illlr llllililillllilruilil u n t i lO c t o b e3r1 , 2 0 1 1
youths and individuals. According to JosephH. Hosmer,the ffiWtr# #ws*#ffi&w ffirere* ffim&s Presidentof SCIF, "If we aren't bringing in more peopleto the ffiwmmwmffioutdoor sportsand making it easierfor them to get engaged,then ffiwmmffimmm*w K-ffiwwffi$Wffiwffiffim we're not doing our jobs. We expect this game fair to be the largest event of its kind to support the future of outdoor sporting traditions in the United States."The EPIC Outdoor Game Fair is modeled after traditional Europeangame fairs. Quail Unlimited PresidentBill Bowles said, "Families will find the Game Fair an outstandingopportunity to spendtime in a world-class resort setting while giving every member of the family more experiencewith outdoor activities they know or want to learn more about." River, small On Foxhall's 1,100acresalong the Chattahoochee villages will be set up to feature shooting, archery,fishing and flyfishing, boating, kayaking, equestrian,dog training and more. A wide variety of vendorsfrom each of the correspondingoutdoor segmentswill offer exhibits and product presentations.Food and beverageconcessionswill be situatedon site as well. For more information or to register: www.epicgamefair.org.
Hunters looking to kick offtheir 2011-12bird hunting season with other like-minded folks can do so at the first annual EPIC Outdoor Game Fair. The event is co-sponsoredby the Safari Club International Foundation and Quail Unlimited and will be held from Sept. 2 3 -2 5 ,2 011,i n glasville,Ga., the Foxhall and porting Club. EPIC is Sharpen existing skillsand learn new ones at a an acronym remarkablegame fair. Family fun at its finest. for Education, Participation, Instruction and Competition, all of which are offered to families,
Motors employeewho agreedto help with the training. After six months of adjustmentand regulartraining, Houdini was taken to Colonial Farms, a hunting preservein the Michigan town of Chelsea.Shepointed20 of 20 pheasants. Walsh credits the dog with According to The Union transforming his hunting preference Sportsmen'sAlliance, a 5-year-old from deer to birds as well as turnins German wirehaired pointer was land hunting into a familv affair. rescuedby a loving family from "She actuallygot our whole Eastpointe,Mich., and in return the family into hunting. My brother-indog changedtheir lives forever. law, my nephews,both me and my The dog namedHoudini had wife ... my sistereven wantsto buy been abusedand was brought to a shotgunnow," Walsh said."It's just the Humane Society.Her stroke of brought everybody togetherover this luck changedwhen Scott Walsh, an The tables are turned for the better as man's best friend finally becomes dog's best friend. The Walshfamily rallies one dog." Eastpointefirefighter, enteredthe around a dream come true. picture.Walsh had alwayswanteda Such a strokeof luck hasresulted in Walsh becoming an owner of a hunting dog but had a difficult time justifying the expense.When he saw the German wirehaired pointer similarly abuseddog, this time a German shorthairedpointer named Hobson."We've taken someextra work and cautionbecausewe at petfinder.com,he beganmaking inquiries. didn't know what they had beenexposedto, but they are definitely Scottand his wife both decidedto give Houdini a new life. part of our family. There'sno doubt." They contactedBill Murdock, a dog trainer and retired General
Rescued BirdDog Whole Gets Familu ]lunting
NIITITOF{ NOTLAR BIR-N As if any bird hunter needsa reasonto go hunting, Brown County, S.D., has createda program that might actually make it profitable to do so. The Million Dollar Bird program offers 100 bandedbirds that will have a bounty on their heads.According to the program, each bird will have an immediate payout that varies between$100 and $500. Every band then will be enteredinto a drawing with the winner receiving$1,000,000.The distributionwill be in the form of an annuity,with $25000 being
foratotal.t +ou"*';fi1;1ftfiffi';:;ffi::i:;:;tw'milliondollarbird'com' each vear ,outo 4
THE UPLANDALMANAC
lowa Governor SignsBill, Clears the Way for a Dove Hunting Season
Forget Stocks andBonds:
Investin Firearms With gun values continuing to appreciate, bird hunters might consider planning for retirement by purchasing more shotguns.And unlike a stock it's always fun to shoot. (Photo/An isfieldHunting DogPhotography)
After more than a decadeof tireless work by Iowa sportsmen, Governor Terry Branstadsigned SenateFlle 464 which authorizes the state'sNatural ResourcesCommission to establishan open seasonfor hunting mourning doves. "Iowa sportsmenshould be congratulatedfor their unrelenting hard work to bring a dove hunting seasonto the state," said Rob Sexton,U.S. Sportsmen'sAlliance vice presidentfor government affairs. "Although it may have taken years to get to this point, scienceand not anti-hunting rhetoric came out on top." A similar bill that was spearheadedby USSA and other sportsmen'sand conservationgroups passedthrough both the Senateand the House but was vetoed by former Governor Tom Vilsack. The membersof the coalition did not quit and instead formed the Iowa ConservationCoalition to maintain a voice in the capitol. Other member groups who were strong advocateson behalf of the new dove seasoninclude the Iowa chapterof the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep,PheasantsForever,National Wild Turkey Federation,Iowa Chapter of Safari Club,Iowa Trappers Association, Ruffed Grouse Society and the Iowa Bowhunters Association. The rules will be voted on at the Iowa Natural Resource Commission'sAug. 11 meeting.
Inthepastfewyears, notable firearms have been consistently commanding record prices. Witha sputtering economy andstock market, firearms mightprovide a greater return thanother traditional oninvestment options. According to Dennis Lowe, thedirector ofmilitaria fortheDallas, Texas, Heritage "l'venever firearms Auction seen Galleries, invalue. Those doanything butincrease increases aresometimes notasfastinone period godown. astheyareinanother, butcerlainly theynever ThewordfromMaine's James D.Julia's firearms division isthatthe pattern iswidening to include a variety offirearms. Anauction heldin that"the March 2011resulted in$10,000,000 ingross sales. Juliabelieves firearms worldis rebounding verystrongly. collecting Some extraordinary prices record scattered across a vastarrayoffirearms niches together with anever-increasing number ofbidders returning tothechase witha renewed enthusiasm andexcitement, allbodewellforthefirearms collecting world." "Collectors aremorecomfortable withtangible theycanhold assets intheirhand withatrackrecord," saidLowe. Hisbestauction everwasin 2008, theworstoftheeconomic during turndown. Aswithanyinvestment, newcollectors to study, research areurged andevaluate theirpotential purchase. firearm Withthe150th anniversary oftheCivilWar, values offirearms from Severalnational and Montana sportsmengroups are concemed thateraareexpected to risewiththeincreased attention. Soif yourstocks, bondsandlRAsaretanking, whynotconsider investing moredeeplyin your that proposedcuts to conservationand wildlife management sportbybuying firearms? programs will decreasehunting and fishing opportunities.
Sportsmen'sGroupsFear Budget Cuts Will ThreatenHunting and Fishing Access
Bnnnrrn TnrDxlrrrFnocRAM The BerettaTrident Program is a unique quality rating systemthat reflects an objective assessmentof the completeguest experienceat a wing shooting and/or shotgun sportsvenue.The program requireswing shooting and shotgun sportsvenuesto undergo a detailed and specific assessmentof eachareathat impacts the guestexperience.This rating system provides consumerconfidencein the quality of field sports, accommodationsand guestservices.Tridents will be awarded to designatethe venue's level of excellence,rating everything from the birds and hunting experience,professionalismof the staff and guides, quality of the food, even bird dog performance and habitat.Thesepropertiesare among the best of the best with lessthan 5 percentof the destinationsworldwide believed to merit even a single Trident. Though each venue has its own unique personality,every property exemplifies commitment to excellenceand a true passionfor the elite sporting lifestyle. The BerettaTrident Program now offers sevenaffiliates in its elite program, five domestic and two in Argentina with plans to expandin the near future by adding venuesin Europe and Africa. For more information : www.berettatrident.com.
@Br RETTA
I
A U T U M N 2 0 11
Ben Lamb of the Montana Wildlife Federationsaid, "The Land and Water ConservationFund has been instrumentalin providing fishing and hunting opportunities.The cut of nearly 90 percent of the program's funding as proposedin HR 1 will dismantlethe program.It is critical to note that LWCF is not taxpayer funded but rather paid for as a conservationoffset through a small portion of receiptscollected from offshore oil and gas drilling in federal passedHR 1 in waters."The U.S. Houseof Representatives February 20II. Dale Hall, CEO of Ducks Unlimited,Inc. is equally concerned. "Finding ways to reducethe massivefederal deflcit simply must be done.But in doing so,let's make sureto supportthosefederal investmentsthat pay for themselvesseveraltimes over - and be critical of those that are truly wasteful. Conservationhas always, and continuesto, pay for itself. Congressand the administration should approachthe budget challengewith facts and analyses,not a meat cleaver." Some of the programs slatedfor dramatic cuts or elimination include the NorthAmerican WetlandsConservationFund, Farm Bill conservationprograms,the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Stateand Tribal Wildlife Grants,the Clean WaterAct and more. Theseprograms not only protect hunting and fishing access for sportsmenand women, but they are also foundational to fish and wildlife habitat conservationand stimulate local economiesbv creatingjobs, particularly in rural communities.