http://uplandfeathers.com/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 09 May 2008 15:13:40 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2ysb5-20051201 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss How often do you have people ask you to play with their upland monkey? We put together a survey (click the link in the right rail under SURVEY and the survey will open). We would appreciate it if you took a few moments to take a survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com (hence upland monkey). It is completely safe, non-toxic, good for the environment and no personal information is requested so have no fear about your privacy (we really don't want to know that much about you since we scare rather easily). Have fun with the survey and let us know how you hunt upland birds. Thanks in advance for your support. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/05/upland_monkeys_please_take_our.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/05/upland_monkeys_please_take_our.html Fri, 09 May 2008 15:13:40 -0500 What is Unboxing?: Unboxing originated with Unboxing.com, a site dedicated to helping people show off their new techie toys, favorite gadgets, consumer electronics, and more. As their tag line states "Vicarious thrills from opening new gear." I started this "Unboxing" post with: "Yankees are a frugal lot...". What's that you say, "No foolin'!" But really, it rubs my feathers the wrong way to pay a lot for a name brand and not have that brand deliver. These Browning boots deliver. I don’t get excited easily but a good pair of boots is priceless especially if you spend any amount of time chasing grouse or pheasants in New England or any where for that matter. You know a good pair can mean the different between a great day a field or blisters or wet feet. I have used the Kangaroo Featherweights regularly since I purchased them. Cooper and I have this habit of going for a hike on our town's land trust area, which is hilly, wet, and steep. It boasts a small switchback trail that leads to down to a beaver pond but not before crossing a 6-foot wide stream. The trail continues to meander through a maze of mountain laurel and hemlocks and then starts back uphill through a stand of hardwoods. It gets my blood pumping and Copper, well nothing tires out that pup. The boots feel like sneakers (I don't trip up over the soles like I have with a heavier soled boot) and are truly water proof (Ms. Deborah thinks I'm crazy for walking in the streams). Plus—and this is important—my foot slides easily into the boot. Ever have the rough side of leather exposed inside your boot? It’s like you have carpet tape on your socks. The Featherweights lace and unlace quickly. No fussing to loosen the laces and no pulling each criss-cross of the lace to tighten them. This all from day one. They never needed to be broken in. Well, Cooper is jumping on my lap looking for attention. I do belive he's suggesting we go for a walk on the land trust. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/05/unboxing_followup_browning.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/05/unboxing_followup_browning.html Fri, 09 May 2008 14:10:54 -0500 In the near past Marlin was purchased by the same company that owns Remington (Cerberus Capital Management) and under the Marlin company's umbrella part of the sale included the H&R 1871 brand. Now, in a move to consolidate its manufacturuing in Ilion, NY, Remington is closing the H&R plant in Gardner, MA. Some 230 jobs in MA will be lost when operation cease by the end of the year. Some employees will have the opportunity to transfer to other jobs within the company, but the rest will be offered severance, outplacement and referral services. If you have any experience with H&R shotguns and rifles, you know they are as ulitarian as they come. You can use one to bag a turkey in the morning and use the barrel as a jack lever in afternoon to fix a flat on your pickup truck. They are great single-shot guns that allow barrels to be swapped long before TC’s rifles came on the scene. And speaking of TC, this past month 36 jobs were lost due to abunmant inventory. S&W, which owns TC is laying off workers and will sell down its inventory of firearms. Seems there wasn’t a run on hunting rifles this past quarter. So if you are wondering how to spend your rebate check from George W., perhaps a TC Icon rifle or maybe an H&R single-shot shotgun. It’s too late to help those who are already on the street, but it will make a statement especially in this election year. To close on a cheerier note, Remington recieved a $1.5 million senate capital grant which translates into a 100 new manufacturing jobs at its Ilion facility. http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/bad_days_in_the_connecticut_ri.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/bad_days_in_the_connecticut_ri.html Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:10:57 -0500 Charity Navigator is a watch group that rates and evaluates charities. And we all want to watch where our donated money goes to don't we? This is the fourth year in a row that PF received a 4-star rating—the highest possible rating. Only 5% of the charities rated by Charity Navigator have ever received four consecutive 4-star evaluations. So you can feel good about writing a check or joining PF. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar goes into wildlife habitat and conservation education. Plus local chapters determine how 100% of their locally-raised conservation funds will be spent. Chapter members see first-hand the results of their efforts in their own home towns, while the larger PF organization has Washington D.C.'s ear on conservation policy. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/ninety_cents_of_every_dollar_g.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/ninety_cents_of_every_dollar_g.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:35:52 -0500 Ruger (NYSE: RGR) has been awarded a 5-year contract by the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 1,750 9mm KP95 model pistols. These are double-action only and feature a stainless steel slide, a polymer composite frame with a built-in picatinny rail. Nice to hear that a US firearm company is selling product to the federal government. If you have any experience with this model you know it is strong, reliable, and less expensive compared to other competing brands. If you are wondering these pistols are manufactured in Ruger's AZ factory. I'm sure you heard what has happened with Boeing being beat out by Airbus on the in-flight fuel tankers contract. How do you feel about the Fed buying products? Do you think contracts should go to US-made only or should the contracts go to the better product?]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/post_20.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/post_20.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:47:49 -0500 The RGS recently became flush with cash after two long-time supporters in PA anonymously donated $1 million. The RGS will use the contribution to fund existing activities in Wisconsin. So if you’re expecting a hefty inhertitance think again. And thank you, you mysterious, grouse seeker from PA for your generosity. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/post_19.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/post_19.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:16:46 -0500 Nebraska, Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin are closer to enacting legislation to lower barriers that prevent new hunters from participating in the sport. And as we all know getting new blood into the pheasant fields and deer woods will keep our hunting tradition alive and well. Nebraska has passed a bill that creates an apprentice hunter education exemption certificate. This allows an experienced hunter to take a neophyte hunting before they’ve completed a hunter education course. It also lowers the age for deer hunting from 12 to 10. Virginia’s bills would create a two-year apprentice license allowing novices to take to hunt with a licensed adult hunter prior to the completion of hunter education. Indiana’s bill creates an apprentice hunting license that lets resident or nonresident newcomers, who are accompanied by a license adult hunter, to hunt for three years prior to the completion of a hunter education course. Wisconsin’s bill would establish an apprentice hunting license for those 10 years old and higher. It will also remove an old law that bans youth under 12 from target shooting. http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/four_states_move_on_youth_hunt.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/04/four_states_move_on_youth_hunt.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:10:48 -0500 What is Unboxing?: Unboxing originated with Unboxing.com, a site dedicated to helping people show off their new techie toys, favorite gadgets, consumer electronics, and more. As their tag line states "Vicarious thrills from opening new gear." Back a few years ago when I was a pup, I had the great fortune to train a German Wirehaired Pointer otherwise known as a GWP or if have a Teutonic bent a Drahthaar. GWPs fall into the versatile hunting category and can be trained to hunt anything. And when I say anything, I really mean anything. My GWP, named Blue, was a natural-born hunter and anything I did help Blue’s training along he ignored. Back then there were no VHS tapes or DVDs to visually show you how to train a dog, just books. And since I had the time to train Blue, I thought I would do it myself. Blue obviously had read all the books and no matter how much I tried to teach him whoa and other gun dog commands he ignored me. He chewed a few of the books I read cover to cover in an effort to tell me he had everything under control. We finally reach an understand that if I would stop reading the gun dog training books he would oblige me and hunt birds. So that was how our hunting relationship ensued. I took no responsibility for his fieldwork prowess and he found birds where other dogs couldn’t. Now that Cooper is in the picture I pulled out my old dog training books for a refresher course. Blue never knew that I taped the pages back into the binding. If training Blue was an exercise in traditional dog training methods, then Cooper’s training would use 21st century methods. Electronic dog training collars, or ecollars, have been on the market since 1970s. These collars give the dog wearing it an electric shock stimulus. There are two sides of the fence with ecollars; those who think it is humane and those who think it is cruel. In a future post I will present both sides of the ecollar and let you know where I stand. The DT H2O 1810 series collar system is an example of an ecollar that can be applied in both basic and advanced training needs Some of the features are:

• Range: 1 Mile
• Intensity Levels: 16 adjusted from the transmitter
• Antenna System: built into the collar
• Power Source: rechargeable Ni-MH battery
• Waterproof: yes
• Functionality: 2 buttons; 1 nick stimulation, 1 continuous stimulation

Here’s what I found and what Cooper found when we opened the box.







]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/unboxing_dt_systems_h2o_1810_e.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/unboxing_dt_systems_h2o_1810_e.html Outdoor Gear Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:35:11 -0500 Recession? What Recession. Sales in ATK’s ammunition systems group increased by 15% to $381 million, compared to $331 million in the prior-year quarter. ATK Ammunition Systems is the nation’s largest producer of commercial and military ammunition. Part of their product line includes Military Small- and medium-caliber ammunition, propellants for tank tactical rounds, environmentally friendly ammunition and other applications. In the commercial sector, ATK provides Alliant Powder for reloaders and ammunition manufacturers, CCI, Speer, Lawman, and Blazer ammunition; Speer bullets for reloaders, Champion traps and paper, metal and clay targets, Federal Premium, Fusion, and Estate Cartridge ammunition, as well as other gear for hunters and shooters. Olin Corporation’s fourth quarter 2007 income from continuing operations was $29.6 million compared to $15.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2006. Winchester, which is part of Olin, earned $2.7 million in the quarter and completed its best year since 1994. During the quarter, Winchester benefited from higher selling prices and stronger than expected demand, which more than offset higher commodity and manufacturing costs. Oh, and if that’s good news the FBI awarded Winchester a second ammunition contract. Last year Winchester was tapped to supply the FBI with .40 Smith & Wesson loads. Now Hoover’s crew signed up for 9mm ammo. This 9mm contract is worth a $54 million, and the two contracts combined will be worth a maximum of $108 million over five years, making it the largest ammunition contracts in the history of federal law enforcement. If you are interested the 9mm service round uses a 147-grain, bonded hollow point bullet. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/big_profits_in_ammo_sales.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/big_profits_in_ammo_sales.html The Business of Guns Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:07:24 -0500 Here are a few names to watch this summer in Bejing: Erickson, Cogdell, Hancock and Rhode. Vincent Hancock earned a trip to his first Olympic on the Men’s Skeet team by finishing with a total score of 511 targets. Hancock was the 2007 World Cup Italy Champion/world record holder and 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist. Kim Rhode bested the field to earn her berth on the Women’s Skeet team. Rhode is a three-time Olympic medalist (1996 and 2004 gold medalist, 2000 bronze medalist) and this is her fourth consecutive time on the team. She finished with a total score of 497. Bret Erickson won his slot on the Men’s Trap team. Corey Cogdell was selected for Women’s Trap. And Glenn Eller (a two-time Olympian) and Jeff Holguin are representing the US in Double Trap. These are only our top shooters, there are many others on the US Shooting Team that need our support, too. I wish I had the time to list them all. Many athletes are training in Bejing to acclimate their bodies to the pollution. I don't know what the US shooters plan on doing, but I wonder if all the pollution in the air will slow down the clays? ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/the_dream_team_2008_us_olympic.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/the_dream_team_2008_us_olympic.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:13:02 -0500 Safety is the up most concern, but after more than 10 years of testing the regulation requiring spring turkey hunters to wear orange as they moved from one stand to another the law did not improve safety. So the PA Board of Game Commissioners approved the removal of the fluorescent orange requirement for the upcoming 2008 spring turkey season. Running and gunning can be an effective method of bagging a tom, it can also be dangerous and discourteous especially in an area with a high density of hunters. Respect the other guy's set up and play it safe. Turkey hunting safety has improved with the average turkey hunting related shooting incident rate dropping from 8.1 per 100,000 hunters to about 2.95 per 100,000. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/pennsylvania_blaze_orange_dres.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/pennsylvania_blaze_orange_dres.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:41:52 -0500 March 15 is the deadline to apply for the Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program and the Young Pheasant Release Program. The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) programs should interest any upland hunter who wants to keep the upland hunting tradition alive. The programs do not cost a penny though you will need the proper equipment and you will need to go through the application process, which is pretty painless. The DEC’s Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program makes day-old chicks available at no cost to participants who are able to provide a brooding facility, a covered outdoor rearing pen, and an adequate release site. Applicants who meet the program requirements will receive the day-old chicks in April, May, or June. As some of you know through your local rod and gun club pheasant programs, daily care is essential to the health of chicks, which seem to grow quicker than dandelions in your lawn during Spring. Once the chicks are at least eight weeks old, they must be released at publicly accessible sites approved in advance by the DEC. The Young Pheasant Release Program distributes young, seven- to 10-week-old pheasant free of charge to participants in June, July, and August. Summer months are ideal for releasing the young birds because of stable weather conditions, ample food, and exceptional cover, allowing them to evade predators. Each release site approved by the DEC is eligible to receive 40 young birds. A pen built by the applicant is used to gently release the birds into their new environment. Feed and water are provided for two weeks as the bird slowly acclimate to life in the wild. As with the chicks, all release sites must provide public pheasant hunting opportunities. If you want to get involved contact your nearest DEC regional office for applications and additional information. Sounds like a great project to invlove the kids and grandkids. A list of regional offices is available after the jump.]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/new_york_pheasant_release_prog.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/new_york_pheasant_release_prog.html Wildlife Conservation Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:58:44 -0500 The big guns in shotgun shooting will converge in Texas from March 8 through 16. Shooters will be vying for spots on the 2008 US Olympic Team and will be selected based on the aggregate score from the Fall Selection competition, which was held last August, and this shoot. Only eight spots are available: two for Men’s Skeet, two for Men’s Trap, two for Men’s Double Trap, one for Women’s Skeet, and one for Women’s Trap. No doubt the shooting sports will be covered and aired when most people are asleep, but it will be worth it to stay up to 4 a.m. for the 5-second highlight. Here’s who to watch for in Bejing this summer.

• Men’s Trap: Three-time Olympian and 1996 bronze medalist Lance Bade from WA is current top gun with a score of 246, while three-time Olympian Bret Erickson of NE is in second place with 244. Third place is held by Brian Burrows of CA.
• Women’s Trap: 2004 Olympian Collyn Loper of AL is in first place with 234, but Amanda Dorman of CO is a very close second with 233. Dorman however is expecting a baby in April and will not compete at the trials. That leaves Susan Sledge of CA with 231 targets and 1996 Olympian and U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) member Theresa DeWitt of OH with 230.
• Men’s Double Trap: Two-time Olympian and USAMU shooter Glenn Eller of TX is in first place with a score of 288, and his USAMU teammates Jeff Holguin of CA and Josh Richmond of PA are in second and third place respectively with scores of 286 and 278 targets. Eller shot gold at the World Cup in Korea in April of 2007 as well as the World Cup final in October. Richmond took the gold at World Cup Italy in June. Richmond and Holguin also claimed the gold and silver in Men’s Double Trap at the 2007 Pan American Games.
• Men’s Skeet: USAMU member Vincent Hancock of GA is the 2007 World Cup Italy Champion/world record holder and 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist, and naturally in first place with a score of 247. Sean McLelland of TX is in second with 243 with USAMU member Mark Weeks of MI holds third with 238.
• Women’s Skeet: Kim Rhode of CA is in first with 238. Rhodes is a three-time Olympic medalist (1996 and 2004 gold medalist, 2000 bronze medalist) in Women’s Double Trap, and made the switch to skeet following the 2004 Olympic Games after the Women’s Double Trap event was eliminated from Olympic competition. Two-time Olympian Connie Smotek of TX and 2007 World Cup Santo Domingo and Pan American Games gold medalist Haley Dunn of IA are second and third place with 236 and 234 respectively.

]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/post_18.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/post_18.html Shotgun Sports Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:19:19 -0500 It's nice to see a big-box store giving back. Wal-Mart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have granted $1 million to Pheasants Forever (PF) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) to help protect more than 10,785 acres of habitat for birds in North and South Dakota. Wal Mart takes a lot of flack but this is an instance where the mammoth retailer gets slap on the back.]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/walmart_opens_its_pockets_for.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/walmart_opens_its_pockets_for.html Habitat Restoration Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:44:11 -0500 Ducks Unlimited and the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency reached a milestone with the enrollment of the one millionth acre into the popular Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program recently. That reminds me of an old Chinese proverb about a beach is built one grain of sand at a time. That also reminds me I have a great recipe for Peking Duck. ]]> http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/1_million_acres_later_ducks_do.html http://uplandfeathers.com/blog1/2008/03/1_million_acres_later_ducks_do.html Habitat Restoration Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:07:02 -0500