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Flushes & Noteworth P OinF-
,o*oited byrou KEE*
0hioGommittee Passes LegislationProtecting Access Sportsmen's
TheGrouse Whisperer property
While working onhis nearRichmond, Maine, BradVarney noticed thatevery timehecame grouse around thecorner inhisfour-wheeler, a ruffed strutted outofthewoods. Onedayhedecided tobringalong some driedfruitandnuts.Hestarted bytossing a variety offoodontheground. As timepassed, thebirdstarted eating outofhishand. Thegrouse's favorite food: dried cranbenies.
Nonsporbmen Havea Boneto Pick... withDogs Bird hunterssometimeshavea boneto pick with theirdogs.It's usuallywhena pointerbustsbirds or a flushingdog rangestoo far. But accordingto Evan Heusinkveld, the Directorof StateServicesfor the United StatesSportsmen,therehasbeena dramatic increasein nonhunters'legislativeattackson man'sbestfriend in the pastfew years. "More than 150bills havebeenintroducedin the lasttwo-yearsalone,"saidHeusinkveld.In 20 I l , the grouptrackedmore than 50 bills in 2l states. The objectiveof most of thesebills is to reducethe negligenceof pet ownersas well as rogueor pa.rt-timekennels,and their rangeis as wide and diverseas the dill'erentsporting breedsthemselves. NebraskaLegislativeBll 427 would requireanyonewho owns more thanfour dogsthat are intendedfor breedingto be licensedas a commercialdog breeder. That meansadditionalexpensefor mandatorymicrochippingand regularand routine inspectionsby the Departmentof Agriculture.In RhodeIsland,SenateBill 140prohibits keepingadogkenneledformorethan l4hoursperday,regardlessofthesizeofthecage. In Tulsa,catsand dogsolder than6 monthsmust be spayedor neutered.Tulsa already limits the numberof catsand dogsper householdto five, of which no more thanthreemay be dogs.The onusis on a bird hunterto file for an exemptionand then to build a caseof supportin hopesof qualifying. One would think that suchbills arewritten to reducethe pet negligencethat does unfortunatelyoccur. But in many of theseinstances,sportingdogsand their ownersbecome victimsof thesebills. "t ocal laws passedby your city council,countycommissioners, or trusteeshavethe sameeffectas a statelaw," saysHeusinkveld."The only differenceis that a locallaw appliesonly to a specificareaof the statelike a city or a county.Simply put, if your localgovemmentpassesa law that saysyou can't do something,thenyou can't do it. This makeslocal lawsjust asdangerousto sportsmenand sportingdog ownersas statelaws." To avoid dogsand ownersbecomingcollateraldamage,the United StatesSpoftsman's Alliancehasformed a SportingDog DefenseCoalition and encouragesall sportsmento becomemoreknowledgeableon dog-relatedbills: www.ussportsmen.org. @ ttre UplandAlmanacI Spring2012
The HouseNaturalResourcesCommitteepassedH.R. 2834,the Recreational Fishingand Hunting Heritageand OpportunitiesAct. This bill would protect fishing,huntingand recreationalshooting on federallands. H.R. 2834 passedthe Committeewith strongbipartisansupportby a vote of2914.This vital pieceof legislationwould requirefishing,hunting,andrecreational shootingto be includedin all federalland planningdocumentsand would fix numerous inconsistencies in federallaw that are beingexploitedby litigiousenvironmental groupsto reducehuntingopportunities on f-ederalland.This bill is stronglysupported by the U.S.Sportsmen's Alliance,Satari Club International. the NationalRifle Association, and millionsof sportsmen acrossthe country. "This legislationis vital giventheAdministration'srecentactionsto'wardhunters and recreationalsportshooters,"said MelissaSimpson,Directorof Government Affairs fbr SafariClub International. "Sportsmenhaverepeatedlysoughtto collaboratewith the f'ederalagenciesand havebeengreetedwith proposedclosures in areassuchas the SonoranDesertNationalMonument,wherethe BLM intends to closethe entireone-halfmillion acre nationalmonumentto shooters.Thereare some63 shootingsiteswithin the monument.closureof which will end accessfor sportsmen. Passage of H.R.2834is necessaryto protectagainsttheseanti-hunting policies." "Sportsmenare increasinglyfacing attacksaimedat stoppingthem from using public land," saidBud Pidgeon,President andCEO of the U.S.Sportsmen's Alliance."This bill closesthe loopholesthat anti-huntershaveusedtime and time again to try to deny accessfor hunting,fishing and shooting.Now is the time to put a stop to it. We areextremelypleasedand appreciativethat the HouseNaturalResources Committeerecognizedthe importanceof t h i sb i l l . "
"Anyrelation totheland,thehabitof tillingit,orminingit, orevenhunting on it, generates patriotism, thefeeling of Hewhokeepsshlp0nit, orhewhomerelyuses it asa supplrtto hisdeskandledger, orto hismanufactlry, values it less,' - RalphWaldo "TheYoung Emerson, American," Nature, Addresses, andLectures, 1g4g.
BudgetPlanWould Eliminate Public
Access Program
According to the Theodore RooseveltConservationPartnership (TRCP).a federalmoney-saving proposalaimsto defunda keystoneland conservation program.The Voluntary PublicAccessand HabitatIncentive Program(VPA-HIP),alsoknown as Open Fields.facilitatesresponsi ve privatelandsmanagement practices and publicaccessfor activitiessuchas huntingandangling. "While the necessityof reducins federalspendingis inarguable,the truthis thatFarmBill conservation programslike VPA-HIP arecriticalto the morethan$95 billion in economic activityannuallycontributedby hunting and angling,"saidJenniferMock Schaeffer, Farm Bill Coordinatorfor theAssociationof Fish & Wildlife Agencies."We aredeeplydisappointed by the shortsighted decisionto completelyeliminatefiscalyear2012 fundingfor VPA-HIP,which can help stabilizean economyalreadytaxedto the pointof collapse." The fiscalyear2012"minibus" conference reportwould fund the U.S. Departmentof Agriculturealongwith a rangeofother federalentities.In additionto VPA-HIP,numerousFarm Bill conservation programsfacedrastic cuts: .WildlifeHabitatIncentive Program- $35 million .WetlandsReserveProgramapproximately$200 mi IIion .Grasslands ReserveProsramapproximately $30 million .EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program- $350million. "Dedicatedand ongoingwork by the sportsman-conservation community hasbeeninstrumentalin bolsterins Farm Bill programsthat play a ke! role in conserving privatelyownedlands and waters,"saidSteveMoyer,Vice President of GovernmentRelationsfor Trout Unlimited."Programssuchas
OpenFields,which addressthe paramount issueofpublic accessto theseareas,help perpetuateour outdoortraditions,alongwith the significanteconomicboostthey provide rural comrnunitiesall acrossthe country." A vital part of U.S. private-lands conservation, the Farm Bill hashelped conserveand enhancemillions of acresof fish and wildlife habitatand the hunting and fishingoppoftunitiesthey provide. VPA-HIP,which incentivizesorvnersand operatorsof privatelyheld farrn,ranch, and forestlandsto providepublic accessto their landsfor wi ldlif'e-dependent activities
suchas huntingand fishing,rvasincluded in the 2008 Farm Bill for the first time in largepart becauseofthe effortsofthe TRCP and its partnergroups. "Loss of accessis the numberone reasonhuntersandanglersstoppursuing the traditionswe enjoy,"saidSteveKline, Directorof theTRCP Centerfor Agricultural and PrivateLands."For a programlike VPA-HIPto be eliminatedin therushto cut spendingmeansCongress will be tuming 'Open for Hunting'signsinto 'Posted:No Trespassing'signs all acrossthecountry, with realimpactson localeconomies."
SageGrouse Getsa Boost fromMoreFriends The USDA Natural ResourcesConservationService (NRCS) recentlycommitted$4 million to the SageGrouse Initiative(SGI) for usein 2012.The federalfundswill be addedto $2.25 million alreadyreceivedfrom a wide variety of institutionsand will be usedto hire l7 biologistsand range conservationists. grouse getsa boost from The timing couldn't be any befter,for the greatersage Sage groups more friends: Many are grouseas well as the Gunnisonsagegrousewere both rallying around declining sage relistedfor the USFWS Annual List of Candidatesfor grouse populations, Without EndangeredSpeciesAct. In fact, NRCS hasbecomeone of question, help is on the way the largestconservationsuccessstoriesin the West,with $53 (Photo/USFWS) million alreadyhavingbeenallocatedto the SGI in 201l. For additionalinformation on the SageGrouseInitiative, contactTim Griffiths, National SGI Coordinator,Natural Resources Conservation Service,l0 EastBabcockSt.,Room M3, B ozeman,MT 597I 5-4704; 406-ffi0-3908; or Dave Naugle,SGI ScienceAdvisor,The Universityof Montana, 32 CampusDr., Missoula,MT 59812;406-243-5364.
Bobwhite OuailAlso Havea NewFriend
TheNational bobwhite joins Conservation Initiative other existing conservation groups toensure thatthe quaildoesn't Bobwhite turninto justanimage insporting ar1.
The bobwhitequail hasalsogainedadditiona. supportthrougha new group, the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative(NBCI). The newly formedNBCI is an association of 25 statefish and wildlife asencies and conservationorganizationswith one goal In mind: to restorewild populationsof bobwhitequail to the high levelslastexperienced in 1980.Of particularinterestis the group's GeographicInformation System,a tool designedto help conservationistsidentify and implementstateobjectiveswithin the contextof the national strategy.Over 600 biologistsparticipatedin the study that began\n2OO2and was released for usein 2011. For more information: www.bringbackbobwhites.ors.
The Upland Almanac I Spring 2012 ii .
Flushes & Noteuuo POinFlimited numberof traditionalVermont underhammerfirearms.Jacobinvokesboth inspirationand aspirationin Ptarmigan customersboth in the storeand in the field. In additionto a wide an'ayof exquisite products,lve alsooff-era wide assortment
KeEn ,o*oitect byron
of servicesincludinggun fitting, shooting instruction,gunsmithservices,andforeign and domesticdestinationtravel." Visit PtarmiganOutfittersat 3556 Main St.,Manchester, or checkit out onlineat www.ptarmigangun.com.
FollowPETA, Breakthe Law Feeling season is bluenowthathunting Vermont's over?A visitto Manchester, Ptarmigan 0utfittersisjustwhatthedoctor (Photo/Greg Nesbitt) ordered.
NewGunShop Provides Wing with Shooters Everything They Want CouldPossibly
- andMore
Takea bird hunterto a shopping rnallandyou'll probablywatchhim fall asleep.But if you takehim to Ptarmigan Vt., where Outfittersin Manchester, fine shotguns,leathergun cases,and the fiagrantsmell of gun oil will sunound him, he'll morecloselyresernble a pointeron openingday. PtamiganOuthttersis a rving shooter'sNirvana.Here,customers canhandleadizzyingarrayofthe finestEnglishand Europeanshotguns for salein America.Thereis a diverse from Purdey,LucianoBosis, assortment Merkel,AYA, andAntonio Zoli to Parkers, A.H. Fox's,Winchesters, and others.Ptarmigan'sdistinctiveoff'erings includea wide varietyof brushpants, strapvests,hunting-inspired clothing, sportingart,hand-carved decoys,prints, bronzes,and books. Accordingto GeneralManager Tom Lenz,the store designed "vas aroundthe decadesof experienceof one of the foundingpartners,LarsJacob. "Jacobwas the Chief Gunfitter.Head ShootingInstructor,and Gunroom Managerfor the Orvis Company.He alsoachievedrenownfor buildins a The Upland Almanac I Spring 2012
Over the pastcoupleof monthswhile the restof us were focusingon enjoyingour holiday meals,the U.S. Sportsmen'sAlliance was keepingan eye out and reportingon the effortsof the bad guys.Here'sone news releasefrom the Alliance. "In an effort to pull on the heartstringsof Americansand casta bad light on America'sagricultureindustry,PETA hasreleasedits twisteddetailson turkeys.... ThosePETA guidelinesare illegal and ill-advisedin many areas. "PETA pointsout that more than45 rnillion turkeysarekilled eachyearfbr fbr Christmas,so that they Thanksgiving,and more than22 million are slaughtered go to America'sagriculture can be the centerpieceof a holiday meal.(Congratulations industryfor keepingus fed!) "But then PETA notes'thesegentle,intelligentbirds deserveto live out their lives in the wild. ...'Take note:Most stateshavestrict laws againstreleasingcaptive birds - includingturkeys - into the wild. Thosewho make theseillegal releasescan be ticketedand facefinesand court action.Captivebirds can spreaddiseasesto wild flocks.In somestatesit is illegal to pemit captiveor domesticturkeysto rangefreely. "Shameon PETA for placingmany yearsof conservationeftbrtsand the restorationof America'swild turkey populationsin suchperil."
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Kromer Stormy
We've trout,cows, along theroad. InMinnesota, therewere seenhugestatues ofdeer, andchickens prairie theironlooninFergus Falls andthemassive chicken attheRothsay exitoffl-94.The"world's N.D. AndPaulBunyan looms overloads oftowns. biggest buffalo" surveys thescene atJamestown, Butthisisthefirsttimewe've seen a giant article ofclothing dominating thescene. Inlronwood, the Peninsula, travelers 2 willseea S-foot tall,BJoot westernmost towninMichigan's Upper along U.S. wide,redfiberglass Kromer Cap. Theclassic woolcapwiththeslidedownearcoverings has Stormy heresince1903.(Photo,Tailfeather Communications LLC.) beenproduced