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June 28, 2007

One Of America’s Favorite Summertime Sports: Shooting

American Sports Data (ASD), a consumer research firm for the sporting goods, fitness and health club industries, has just release a report that says target shooting—with rifle, handgun and shotgun—is actually more popular than many pastimes historically considered mainstays of warm-season recreation. In fact, participation in shooting sports tops tennis, softball, jet skiing, water skiing, mountain biking, most team sports and virtually all of the seasonal technical sports like rock climbing and kayaking. Look at the data on the National Sport Shooting Foundation website and check out the state-by-state run down. Some of it is obvious—of course jet skiing is low in Arizona. And, no fooling, tennis ranks as the number one pastime in Connecticut, but what was surprising is shooting ranked second edging out softball. I’ve always held the belief summer shotgun sports take the rust off for fall bird hunting season, and a friendly game of Annie Oakley helps subsidize the cost of shells.

Posted by ras400 at 05:06 AM | | Comments (2)

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June 24, 2007

Hunter Dan Conspiracy: Where Is Upland Hunting Dan?

What's Dan got against pheasant hunters?The News Hound reported that Hunter Dan is 10 years old this month. You know Hunter Dan the American Sportsman action figure. He’s about eight inches tall and has a big job--promoting hunting to our future hunters. Dan even has a friend in the same way Ken has Barbie, Dan has Ann. But have you ever wondered why Dan doesn’t come in a pheasant hunter or grouse hunter or even a quail hunter? And what about woodcock hunter? Hunter Dan does come in Duck Hunter, Goose Hunter, and Turkey Hunter. Me thinks there’s something rotten in the state of Dan-mark? The Ruffed Grouse Society, Quail Unlimited, and Pheasants Forever should lobby the Creative Outdoor Products, Inc., which produces Hunter Dan, for an upland action figure. Perhaps to satisfy some purists, Dan could be attired in tweed breeks, brogues and cradling a hammer gun. If Upland Dan was fashioned after the lot of upland hunters I know, he would be shod in LL Bean boots, toting a Sear Roebuck Ted Williams Approved shotgun and wearing a blaze vest heavy with birds. Send an email to Hunter Dan sales@hunterdan.com and tell them Upland Feathers asked you to inquire about producing an upland hunter Dan.

Posted by ras400 at 04:02 AM | | Comments (2)

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June 23, 2007

Wisconsin: Spring Grouse Heard Drumming

Grouse Don't Give UpAccording to the Green Bay Press Gazette, this is the second straight spring that grouse drumming counts have increased with the central, southeastern and northern management regions showing the biggest spikes. New this fall, grousers will have only two hunting zones. Zone A season will start September 15 and end on January 31, with a five-bird daily bag. Zone B season will run October 20 to December 8 with a two-bird daily limit. Looks like those in Zone A get an extra month of hunting.
Not all the numbers are in but it looks like turkey hunters set a new harvest record this spring with 51,306 turkeys. That's a 9% increase, according to Wiscon Ag Connection.

Posted by ras400 at 08:14 AM | | Comments (0)

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June 21, 2007

Smith & Wesson Is Locked and Loaded

If there ever was a gun company to watch these days it is Smith & Wesson. Not just because they will begin shipping their new 1000 Series shotguns, which may make upland hunters happy, but because S&W is blowing away Wall Street, according to Business Week. Business Week ranked S&W 77th out of 100 Hot Growth Companies. Yes a gun company running with the bulls. S&W is evidently discovering marketing and branding strategies and is licensing everything from bicycles to watches to wood smokers. Can you say, “branding?” And they are offering new products. New products will clean out the fouled bores of the gun industry and incite new consumers. Of course there is also the danger over branding and diminishing the brand’s cache. But for the time being, net product sales increased 48.8% and firearm sales increased more than 50% in fiscal 2007. In the fourth quarter, sales were a record $82.6 million, almost a 60% increase from the same period last year. It was also their tenth consecutive quarter of double-digit sales growth. Wall Street thinks S&W is hitting the bulls eye. Oh yeah, about the 1000 Series. For upland hunting as well as hunting from a duck blind or waiting for a tom, the 1000 Series incorporates features a you’d expect on the a high-end shotgun like a chrome-lined barrel, five choke tubes, and a four-piece shim kit to adjust the stock. We haven’t had the opportunity to exercise a new 1000 Series, but look for an update in months to come. Did I mention they have a line of double guns, too?

Posted by ras400 at 07:28 PM | | Comments (3)

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June 18, 2007

Wisconsin: Perfect Weather Equals Bumper Turkey Harvest

Hunters are like farmers in a way, they both pray for good weather. There must have been some prayers said in WI. Not all the numbers are in but it looks like WI turkey hunters may have set a new spring harvest record. Some 51,306 turkeys were tagged this past spring. That's a 9% increase from the 2006 spring harvest. The statewide hunter success rate was also upped to 25%, in 2006 it was 23%. WI saw good weather this spring. Lets keep our fingers crossed—and say a little prayer—that the grouse benefited, too.

Posted by ras400 at 08:02 PM | | Comments (0)

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June 16, 2007

ESPN to Air ACUI Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships

Sports are sports and it is nice to see that ESPNU and ESPN2 will televise the 39th Annual ACUI Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships. Throughout June and July millions of viewers will get to see the action and excitement of trap, skeet and five-stand. What a great way to put shooting sports in the limelight with over 30 colleges and universities competing. The international skeet competition finals will air on July 12. Is there some college rivalry in the air?

Posted by ras400 at 01:07 PM | | Comments (1)

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June 14, 2007

New Jersey: Bill Stacked in Anti’s Favor

A proposed piece of legislation to revamp the New Jersey Fish and Game Council was heard this morning in the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee. New Jersey sportsmen and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance are concerned the legislation will simplify anti-hunters' involvement in wildlife decision-making. Assmbly Bill 3275 introduced by Assemblyman Michael Panter, D-Shrewsbury, will change the makeup of the Fish and Game Council by removing six sportsmen and three farmers representing various geographical regions, replacing them with seven appointees recommended by the governor. The bill also directs the council to investigate non-lethal wildlife management options prior to setting hunting, fishing or trapping programs and removes the council's authority to consider the use and development of fish and wildlife resources for public recreation and food supply when adopting the state's Fish and Game Code. Assembly Bill 3275 also proposes the transfer of the Division of Fish and Wildlife from the Department of Conservation and Economic Development to the Department of Environmental Protection. If the shift occurs, there is a risk that game management activities will take a back seat to environmental projects, and thus wildlife conservation will suffer. Stay tuned for the results.

Posted by ras400 at 02:47 PM | | Comments (0)

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Maine: Proposed Shortened Season Ruffles Feathers

The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) says members should not panic, but it is hard to sit by and watch the partridge season whittled away. And some say for no good reason. According to the Bangor Daily News, a petition-driven initiative sent to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW ) by parties in Washington and Aroostook counties seek to limit Maine’s ruffed grouse season by eliminating the December season. Those responsible for the petition hope to boost the lagging grouse numbers in the state by limiting the birds kill in December. Sounds like a plan but according to wildlife biologists its not the winter that has a major impact on the grouse population it’s the spring when the hatch is on. A wet and cold spring wreaks havoc with nesting grouse as well as turkey. In years past the season closure was the end of November. The December closure was instituted about a decage ago. Some blogs like Maine Hunting Today say if changes in the season are to be considered lets make changes that will have a positive effect on grouse populations; ending the December hunt will have no effect at all. RGS has called for a “cautious approach by hunters and wildlife managers.” Public hearings will be held in Calais on June 12, in Presque Isle on June 27, and Farmington on July 18. For details on the hearings go to the MEIFW website.

Posted by ras400 at 02:24 PM | | Comments (1)

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Pennsylvania: Dogs Catch Some Big Air

You must has seen the newest dog event where dogs take a running jump off a 40-foot dock into a huge pool of water to retrieve a floating object. The events are sponsored by DockDogs and have been featured in ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. Just in case your lab or retriever needs to cool off, go to Reinholds, PA, the weekend of June 30-July 1. It is being called the 2007 Golden Liberty Leap at Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue Keystone DockDogs event. Maybe your dog can be the next Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. Just think of all the endorsements.

Posted by ras400 at 01:38 PM | | Comments (0)

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June 12, 2007

New Hampshire: Proposed Changes To Woodcock Hunting

A public meeting to address early season waterfowl regulations, which includes woodcock, is scheduled for June 20, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. at New Hampshire Fish and Game Headquarters on Hazen Drive in Concord. According to the NH Fish and Game, the proposal involves some small date changes in the woodcock and other waterfowl seasons to improve hunter success rates by holding the season during the time the migrant birds are in New Hampshire. The proposed new season would set woodcock season from October 6 through November 4, with a bag limit of three birds per day. The current season runs from October 1 through 30, with a daily limit of three.

Posted by ras400 at 06:53 PM | | Comments (0)

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June 10, 2007

Massachusetts: Make Hay for Wildlife

MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program is enlisting the help of farmers to assist private landowners manage their lands for wildlife habitat. MA is matching landowners who own old farm fields and meadows but don’t have the expertise or equipment for mowing hay with farmers to maintain the grasslands for nesting birds. If left uncut, grasslands revert back to forest in a relatively short period of time. This a win-win situation for wildlife, private landowners and farmers. Applications are available at the MA DEP website.

Posted by ras400 at 08:36 AM | | Comments (0)

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Rhode Island: RGS New England Sporting Clays Championship

It's still not too late to take part in the the Ruffed Grouse Society's (RGS) New England Sporting Clays Championship at Addieville East Farm, Mapleville, RI on Sunday, June 10. Warm-ups are from 8:30 - 10 a.m.; the main event begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds will be used to restore and protect grouse and woodcock habitat. This National Sporting Clay Association sanctioned event includes 100 targets, four boxes of shells, continental breakfast, traditional New England style lobster dinner, one-hour open bar after the shoot, RGS membership and RGS shooters favors. What a nice package for $175 per shooter.

Posted by ras400 at 08:05 AM | | Comments (0)

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June 09, 2007

Wisconsin: Pheasants Talk It Up

By the sound of all the crowing, the wild pheasant population in central Wisconsin seems the highest it has been in 10 years, even with habitat loss and the increased urbanization of the rural landscape. To get a handle on the pheasant numbers, WI’s Department of Natural Resources measures the population by traveling along routes and stopping every half mile for three minutes to listen to crowing birds. It seems like this year might be a good hunting season, the roosters are very talkative and there seems to be more that usual. Just pray the weather cooperates and you’ll have something to talk about after opening day.

Posted by ras400 at 06:46 AM | | Comments (0)

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Rhode Island: RGS New England Sporting Clays Championship

It's still not too late to take part in the the Ruffed Grouse Society's (RGS) New England Sporting Clays Championship at Addieville East Farm, Mapleville, RI on Sunday, June 10. Warm-ups are from 8:30 - 10 a.m. and t main event begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds from the event will be used to restore and protect grouse and woodcock habitat. This National Sporting Clay Association sanctioned event 100 targets, four boxes of shells, continental breakfast, traditional New England style lobster dinner, one-hour open bar after the shoot, RGS membership and RGS shooters favors. What a nice package for $175 per shooter.

Posted by ras400 at 06:05 AM | | Comments (0)

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June 05, 2007

Ruger Sales: More Pop than Bang

In 2006 Ruger’s firearms sales, which make up about 80% of its revenues, fell almost 4% in the fourth quarter, says Motley Fool. The problem was Ruger had too much inventory and not enough consumer demand. The business model needed to change and Ruger has gone from an annual production cycle to a customer-demand driven, meaning new guns will be made to refresh supply on actual guns sold. The Fool says this is not necessarily worrisome since Ruger, like any manufacturer needs to tighten its belt with all its business segments. There are challenges is the firearm industry. Even Winchester, which is as American as apple pie and canned beer, wasn’t immune to the bottom line. The Fool suggest that Ruger might make itself a candidate for acquisition. Smith & Wesson recently consolidated with Thompson/Center Arms.

Posted by ras400 at 07:40 PM | | Comments (1)

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June 03, 2007

Pennsylvania: Timber Management for Wildlife Habitat

On Saturday, June 9, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will conduct a tour on State Game Lands 257, located in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County. This is a hands-on opportunity to learn about PA’s forest habitat management program. As you may know, timber management is the primary tool used to create early-successional, or renewed, forested habitat, which provides the kind of habitat needed by many wildlife species, including deer, bear, turkey, grouse and interior ground-nesting songbirds. See it for yourself. A map of SGL 257 is available on the PGC website.

Posted by ras400 at 09:53 AM | | Comments (0)

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