Politics and Conservation

Hunting political and conservation issues

Mountain Lion Facts

Mountain lion facts

By T. R. Mader, Research Director | Abundant Wildlife Society of North America Mountain lions, also known as cougars, panthers, or pumas, are highly efficient predators. These cats have a wide range throughout the Western states, and populations are increasing. An individual cat’s range depends on food availability. Thus, a range can vary from 10 [...]

SCI and the NRA Continue the Fight to Protect Idaho and Montana Wolf Hunts

Idaho wolf hunter

SCI and the NRA are continuing their aggressive fight to protect the scientifically sound wolf hunts already underway in Montana and Idaho and to keep wolf management in the hands of the states. On November 8, 2011, SCI and NRA go back to court to battle anti-hunting organizations who ignore science for the purposes of [...]

National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act

H.R. 822 — National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act — Heading to House Floor; Contact your Representative Now! As the NRA has been reporting week in and week out, H.R. 822 — the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011″ is very good legislation for gun owners. The time is past due to dispel the alarmist rhetoric about [...]

See What Happens to an Elephant After Elephant Hunting

elephant hunting 4

This is a pretty enlightening series of photos showing what happens to an elephant after all of the elephant hunting is over. Nothing is wasted. It IS legal to hunt elephants in many African countries. The meat is given to local people, it’s never wasted. The money from hunting the elephant goes towards elephant conservation. [...]

Elephant Hunting – An Alternative View

An alternative view on elephant hunting

By: Garth Owen-Smith, Co-director of IRDNC Namibia Over the past years the escalating media frenzy, sensational headlines and misinformation over the Ministry of Environment and Tourism’s issuing of trophy elephant hunting permits in Namibia has been incredible. Having worked as an agricultural official in the then Kaokoveld (1968-70), I was in charge of the Endangered [...]

Partial Delisting of Wolves Part of FY 2011 Budget Agreement in U.S. Congress

SCI First for Hunters

by Safari Club International April 12, 2011 (Washington, DC) – A coalition of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation organizations welcomed a provision championed by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) member Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho and CSC Senate Co-Chair, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) [...]

Bob Parsons of GoDaddy.com Shoots a Cull Elephant in Zimbabwe

alg_bob_parsons

A century ago Africa had just 6,000 elephants left. Now there are 600,000, and some say they are a pest – which is why the guns are out. CEO of webhosting giant GoDaddy released a controversial YouTube video last month of him hunting elephants in Zimbabwe, Africa. Our own Marc Warnke was interviewed by The [...]

Biological and Other Compelling Needs for Antler Restriction

Quality Deer Management

by Dick Henry Many critics of antler restriction are quick to dismiss the program as a gimmick or another “flavor of the month” for deer management. However this notion ignores the basic breeding ecology of deer and the impacts that can affect a white-tailed deer herd when that ecology is compromised. Animal husbandry is in [...]

Sportsmen Unite in Support of State Management of Recovered Wolf Populations

wolf hunting

February 22, 2011 (Washington, DC) A coalition of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation groups has thanked members of Congress for taking several steps in the right direction for the conservation of wolves. The coalition recently reminded Congress that all wolves in the Rockies and Great Lakes area are recovered and should now be managed [...]

Technology Catches Up With Rhino Poachers

Rhino poaching in South Africa

by allAfrica.com Mbombela — A rhino DNA sample kit is expected to help prosecutors be even tougher on those caught with rhino horns. If DNA tests positively link a horn to a specific rhino carcass, poachers will no longer get away with only a charge of possession, they will also be charged with the illegal [...]

Historic Elephant Announcement by Zambian Government at 2011 Safari Club International Convention

Importing elephant hunting trophies from Zambia.

Washington, DC – Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will allow the import of 20 elephant hunting trophies annually from Zambia starting this 2011 hunting season. This historic announcement was made at the 2011 SCI Annual Hunters’ Convention in Reno, Nevada. “After years of [...]

Our Public Image As Hunters

archery hunters

When we as hunters consider what we love to do, which is hunt, we must think about the messages we send out to the non-hunters who vote for that right. We must be conscious of the way we speak about our sport at all levels. One area that I hear spoken about often is the [...]

Mountain Lion vs. Bighorn Sheep – Amazing Photos

Mountain Lion vs Bighorn Sheep

Over the past years, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has used modern technology and equipment to build an extensive data set on mountain lion predation in the Kofa region. Biologists recorded and analyzed data on nearly 100 predations through this monitoring effort. For example, in [...]

Federal Court Of Appeals Ruling Deals Blow To Wildlife Conservation

Booking Agents Representing the Best International Hunting Outfitters

December 21, 201 by U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (Columbus, OH) -The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling which protected active wildlife conservation efforts on National Wildlife Refuge lands. In 2007, environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) after the FWS had restored wildlife watering [...]

Wolf Delisting – We Need Your Help

wolf hunting

Here at The Outdoors International, we have strong feelings that the states should be able to manage their out of control wolf populations. Wolves are having devastating impacts on other wildlife species such as moose, elk, and deer. We need to help western states gain control of the wolf populations. If they are delisted then [...]

Bighorn Sheep Herds Hit With Pneumonia

Pneumonia hits western bighorn herds

Over the past year, bighorn sheep in 11 herds in Montana, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming and Utah caught pneumonia. More than 1,000 — or about half in the affected herds — succumbed or were culled, with Montana alone losing about 10 percent of its bighorn sheep. In two cases, bighorns had mingled with domestic sheep or [...]

Idaho Governor Butch Otter Letter to the Feds on Wolves

Otter tells feds Idaho won’t manage protected wolves

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has notified Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that the state is terminating its “designated agent status” for wolf management – meaning the state no longer will be in charge of wolf management, turning that back over to the federal government. “I join many Idahoans in questioning whether there is any benefit to [...]

Nine in Ten Sportsmen are “Very” Likely to Vote in Upcoming Elections

SCI First for Hunters

SCI In the Crosshairs October 21, 2010 Washington, DC – Nine in ten sportsmen and women are “very” likely to vote in the upcoming mid-term elections, according to a poll released today from Safari Club International. Further, 40% of sportsmen say they are “very” interested in the upcoming elections suggesting sportsmen’s participation in the November [...]

The War on Rhinos Worsens

Rhino poaching in South Africa

by African Indaba While legal rhino hunting does exist in some parts of Africa, poaching is still rampant in many areas. A recent flurry of blogs, webpostings and newspaper reports focused on the worsening rhino crisis in Southern Africa. On August 18th a male white rhino was killed by poachers in the iMfolozi Game Reserve [...]

Judge orders wolves back on Endangered Species List, ending hunting

wolves and wolf hunting

from IdahoStatesman.com A federal judge ruled Thursday against the Obama administration and returned wolves in the Rocky Mountains to the Endangered Species List. That means that hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana will not be allowed to continue. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said leaving wolves listed as endangered in Wyoming while delisting them in [...]

How Legal Was The Introduction Of Canadian Wolves Into The Northern Rockies?

wolf hunting

Stephen King would be hard pressed to come up with a story more suspenseful than the Western Wolf Recovery Project. If the TRUE story is ever written it will be filled with lies, deceit, secrecy, collusion, theft, threats, human endangerment and government failure – all with a touch of international flavor. And that plot thickened [...]

Outfitter Report: Big Game Hunting in Mexico

MXglassing

Very few hunting destinations can offer the quality mule deer, coues deer, and desert bighorn sheep hunting found in Old Mexico, specifically the state of Sonora. Many bucks and rams grow old and die here without ever having set eyes on a human being much less having a bullet fired at them. Opportunities for world [...]

News on Idaho Wolves

wolf hunting

Surprise, surprise! wolves continue to make news. Here is the latest Idaho Fish and Game Department report on Idaho wolf management. This report contains a preliminary wrap-up on the first-ever wolf hunt season, current population and a summary of the current politics relative to upcoming court decisions. Of note, are the two attached letters; one [...]

The Impact of Wolves on Idaho’s Elk

This graph is from Idahos Lolo Zone elk harvest 1989-2008

The IDFG just completed the Lolo Zone aerial elk count recently and the numbers aren’t pretty, but they are just what everybody already knew. Now that we have some scientific data they can do something… maybe. Remember the wolves arrived in only 1995! From the Idaho Fish and Game: “We are seeing continued declines of [...]

CWD Found in North Dakota Deer

CWD found in North Dakota deer

From: North Dakota Game and Fish Department North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials were notified this morning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services that a sick-looking mule deer taken last fall in western Sioux County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. This is the first time CWD has been detected in [...]

One small step for Wyoming, one giant leap for gun rights

.300 Magnums take more North American trophies than any other caliber.

Wyoming is on the verge of passing two key pieces of gun rights legislation. HB-95, The Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act, and HB-113 “Alaska-style” permit-less concealed carry, are facing an up-or-down vote before the Wyoming State House of Representatives. On Tuesday, National Association for Gun Rights Director of Operations Luke O’Dell was on hand to testify [...]

SCI Conservation Efforts Benefit North American Hunters

In the last decade, Safari Club International has spent $140 million on protecting the freedom to hunt through advocacy, research and education to ensure that the hunting heritage is accessible for future generations. These programs benefit hunters throughout North American, and the majority of the work is funded with proceeds from its Annual Hunter’s Convention, [...]

SCI Recognizes Top 10 Exhibitors at Appreciation Party

From Outdoor Media Resources Each year Convention exhibitors help fund many of SCI’s conservation, education and humanitarian programs. Through their participation as exhibitors and the donation of an incredible array of outstanding auction items, SCI has become the leader in worldwide conservation. In recognition of their contributions, SCI honored an elite group of the top [...]

Do Wolves Keep Forests Nutrient-Rich?

Forest

A friend of mine, best selling author and fellow hunter Marc Warnke recently got into an online tussle with an anti-hunter about wolves. They sent him an article from a blog which included all of the “facts” on wolves and how they keep forests nutrient-rich. Neither Marc nor I are wolf haters, but we are [...]

Idaho Fish & Game Approves Wolf Hunt

Successful wolf hunter

From KTVB.com The Idaho Department of Fish and Game Commission has voted 4-3 to approve a plan to let hunters shoot 220 wolves during a hunting season due to start in September. The policy to shoot about one-quarter of Idaho’s estimated 880 wolves was approved during a meeting Monday in Idaho Falls. The 220-wolf hunting [...]

Obama Takes on Hunting

Obama takes on hunting

Obama Regulatory Czar’s Confirmation Held Up by Hunting Rights Proponent by: Fox News WASHINGTON — President Obama’s nominee for “regulatory czar” has hit a new snag in his Senate confirmation process — a “hold” by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who’s says he’s not convinced that Harvard professor Cass Sunstein won’t push a radical animal rights [...]

Wolf Reintroduction and Recovery Timeline

wolves and wolf hunting

May 4, 2009 – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule delisting gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Western Great Lakes became official. Wolf Delisting Rule Becomes Final April 2, 2009 – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule delisting gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Western Great Lakes published in the Federal Register. Rule [...]

Wolf Delisting Rule Becomes Final

wolves and wolf hunting

From Idaho Fish and Game The federal rule that removes gray wolves in Idaho from the endangered species list became final today, Monday, May 4. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s delisting rule affects wolves in Idaho, Montana, parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. Wolves in Wyoming will remain on the endangered species list. Idaho [...]

Wolf Rally in Sun Valley, ID

wolf hunting

Recap of the Hailey Wolf Rally 4/4/09 “I would estimate 300-350 in attendance and the parking lot was full of cars. The meeting started at 6:00 pm and the caretakers had to turn out the lights at 11:00 pm – there simply was enough time for everyone who filled out a comment card to be [...]

A Rhino in the Bathroom

rupert181106_228x181

I came accross this story recently while browsing HuntersNetworks.com. It is about a man who found a poached rhino in Africa and while looking for evidence, found a baby rhino. He took it home and is raising it. Pretty cool story. The news came in from a gamescout patrol via hand-held radio. A rhino had [...]

Catching Wild Pigs

Thomas Jefferson

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student [...]

US Sportsmens Alliance Comes to Defense of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

About a month ago, The Defenders of Wildlife ran a campaign with an Internet-based video by actress Ashley Judd criticizing Alaska’s predator control program and Sarah Palin in particular. The video is as the first step of a larger campaign aimed at Palin’s conservation policies, and promises future critiques of polar bear and endangered-species policies. [...]

Wolves Delisted!

wolves and wolf hunting

It was in the Idaho Statesman today that wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Great Lakes from the endangered species list only days before the Bush Administration leaves office, however they will remain protected in Wyoming. “Wolves have recovered in the Great Lakes and the northern Rocky Mountains because of the hard work, [...]

Idaho biologists Say Wolves Impacting Idaho Elk

wolf hunting an elk

IDFG Biologists have evidence that wolves are the primary cause of shrinking elk herds in Northern Idaho. I never would have guessed… OK, that’s enough sarcasm. Truth be told, the Fish and Game fought with the Feds over the reintroduction, so they’ve been stuck with the wolves just as us sportsmen are. It is estimated [...]

Ted Nugent On Gun Control

Like him or hate him, Ted Nugent has taken a firm stand on his views and is unafraid to state them. I think we can all learn from that in this age of political correctness. I’ve got to say that I tend to agree with him. What do you think? By the way, a pretty [...]

Stop the Theft of Your Public Lands

I know you are concerned about closures of our public lands. The Omnibus Land Act of 2008 is a massive land grab bill that will lock up millions of additional acres of public land, close thousands of miles of recreation trails, harm already struggling rural economies, further reduce renewable resource harvesting, be detrimental to forest [...]

Voice Your Opinion On Wolves

If we want anything to get done concerning the management of wolves, we have to voice our opinion. The link below will send your opinion directly to the federal agency that now has controll. They will only accept comments until Nov. 28th…. I wish I would have found this sooner. Please forward this to everyone [...]

No Child Left Inside Act

teaching kids to shoot

September 5, 2008 United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Re: Support H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act Dear Representative: On behalf of Sportsmens organizations, we urge you to vote YES on H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act, which will provide significant new support and funding for environmental education in [...]

2010 Duck Numbers Look Good

A female and male mallard duck couple prepare to land on a river

by Ducks Unlimited MEMPHIS, Tenn. – July 2, 2010 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report today on mid-continent breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May. The total duck population is nearly 41 million, which is similar to last year’s estimate and 21 percent above the long-term average. [...]

Web Site Tracks Waterfowl Populations, Habitat

A female and male mallard duck couple prepare to land on a river

A special Web site offers waterfowl hunters up-to-date information about all four of North Americas flyways. The site, www.Flyways.us, a joint effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, was developed by biologists and waterfowl manager across the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific flyways. “This Web site represents an excellent [...]

Wolves Returned to the Endangered Species List

Wolf and coyote hunting in Alberta, Canada

A federal judge in Montana has ordered gray wolves in the Northern Rockies be returned to the endangered species list. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction Friday, July 18, 2008, restoring federal protections for the wolves. Apparently, he feels that the 1,400 documented wolves in the tri-state region of Idaho Montana and [...]

Memberships: putting your money to work

archery hunters

If you are like me and don’t have a strong political back bone but want to somehow be involved then perhaps it is time to spend a little extra money on the clubs and organizations who can stand toe to toe with the opposition.  I have been a member of the NRA for a long time but [...]

Supreme Court Ruling on 2nd Amendment

.300 Magnums take more North American trophies than any other caliber.

Directly from the NRA-ILA alerts: Sorry, this post is a little late. I thought it was published but it wasn’t. Still some good information. Supreme Court Declares That the Second Amendment Guarantees an Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Thursday, June 26, 2008 Fairfax, VA – Leaders of the National Rifle Association (NRA) praised [...]

Idaho Wolves To Be Hunted Soon… Hopefully

Wolf pups

Wolves are a hot button topic here in Idaho right now and the title of this post is sure to cause a stir, but I aint skeerd. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) has released its proposed hunting regulations for wolves in Idaho. As in Montana and Wyoming, Idaho now manages wolf populations [...]

New Law Relies On Parents to Decide if Children Can Hunt

Dove hunting with my son

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s hunting heritage has traditionally been passed from one generation to the next. Recognizing that linage, and wanting to help it along, the S.D. Legislature approved a bill this year that allows children as young as 10 years of age to take part in mentored hunting opportunities. “Having youngsters in the [...]

Pheasant, Sage Grouse Habitat Enhancement Program

Hunting pheasants in South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. – The S.D. Game Fish and Parks Department, Pheasants Forever and USDA Farm Service Agency are pleased to announce that the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement program is ready for enrollment. Under the enhancement program, also known as SAFE, state agencies along with other groups were given the opportunity to submit proposals to [...]

Pheasant History

South Dakota Pheasant Hunt

The Ringed-necked Pheasant was imported to America from Asia, and no other game species introduced to this continent has been as successful at flourishing as the pheasant. One of more than 40 species originating in Asia and Asia Minor, these birds from the genus Phasianus are perhaps better known than any of the other 15 [...]