Defamation Suit Brought Against America's Leading Anti-Hunting Group

Source: U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

The nation’s most vociferous opponent of hunting and all outdoor sports is being sued in a California court for defamation.

According to court records, Center for Earth Concerns de Costa Rica founder Karin Hoad partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to establish and maintain her organization. HSUS provided $35,000.00 yearly to help operate the shelter, and in 1994 increased the amount to $50,000. Hoad claimed she ran the facility for 12 years with HSUS support. The facility, rehabilitated abandoned and injured domestic animals.

The suit claims that after 12 years of working within this agreement, the HSUS and its top leaders publicly stated that she “murdered” domestic animals. According to court documents HSUS also urged people to stop contributing to the Costa Rica facility.

Hoad filed suit in California Superior Court in San Diego in November seeking $15 million in damages, alleging defamation, criminal defamation, and conspiracy to defame. Defendants include the Humane Society, HSUS President Wayne Pacelle, HSUS CEO Andrew Rowan and HSUS officer Roger Kindler. On December 5, the Humane Society moved to remove the case to the U.S District Court on the grounds that the defendants live in DC.

I can’t help it to feel a little satisfaction that finally somebody had the guts to take the HSUS to court. I do hope that Center for Earth Concerns de Costa Rica wins this case. I also hope that the hunting industry will be inspired by this action and hopefully also launches a suit against the HSUS and PETA too. Why you ask? The HSUS and PETA constantly engage in defamation, criminal defamation, and conspiracy to defame against hunters. Should the Center for Earth Concerns de Costa Rica win this case then so would the hunters and with that stop the HSUS and PETA from spreading hatred in the communities against the hunters.

Tags: HSUS, PETA, HSUS Sued

Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine is Growing

For Immediate Release:

The Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine has added KKOW 860 AM in Pittsburgh Kansas to its' Outdoor Trails Network (OTN). KKOW 860 AM is a 10,000 watt unlimited signal station. They broadcast classic country music to various cities in Missouri like Springfield, Joplin, Kansas City, in southeastern Kansas, northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma reaching the Tulsa and Bartlesville listening areas.

The Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine will air Saturday mornings at 7:00 AM beginning February 2, 2008.

"We're proud to add KKOW 860 AM "Classic Country and More” in Pittsburg Kansas to our Affiliate Station Network," says host Jim Ferguson. KKOW 860 AM is a 10,000-watt full power station owned by American Media Investments. "KKOW 860 AM is important to the Outdoor Trails Network because it broadcasts to an area of Missiouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas where we didn't have coverage".

OTN now has 60 radio stations in Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois and Texas broadcasting their national award winning program to a potential audience of over 4 million. They also have 61 Host/Affiliate Websites that provide outdoor programming each week with a listening audience of over 2 million on the web.

The Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine also hosts and produces a podcast for the Gander Mountain, North American Hunting Club (750,000 members), North American Fishing Club (450,000 members), Ducks Unlimited (600,000 members) and Family Fish & Magazine.

For more information about the Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine, the Outdoor Trails Network or sponsorship contact Jim Ferguson at 785-846-7844 or email him at gaot@st-tel.net. To view their full interactive illustrated program,"Watch What You Hear", go to http://www.outfitters.tv/?otr.


Tags: Radio Show, Outdoor Broadcast, Jim Ferguson, Podcast, Gander Mountain, North American Hunting Club, Ducks Unlimited

Dumbest Poachers in 2007

© By Othmar Vohringer

The other day I run across an unbelievable story of how dumb people can be. The story encouraged me to search for the dumbest poachers and let me tell you I found lots of stories. Here is a small selection of what I think must be some of the most stupid poachers.

I am glad that these people have the IQ that God usually grants a gob of cheese, that way they got caught and could be prosecuted. For the non-hunting readers of this blog, poachers are not hunters. Poachers break the law hunters on the other hand obey the law as well self-imposed ethical and moral standards. Poachers are thieves. Hunters are conservationists.

The Centre Daily Times reports;

Stepbrothers charged with shooting cows on first day of deer hunt
State police say two Fayette County stepbrothers shot and killed four cows after dusk on the first day of deer rifle hunting season.
Police say 21-year-old Ronald Dwayne Regish III, of Dunbar, and 22-year-old Allen Kessler, of Normalville, fired 10 shots at the cows in Saltlick Township. A juvenile is also charged with firing a shot.
Police say the men used a spotlight to find the animals and told police they thought the animals were deer.
The men are charged with agricultural vandalism, criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief and cruelty to animals.
Police say spent rifle shells were found 50 to 200 yards from the cows.

Here is a video of three morons poaching steelhead salmon in a creek. These three stooges were so smart that they not only videotaped their criminal action (accepted evidence in the court) but also posted the video on YouTube for the all the world to see. It seems quite common now for crooks, not only poachers, to film their crimes and then post the video on a public forum such as YouTube. I think it is a good idea if crooks film the crimes they commit, it makes the job of the police colleting evidence so much easier.



Tags: Poachers, crooks, Stupid Crimminals

Canadian Parliament endorses Outdoors Caucus

© By Othmar Vohringer

It finally happened here in Canada, after much debate and struggling, M.P.s give unanimous approval for new heritage foundation. With that hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting are an official Canadian heritage. This should make it much harder for animal rights activists in the future to lobby laws that compromise or outlaw fishing, hunting and trapping.

(Ottawa – December 21, 2007) – The Parliamentary Outdoors Caucus came indoors on December 4 when some 50 members of Parliament and senators voted unanimously to endorse the creation of an independent, all-party Canadian Outdoor Heritage foundation.

At a breakfast meeting on Parliament Hill, M.P.s and senators agreed to support a foundation that will act as a liaison between the Canadian hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting community, related business sectors, and the Outdoor Caucus. The foundation will also keep the public and media informed of Outdoor Caucus activities and efforts related to federal legislation and policy. Garry Breitkreuz, Conservative M.P. and Outdoors Caucus co-chair explains, “This unprecedented evolution will provide a permanent means for the Outdoors Caucus to ensure the outdoors community has a conduit directly into Parliament. Together, we can protect our outdoors heritage.”

The foundation will play an important communications role by keeping M.P.s and senators apprised of the legislative, policy and issue priorities that arise in the outdoors community. Created in March 2006, the non-partisan Outdoors Caucus is evolving as part of an information network to receive recommendations from the outdoors community and provide legislative updates in return.

Bob Izumi, the gregarious television host of The Real Fishing Show, was guest speaker at the Parliament Hill breakfast. He stressed that the millions of Canadians who fish and hunt are a significant constituency for members of Parliament in every region of the country. They contribute millions of volunteer hours to fish and wildlife conservation. Izumi’s TV career spans 24 years and together with his brother, Wayne, he has created Fishing Forever, a non-profit organization committed to preserving and enhancing Ontario fisheries.

“It was great to see the support from Bob Izumi and the outdoors community for this important meeting,” says Larry Bagnell, Liberal M.P. and Outdoors Caucus co-chair. “Urban and rural citizens of all regions, political affiliations, ages, backgrounds and abilities take part in these outdoor sports. Parliament is a vital link in promoting and monitoring management of public lands, waterways, fish, wildlife and habitat.”

Phil Morlock, representing the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association and a proponent of the new Canadian Outdoors Heritage foundation, addressed the crowd at the December 4 meeting: “It is up to us to inform our federal representatives in Parliament of the significance of the outdoor heritage community as a major constituency, as leaders in fish and wildlife conservation and as a significant national economic entity. We promote safety, conservation and the enjoyment of Canada’s great natural beauty.

“Millions of Canadians from coast to coast spend more than $10 billion a year on these outdoor heritage activities,” he adds. “No one takes a greater active role in conserving our natural heritage than those who use it responsibly. Improved communication between the Outdoors Caucus and the outdoor community made possible through a permanent foundation is a major breakthrough for all Canadians who hunt, fish, shoot and trap.”

Tags: Canada, Politics, Outdoor Caucus, Canadian Outdoor Heritage, Hunting, Trapping, Fishing, Shooting Sport

Mike Hanback Blog

© By Othmar Vohringer

It doesn’t happen too often that I dedicate a post to one single blog but as you will soon discover there is a special reason why I feature this blog. Mike Hanback is no stranger to hunters. Growing up in Virginia Mike went on to become one of America’s most prolific bow hunters and outdoor writers. As a hunter he achieved most of his dreams having hunted in twenty U.S. states and three Canadian provinces with over 15 game species to his credit. His biggest buck, a Saskatchewan giant, scored 181 points.

Hanback has written thousands of articles for various magazines, he is a co-host of Winchester Whitetail Revolution on the Versus channel. Mike’s first job was as assistant editor for the NRA’s American Hunter magazine and later he became editor of the Outdoor Life magazine for many years. It was during the last two years with Outdoor Life when Mike started the Big Buck Zone blog that became one of the most popular hunting blogs on the Internet and a magnet for avid deer hunters.

Since January 1,st 2008 Mike has been writing his own blog at MikeHanback.com focusing on Mike’s passion for bow hunting and big bucks. He features amazing hunt stories of his friends and readers and then there are the pictures of huge whitetail deer bucks harvested by hunters all across North America. In the profile on his blog Mike writes: “I am finally at that point in life where the killing of an animal has become secondary to the challenge of hunting it.” You would think that a hunter of Mike’s stature -having done it all- might have no hunting dreams left. Wrong! Mike’s dream is to one day harvest a huge drop-tine buck. It’s nice that one of the most successful hunters still has dreams left and I hope that it will become a reality for him too.

At the beginning of this post I wrote that there is a special reason why I dedicate a post to one single blog. Many years ago when I came from Europe to North America and got into bowhunting I had, you could say, two spiritual mentors. One of them was, and still is, noted outdoor writer John Sloan from Tennessee and the other is the equally noted writer Mike Hanback. The articles of these two writers not only spoke to me, they also conveyed the passion these man have for bow hunting combined with a tremendous knowledge about the whitetail deer. Each month when the new hunting magazines would hit the newsstand I would be in the store thumbing through all the magazines in the shelf keeping my eyes peeled for the names “Hanback” and “Sloan”.

Do yourself a favor and head over to MikeHanback.com and you will agree with me that this is one of the best deer hunting blogs in the blogsphere. While you’re on Mike’s blog say hello and that Othmar has sent you there.

Mike Hanback also has written books about bow hunting and you might want to check out his latest book, Bowhunting Mega Bucks.






Tags: Mike Hanbcak, Hunting Blog, Blog, Bowhunting, Monster Bucks

When Tragedy Strikes

© By Othmar Vohringer

I’m not usually someone to write about hunting accidents – I don’t want to give the anti-hunting and anti-gun lobby another opportunity to exploit a tragedy that they can abuse to spout off their one-sided agenda – but today I feel that it is necessary to break with that rule. Kristine writes on Hunt Smart, Think Safety about the tragic accident of a boy accidentally killing his father.

The story originated on the website of the 12WMAZ radio, titled “Man Killed While Hunting”.

According to the article a 12-year old boy shot his father while hunting. Sergeant Joel Hanson from the Dodge County Sheriff's Office in Georgia said:

“The father and son were hunting, and the father went to retrieve the son out of the stand, and that was about dusk, and the son mistook him for an animal and shot the father."

Initially the father was still alive and went to the hospital but then died on the way to the Medical Center of Central Georgia. Why the accident victim John Peacock was transported form one to another hospital and what injuries he sustained has not been released yet. Neither is there any mention in the article what exactly led up to the accident.

There is only mentioned that the Sheriffs Office turned the investigation over to the Department of Natural Resources and that Georgia law regulates how old a child has to be to go hunting. The law says that:

"Any person who is age 12 through 15 shall satisfactorily complete a hunter education course as a prerequisite to hunting with a weapon in this state."
It also says "A hunter education course is not required for a child age 12 through 15 years who is hunting under adult supervision by a licensed adult hunter."

Furthermore the law states clearly that a supervising adult, the father in this case, has to be within sight of the minor at all times.

What laws where violated, if any, is not known until further investigation results are published.

As tragic as this accident is, the poor boy has to live for the rest of his life with the memory of shooting his father, and so has his family. We need to remind ourselves that hunting is one of the safest recreational activities, safer than ice hockey, jogging, skiing/snow-boarding and basketball. Sadly, while the latter rarely make headlines, hunting accidents do. Not only locally but nationally and even internationally.

Each time we hear of such tragic accidents people are quick to point fingers at the hunter education standards or demand tougher laws. Then of course there are the politically motivated groups and organizations which, like bloodthirsty hyenas, jump at such tragedies and use them as examples of why firearms and hunting should be outlawed. It is them that make sure the news is spread all the nation.

While it is true that every single hunting accident is one to many, it is also true that many times over more people get killed by drunk drivers, speeders and road hogs on a daily base. As well, there are hundreds that get killed and injured each day by careless co-workers or people in authority- think of the hundreds that are killed in hospitals through malpractice by doctors. In the recreational sector more people per month than hunters in a year get killed while hiking, mountain climbing and paragliding. Yet nobody would remotely consider asking for more education and more restricting laws in these cases.

It is a fact of life that despite all specialized education we may receive for a particular activity and despite any laws there is still the human factor of making mistakes and errors or that emotions got in the way of rational thinking. Nobody is perfect, we're not robots, more education and more restricting laws will not eliminate accidents. It’s a sad fact of life we have to live with and be aware of it at all times in everything we do.

In hind sight of this tragic accident we can ponder the questions of why, what and if. We do not know but perhaps the father could have carried a shining flashlight and hollered as he came close to the stand where the boy was sitting so he could have recognized his father. Why did the father have to walk to the boy’s stand? Had he gone away or did he even leave the boy alone to hunt? We do not know yet.

What about the boy? Did he or did he not take part in a hunter education course? If he did then he should have known, even at the age of 12, that he is not supposed to shoot at anything that he has not clearly identified as a legal target. I am not making excuses for the boy, or any hunter for that matter. Despite all education and hunter safety courses, once a person is alone surrounded by nature and in anticipation of the hunt it is easy to get tunnel vision and forget the world around. We hunters have a word for it. It’s called “buck fever”.

Some hunters get buck fever so badly that they see in everything that moves a deer. But hunters are not the only ones that get buck fever; non-hunters can experience what is known as a “rush”; athletes get a rush, so do some car drivers speeding down the road and many others. It’s a tragedy when other people get hurt or killed because of someone else. It shows us how fragile life is and that it only takes one careless moment or a second of absent-mindedness or a simple mistake on the streets, at home, at leisure or work to end a human life and to alter that person’s family forever.

Tags: Hunting Accident, Fatal Shooting Incident, Tragedy

Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning Reel

© By Othmar Vohringer

It’s been a while since I last wrote about fishing and fishing products.
The new Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning Reel is a good way to end the dry spell of fishing and fishing product reports.

Every once in while I’ll come across a product that makes me go “wow” and this was the case with this spinning real. Kruegers flagship reel Supreme XT comes in four sizes. With this real you know you have a real winner. A lightweight magnesium body and rotor are constructed around nine corrosion resistant ball bearings, a one way clutch bearing and sealed drag make for an incredibly smooth retrieve.

The Pflueger Supreme XT reel family consists of the following reels

Model: 9025XT
Capacity: 120 yards / 4 Lb.
Ratio: 5.2:1
Weight: 6.5 oz
Retrieve: Left & Right
Class: Ultralight Freshwater

Model: 9030XT
Capacity: 160 yards / 6 Lb.
Ratio: 6.2:1
Weight: 7.4 oz
Retrieve: Left & Right
Class: Light Freshwater

Model: 9035XT
Capacity: 200 yards / 8 Lb.
Ratio: 6.2:1
Weight: 8.8 oz
Retrieve: Left & Right
Class: Medium Light Freshwater

Model: 9040XT
Capacity: 250 yards / 10 Lb.
Ratio: 6.2:1
Weight: 9.6 oz
Retrieve: Left & Right
Class: Medium Freshwater

For more information on the complete Pflueger product line of reels, rods and combos visit:
www.pfluegerfishing.com


Tags: Fishing Reel, Pflueger Fishing, Spin Cast Reel

Legislative Proposal Will Put Tight Leash on Sporting Dog Breeders

Attention to all sporting dog breeders in Pennsylvania. The following alert has been sent to be by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. Please take note and act today.

(Columbus) – Despite assurances by Pennsylvania’s administration that new kennel proposals are not intended to burden sportsmen, recent proposals to address abusive commercial dog breeders will continue to put sporting kennels and hobby breeders at risk.

Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration recently unveiled revised dog care regulations and a legislative package aimed at commercial breeding kennels and animal abusers. The proposals will continue to classify many sporting dog kennels as commercial breeders, which will mandate restrictions that will make it nearly impossible to maintain such facilities.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, along with members of its Sporting Dog Defense Coalition, alerted the administration of this and other flaws found during an initial review of the draft. The USSA will issue complete comments after analyzing the entire 100-page proposal.

Officials within the Rendell administration have agreed to consider sportsmen’s concerns. The USSA remains hopeful that these issues will be addressed as the process proceeds.

For nearly a year, the Sporting Dog Defense Coalition has been working with Pennsylvania’s sporting dog community and other dog interests to wage an education campaign aimed at the original dog law regulations introduced in 2006 by the Department of Agriculture. While the department claimed the regulations would have targeted only “puppy mills,” the regulations would have devastated sporting dog kennels, hobby breeders, boarding kennels, rescue kennels and more.

From the beginning the sporting dog community has argued that the problem must be addressed by the legislature where a clear cut distinction can be made in the dog law between large commercial operations and private kennels.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

Tags: Legislation, Hunting Dogs, Dog Breeders, Pennsylvania, Sporting Dog Defense Coalition, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

I am back blogging away…

…sort of.

© By Othmar Vohringer

Over Christmas and the New Year I took a short hiatus from blogging due to family and work commitments but also in the hope that I would be able to catch up on some of my writing. But it all came out very different as it often does.

It all started off when I got a rather nasty cold just before Christmas. Not paying any attention to it, trusting my strong immune system and the past experience that all of my colds never lasted any longer than a few days, I kept on plugging away at work every day. Being Christmas and we did a lot of overtime, on some days we worked up to 15 and 16 hours per day. As the days progressed my cold got worse and each day became a chore just to get out of bed and at night I came home falling asleep on the dinner table.

Still despite the cold I enjoyed Christmas at work, home and with good friends. Heidi has written a nice article about the festive events on her blog. Finally New Year rolled around and by that time I felt like a zombie. Perhaps, so I thought, it would be wise to seek medical advise and so went to see a doctor yesterday. Not a day to late, the doctor told me, I had the beginning stages of pneumonia. Yesterday I took some rather strong medicine the doctor prescribed me, and this morning I felt for the first time like someone has pulled the knife out of my lungs.

The lessons I earned from that experience is that perhaps it is not wise to work that many hours each day with a cold and that in future I should go to a doctor before it gets that far. Although I have a strong immune system I am also getting older and over the decades cold viruses have morphed into something very different and nastier than my immune system is used to deal with.

Thank you to all my fellow bloggers that sent me get well soon messages by email. I really appreciate that very much.

But enough about me. A new Year is here and I look full of confidence ahead into a new and exiting year full of positive events.

Talking about events, after the Outdoor Blogger Summit had to cancel our first event there where some voices heard pronouncing the end of the OBS. Let me assure you the OBS is far from crumbling. Quite the opposite, the founding members are as committed as ever to the mission of the OBS and so are the many supporters. I am not at liberty to give away too much here, not yet anyway. But there are great things heading your way for 2008. To stay abreast of what the OBS has in store for you keep regularly checking the OBS blog for the latest announcements as they become available.

During the Charismas holydays I made some great new connections and got to see many new books and products that I will showcase here during the next few weeks and months. One of the new connections I made is very near and dear to my hart and I hope that in the future I have the opportunity to get much more involved.
Hunters Helping Kids Inc. has approached me and asked if I could help them spread the word about their organization. In the future you will read a lot more, and regularly, about this outstanding example of hunter charity here on this blog. As the regular readers know I am committed to the future of hunting and it all begins with getting our children and their friends involved.

Heirloom turkey Calls has contacted me with news of new and exiting addition the their turkey call lineup. As of this writing I am waiting for more specific detail and pictures.

News reached me that J.R. Absher has given his very popular website The Outdoor Pressroom a new home and a new design. J.R. Absher provides outdoor writers and hunters since 1999 with the best resource for the latest news and happenings in the outdoors from around the world. For many writers The Outdoor Pressroom is the first and a regular check station to find information. No small task to keep posting daily the latest news. Thanks J.R. and congratulations on a new and easy to navigate site.

And finally, I have added a new blog to my network. My Wild Outdoor Kitchen is dedicated to aid hunters and fishers in turning game and fish into delicious and nutritious table fare. On my Master Butchers Choice website I get inundated with requests from hunters and other folks on how to prepare, store and cook wild game. But also on things like sausage making, spice and seasonings even how to grow your own organic vegetables and livestock.

In all of these queries one aspect of food comes through very clear and loud. People are getting fed up with mass produced-chemical-pesticides-hormone-saturated and genetically-altered-foods that at best has no taste and nutritional value whatsoever and at worst are a heath hazard for humans. It is no wonder then that people once more look to nature to provide them with healthy wholesome food. My Wild Outdoor Kitchen is in direct response to this new trend.

As of this writing there is not much on the new blog but that will change day by day. If you like to eat good food, or wondered how to improve your wild game dishes and what nature has to offer us on edible plants and herbs besides wild game and fish then you should bookmark My Wild Outdoor Kitchen and if it is only to have a peek at all the recipes that soon will be available.

Since I have been a good boy all year long, at least I would like to think so. Father Christmas, in form of my brother-in-law, has given me the best present any hunter could wish for.
Since the day I lost my Bowie-Knife many years ago I wanted desperatly another knife kike it again. Without knowing about it my brother-in-law presented me this year with this most cherished gifts of all. The Böker Knife with real stag antler handle is very traditional in Switzerland. We celebrate boys ages with different traditional gifts.

At the age of six years a boy will get a Swiss Army knife. At the age of ten a Bowie-Knife with stag antler handle. At the age of 15 it’s a .22 caliber rifle and at the age of maturity a Rolex watch. So when I lost my original Bowie Knife that has been with me daily, hanging from my belt, for over 30 years I was quite upset. Sure I could have gone out and purchased a new one but according to our tradition that is not the same as getting such a knife as a present from a special person such as an older brother, father or as in this case a thoughtful brother-in-law.

IBEP Bowhunting Course In Victoria, Canada

Attention to all bowhunters young and old, experienced and new, living in Victoria, Vancouver or the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.

Bill Tozer sent me the following message about an upcoming IBEP bowhunter course in Victoria. This is great news and a great event form which bowhunters of all skill levels will benefit.

I am pleased to announce that Ted Kennedy of the British Columbia Archery Association will be putting on an official IBEP Bow Hunting Course in Victoria Feb 2nd and 3rd 2008.

The course will be held at the Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association's (VFGPA) facilities on the Malahat. This is a two day course. The first day is spent in classroom and the second day will mostly be on the archery range.

The VFGPA has kindly donated the use of their facilities including the clubhouse, range, and their new 3-D targets.

Cost is Can.$50. Please send me an email at btozer@shaw.ca
to reserve your spot and send a cheque for Can. $50 made out to British Columbia Archery Association. (BCAA will not work for obvious reasons so spell it out in full)

Cheques mailed to:

Bill Tozer
C/O KLR Consulting
Suite B - 2404 Douglas Street
Victoria BC V8T 4L7

Tags: IBEP, Bowhunting Course, Victoria, british Columbia, Canada, Hunter Education, Bowhunting, Archery