So the bucks are finally on the move in South Alabama. We have been finding some rutting activity here at home. A buck finally showed up in the yard and made his presence know by tearing several limbs from one of our precious magnolia trees. It's funny how we travel all over hunting and the deer mock us by ravaging the yard at night. Chase, my nephew has been inviting Emily and I up to his dog hunting club. Emily can now call each dog by name and knows every club members name and what type vehicle they drive.Joe and Blake rode up and hunted with us Saturday and it was funny listening to Blake and Emily discuss the happenings. Our group saw several deer and one member killed an 8 pt. On Sunday evening 15 year old Matthew Hrabovsky went on his first deer hunting trip with us. Matthew has plenty of shooting experience and he put on a fine display of marksmanship in our yard. We set up a target and let him shoot the 17 to get a feel for using a scope before hunting. He got to see a few does on the food plot and a small buck chasing them close to dark. We really enjoyed the hunt with Matthew. A good friend, Rej Jones killed a fine buck in Butler Alabama on a private lease. He shot the deer at around 200 yards. The big 10 point was chasing a doe on a power line and Rej had to yell to get the deer to stop for the kill shot. Great job Rej on the buck and thanks for sharing the pictures.           Shelby Byrd South Alabama

Well, its the end of the season for me here in South GA....Hunted the final weekend and drew a blank, it was unseasonably warm with a full moon, so that didnt help much at all.  Thats ok though, over all it was an incredible season!! So with that being said, onto 2015 and for the next few months it will be getting things in order around the house, and then start to hit some of the outdoor shows in our area.  What does everyone have planned for the off season?? Im going to be really looking at managing the property I have access to and figuring out the travel patterns and all that fun stuff.  Thats the stuff that makes it fun honestly, watching the deer grow--especially the new fawns! Come this summer, I will be working on learning the ins and outs of inshore fishing and promoting the website as much as I can! I look forward to the coming year with all the new products coming out its crazy!! Twisted Timber has just released their new tree stands, will allow us tree hangers to climb and hang stands on just about any tree that is out there!! Go check them out....www.twistedtimbertreestands.com its gonna be a great year for us here at SeeMeHunt!!    

Well finlly quit raining for a bit, got a chance t go sit Saturday morning for a bit, wasnt much happening, but did see 2 does, no shot opportunity  but got a chance to get out between bad weather.  Its supposex to quit raining this evening, so I may go sit for a little tommorrow morning...hopefully they will be on their feet.  Just want to put one more in the freezer before te season end.  We are headed back to where I shot the buck the beginning of December so if I dont get a chance this week, this weekend I might be able to connect! If not thats ok, its been a great season! Anyone still hunting??

Merry Christmas everyone!! Just curious what is on everyones Christmas lists?? I didnt ask for much this year...tried to play it a little more conservative! HA!! No, honestly wasnt much on mine, Just a new Double tree stand, and a I already got an early gift to ourselves...a new TV for our garage! We entertain alot so we needed a bigger TV so that we can watch football!! Other than that, I didnt ask for much!! Lets hear what you all ask the jolly man in the red suit for!!

My 2014 Season started off pretty slow, however it turned out to be pretty darn good! Dec 1 found me in Dawson GA, a beautiful place about 30 minutes east of Albany Ga.  Beautiful morning, temps were perfect and the rut was on....at 820 the biggest deer I have ever killed showed up, one shot at 93 yards, put him down for good! He wasnt a massive 140" 8 point but he may as well have been! The best part of the whole thing was that the rifle I shot him with was my Grandfathers....come to find out after talking with my Dad that he had never shot at or killed a deer with it....its been over 30 years that the rifle had never been used to kill one! Then to top it off, my wife wants to start going with me to hunt! Im super excited for next season already! Overall, my season was super! Its not done yet, have about 30 days left in our season down here, so Im going to try to put at least one more in the freezer!!! Here is the picture of my deer-The blood you see on the towards his hip is where the bullet exited.....He was quartering pretty hard, and I was up 22 feet in a tree when I shot him!  

Club's Black Rhino Hunt Awaits Federal Permit   Posted Tuesday, November 18th 2014 @ 5am by iHeartRadio's Nik Rajkovic   The federal government could force the Dallas Safari Club to scrap it's controversial Black Rhino hunt which fetched $350,000 at auction early this year.   The Club says it may have to return the money to the auction winner if his federal application to bring his trophy back to Texas is rejected. “We want to know what benefits will be provided to go back to the species,” says Tim Van Norman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “So its not just an animal is taken, but is that provided something for the long term management of the species?”   “In the case of Corey Knowlton, he is contributing a large sum of money that will go into Namibia's wildlife management fund specifically providing resources for ongoing Black Rhino efforts,” he tells KTRH News.   Comments on the application are being taken through December 8. “We certainly are getting quite a few that are opposed to it, but these are more of just a letter-writing campaign expressing dissatisfaction with the idea of hunting Black Rhino,” says Van Norman.   Messages seeking comment from the auction winner were not returned. Read more: http://www.ktrh.com/articles/houston-news-121300/clubs-black-rhino-hunt-awaits-federal-12981146/#ixzz3JWu6vEaZ

DailyNews daily-politics Remington CEO: SAFE Act impacted decision to expand--in Alabama BY KEN LOVETT NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, November 17, 2014, 5:55 AM   Here is the expanded version of the second item from my "Albany Insider" column from Monday's editions:   Remington Arms has confirmed what many already long suspected — New York’s tough gun control laws played a role in the upstate gun manufacturer’s decision to expand outside the state.   Remington, which has operated in New York State since 1816, shifted 100 jobs down south in August. Another 126 people were laid off last week as a result of a decline in gun sales.   The company says one reason behind its decision to open a new plant in Alabama rather than expand in New York was “state policies affecting use of our products,” Remington Outdoor Company CEO George Kollitides wrote to some upstate officials Oct. 20.   The statement was taken by some as a direct shot at a tough gun control measure enacted by New York in early 2013 in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.   Indeed, one part of the gun control measure, also known as the SAFE Act, banned AR-15 rifles in New York — the very gun Remington made at its plant in upstate Ilion.   Those assault guns will now be made in Alabama.   Kollitides also said workforce quality, business environment, tax and economic incentives, and existing infrastructure impacted the decision to open a plant in Alabama.   “What the letter is really saying to us is we need to take action as a state to solidify and recognize the businesses we already have here and make it hospitable for them to stay,” said Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, a Republican who represents the upstate district that is home to Remington and who received the letter.   “I don’t think Remington was even given the courtesy of a phone call or a discussion when the whole (gun legislation) discussions were going on,” she added.   A Remington spokesman did not return calls for comment.   A Cuomo administration source denied that it played a role in Remington’s departure, saying the company “is consolidating from states all across the country.”   “The company has repeatedly stated that’s driven by national consumer trends,” the source said. “If anything, local politicians constantly playing politics only hurts."   New Yorker Against Gun Violence Executive Director Leah Gunn Barrett said she believes Remington’s decisions are based more on New York’s business climate than its gun control laws.   But regardless, she said, public safety should trump economic decisions.   Critics “love to use the New York SAFE Act as a whipping boy, but let’s face it, that law is keeping New Yorkers safe and keeping New York communities safe and our kids safe and guns out of the wrong hands, to me that’s more important,” she said.    

In Major Setback for Anti-Hunting Efforts; FWS Rejects Attempts to Stop Lion Hunting For Immediate Release:   October 27, 2014 Washington, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rejected the claim that the African lion merited listing as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. After a long and comprehensive review of the species status, which included information from the foremost lion researchers in the world, the FWS concluded that the African lion simply is not on the brink of extinction and did not merit listing as an endangered species.   The FWS concluded “[s]port-hunting was not found to be a threat to the species at this time.” This conclusion is a blow to the anti-hunting rhetoric put forward by organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and International Fund for Animal Welfare. The FWS's conclusion contradicts the assertions made by these anti-hunting organizations in the petition they filed with FWS to have the lion listed as endangered. The on the ground facts and the science simply did not support their position.   “By rejecting an endangered listing, the FWS has officially recognized the reality that the African lions are not actually on the brink of extinction. More important, today’s decision will likely help further the cooperative efforts of the African nations, and the many organizations and individuals who are working to study and ensure lion populations are sustainable today and into the future.” said Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) President Joe Hosmer. “Given the outstanding efforts of African governments in creating and maintaining protected strongholds for a large majority of the lion population, it is doubtful that the Service will be able to defend its conclusion that the lion is threatened with extinction in the foreseeable future.”   “The simple fact is the majority of lions live in protected areas. Efforts like that of the SCI Foundation play a critical role in assisting African range states utilizing best management efforts to ensure the lion has a bright future, not glossy advertisements and hyperbole. We will work with SCI Foundation to ensure the FWS is accountable to the facts and the law going forward,” said David Bernhardt, former Solicitor of the Department of the Interior. The U.S. FWS will now collect comments from the public in response to their proposed new regulations. Conservationists around the world should be encouraged to participate in the public comment period. As the regulatory proposal moves forward, we can expect the anti-hunting and animal rights organizations to continue their calls to ignore the on the ground reality and to push for an endangered determination, which Safari Club International (SCI) and SCI Foundation will oppose.   "SCI raised over $1 million for SCI Foundation to combat the listing of the African lion as endangered. We will continue to ensure funding is available for science-based conservation of the African lion in the future,” said SCI President Craig Kauffman. “SCI is proud of our Foundation which has won this battle against anti-hunting activists.   As the FWS moves forward, the concerns of American voters must be addressed. Eighty percent (80%) of voters agree that while we care about the future of the African lion, there are higher priorities that need to be addressed in the United States.* The FWS should focus on those species found here, that the government actually has the ability to manage.   While voters recognize the importance of protecting endangered species through science based management, 81% of voters want the FWS to focus its efforts and taxpayers dollars on protecting domestic species. And for those non-domestic species, two-thirds of voters agree that we should be working under international treaties to ensure protection and global cooperation. Voters clearly want the U.S. government to work within existing international agreements instead of squandering precious resources by implementing unnecessary regulations of foreign species.   * Current Lion Facts: 1. Recent comprehensive studies of the conservation status of the African lion conclude that there are between 32,000 and 35,000 lions living in the wild in Africa. 2. According to Riggio et al. 2012, a significant 24,000 lions, which is at least 68% of the estimated total population, live in what the study terms “strongholds.” “Strongholds” are areas that are legally protected as lion habitat or where hunting is managed and that meet “the necessary requirements for [the] long-term viability” of the lion populations living there. There are at least 10 such “strongholds” in Africa, covering an area almost as large as the United States east of the Mississippi River. Riggio affirms with science that lion populations living in these areas are “large, stable, and well protected,” and the populations are therefore “likely to persist into the foreseeable future.” 3. SCI Foundation has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the development of regional and national science-based lion management plans across east and southern Africa. 4. For twelve years, SCI Foundation has supported the African Wildlife Consultative Forum, where the African lion has been a leading conservation issue, with a total investment approaching US $750,000.   * The Tarrance Group was commissioned by the Safari Club International Foundation to conduct a telephone survey with N=1,013 registered likely voters nationally. Live interviews were conducted April 28-30, 2013. Respondents were selected at random and were part of a fully representative sample reflective of the latest voter registration figures. A random sample of this type is likely to yield a margin of error of + 3.1% with a 95% confidence level. ###   MEDIA CONTACT: Media@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 approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page http://www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information. Safari Club International Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that funds and directs worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation and outdoor education. Any contribution may tax deductible under Internal Revenue Code section 170(c) as a charitable contribution to the extent permitted by law. Tax deductible amount of gift is reduced by the “Fair market Value” of any goods, services, or advantages that a sponsor receives for the donation. EIN #86-0292099

Harrisburg, PA -(Ammoland.com)- With small-game hunting seasons set to kick off this weekend, Pennsylvania’s state game lands are being stocked with pheasants in a year what Game Commission officials describe as an excellent year for pheasant production. Nearly 220,000 pheasants will be produced this year by the Game Commission’s game farms to be stocked on game lands and other public lands to provide hunting opportunities for Pennsylvania hunters. About 17,000 pheasants were released ahead of the weeklong junior-only season, which ended Oct. 18, and beginning this week, there will be several consecutive weekly releases of pheasants, as well as a late-season release of hen pheasants. In all, 103,540 roosters and 82,190 hens have been allocated for release statewide ahead of and within the early small-game season, with an additional 6,620 hens allocated for release for the late season. The best pheasant-hunting habitat and hunter access occur on more than 230 tracts of state game lands and other public lands under cooperative management with the Game Commission, and about 75 percent of the pheasants are stocked there. The remaining 25 percent are released on private lands enrolled in the Game Commission’s Hunter Access Program. But Robert C. Boyd, who oversees the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program, said a yet undetermined number of surplus birds also will be released this year, driving the total number released toward 220,000.   “This has been a very good year for pheasant production, and it’s Pennsylvania’s pheasant hunters who will reap the rewards,” said Boyd, who heads the Wildlife Services Division, within the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management. “Our survey work has shown that Pennsylvania’s hunters strongly support our pheasant propagation program and the hunting opportunities it provides and this should be a banner year for pheasant hunting.”   Pennsylvania’s small-game season, which includes pheasant and rabbit seasons, kicks off on Saturday. Saturday also marks the opener for fox, raccoon and bobwhite quail hunting, and the trapping seasons for foxes, raccoons, coyotes, opossums, striped skunks and weasels kick off on Sunday. Meanwhile, seasons for squirrels and ruffed grouse, as well as the archery deer season have already begun. And the fall turkey season opener in many Wildlife Management Units begins Nov. 1. It’s that magical time of year when all of Pennsylvania’s hunters and trappers have something to get excited about, said Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough.   “By this weekend, prime time for Pennsylvania hunting will have certainly arrived,” Hough said. “At no other time of year do so many opportunities await hunters and trappers, and I hope they make the time to get out there and enjoy all that fall has to offer.”   Hough said pheasant hunting is a great way to introduce young people to hunting. Through stocking efforts, many birds await hunters, and the hunts often are action-packed. Game Commissioner James J. Delaney Jr., who represents several northeastern counties on the Board of Game Commissioners, said the opening of the small-game season is something to which avid bird hunters like himself look forward for most of the year. “It doesn’t get any better than spending a day hunting pheasants with your trusty bird dog, and I’d encourage any hunter to give it a try,” Delaney said. “Tracts all across Pennsylvania hold numbers of pheasants just waiting to be flushed. It’s exciting just thinking about it.”   A wealth of information on ring-necked pheasants, the Game Commission’s pheasant management program, and stockings statewide can be found at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website by placing the cursor over the “Hunt/Trap” tab, then selecting “Hunting,” then “Ring-necked Pheasant.” The general pheasant hunting season closes on Nov. 29, and the late season opens on Dec. 15. Only roosters may be hunted in many WMUs, check Page 20 of the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest for details. The digest is issued to all hunters at the times they buy their licenses, and also is available online through the Game Commission’s home page. Hunters also should note that pheasant hunting is closed in all Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, where the Game Commission is attempting to restore self-sustaining wild pheasant populations. Maps of Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas begin on Page 21 of the digest. As of this release, all hunting and trapping activity remained closed on all lands public and private within Price, Barrett and Paradise townships, Monroe County, due to the ongoing search for a fugitive wanted in the ambush-shooting death of a state trooper. Information on the closures will be updated regularly at the Game Commission’s website. About the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) The Pennsylvania Game Commission is legally mandated to manage wildlife for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians, as well as all wildlife and the habitat that supports their existence. Pennsylvania’s Constitution and Game and Wildlife Code direct the Game Commission to protect, manage, and preserve wildlife and their habitat within the Commonwealth for the benefit of all people, including generations yet to come. Based on this direction, the Game Commission adopted the mission statement “to manage all wild birds, wild mammals, and their habitats for current and future generations.” Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2014/10/pennsylvania-game-commission-to-release-nearly-220000-pheasants/#ixzz3GzqEr8C9 Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Follow us: @Ammoland on Twitter | Ammoland on Facebook

To: ALL MEDIA For immediate release June 16, 2014 For more information contact: Bill Brassard 203-426-1320 NSSF, Sands Expo Extend SHOT   Show Agreement to 2020 LAS VEGAS-   The National Shooting Sports Foundation and Sands Expo and Convention Center have followed up the 2014 record-setting Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) by adding another two years to their agreement.   Under the new terms, the SHOT Show will be presented at the Sands Expo through 2020.   The 2014 SHOT Show, which ran Jan. 14-17, attracted more than 67,000 in total attendance, an all-time high, and was the fifth consecutive SHOT Show held at Sands Expo. NSSF had previously announced, in February, that it was extending its stay at the venue through 2017.   "We're pleased with the multi-million dollar investment that the Sands Expo has made in order to meet SHOT Show's needs," said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "The 2014 SHOT Show was the highest rated by both attendees and exhibitors alike, and we want to continue to build on our success here in Las Vegas."   SHOT Show is the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas and the largest trade show of its kind in the world.   "As one of the largest events we host at Sands Expo, it has been exciting to watch SHOT Show grow every year," said Ashlyn LaPorte, Sands Expo Executive Director of Event Management. "We are proud of the partnership that has developed between our venue and show management, and look forward to continuing this relationship through the rest of the decade."   The Sands Expo and Convention Center houses more than 2 million square feet of meeting and event space.   The SHOT Show generates more than $73 million for the Las Vegas economy.