is quite passionate about the outdoors, the Marine Corps, and our veterans. Ermey makes numerous appearances on behalf of law enforcment and plays a prominent role in various NRA causes.   Last summer Ermey was in Africa working on a quest he began with the Judge a few years back. This fall on World Wild Adventures TV we’ll relive some highlights of the  African Big Game Series and Gunny’ quest to complete his Big Five. You can watch the Judge and crew tackle the Serengetti and especially Gunny’s nail biting episodes of his Cape Buffalo and Lion Hunts.   Judge Julie Mogenis will continue to aggressively align the World Wild Adventure Team with high profile hunters, conservation responsible outdoorsman and adventurers to ensure exciting, non-stop action -- tempered with a bit of “education” ...but all presented in a format that will keep you sitting at the edge of your seat and leaving you wanting more!   Stand by for more upcoming announcements in the Very Near Future! Until then... Gunny wants you to “Drop and give me 20”   Follow us at:   https://www.facebook.com/WorldWildAdventures   Twitter: @WorldWildAdv   www.WorldWildAdventureTV.com 

Recipe – Elk Burgers by Mia Anstine A favorite recipe. You can also substitute beef, deer or other game meat if you do not have elk available. Let me know how you like them. Ingredients: 1/2 C – diced onion 1 Tbsp – vegetable oil 1 tsp – dried thyme 1 tsp – dried rosemary 2 tsp – brown sugar 1/2 tsp [...] Read more of this post

Hunting in America: An Economic Force January 17, 2013 By Bill Brassard    National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) released two new reports today documenting the importance of sportsmen’s activities in America. NSSF’s Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation and CSF’s America’s Sporting Heritage, Fueling the American Economy reports provide detailed information about participation and expenditures by American sportsmen and women. The reports were released to the country’s top outdoor writers and industry professionals during the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) in Las Vegas. The reports utilize information provided in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service five-year study released late last year–data that is available only every five years. Some key facts: Hunter spending has a total economic impact of $90 billion on the U.S. economy. Hunter numbers increased by 9 percent between 2006 and 2011. Spending on hunting-related products grew by 30 percent during that same time frame. Money that sportsmen and women spend helps support more than 680,000 jobs. In some rural communities, the dollars brought in during hunting seasons alone can be enough to keep small businesses going from year to year. Sportsmen contribute nearly $8 million a day that goes to support wildlife agencies and conservation. Read the NSSF report Hunting in America: An Economic Force For Conservation. Read the CSF report America’s Sporting Heritage: Fueling the American Economy. Read the press release.

A favorite in the blind or at the range – Winchester® Ammunition’s AA® TrAAcker™ by Mia Anstine In visiting with other instructors, shooters and outdoor enthusiasts post SHOT Show I have been asked the same question numerous times. "What was your favorite thing at SHOT Show?" There are always many things that impress me at the show. I will over the next few weeks, be sharing some of the great new releases [...] Read more of this post

What A Trooper by Mia Anstine One of my favorite things is how excited a hunting client gets when he puts meat in the freezer. Here is a story from a few years ago that is one of my favorites! We took my friend's 83 year old grandfather hunting for his private land cow elk. Each year we think that it may be [...] Read more of this post