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The Sad Death of the Maryland Sportsmen’s Association
Let this be a hard lesson for sportsmen and sportswomen everywhere.

New Jersey Outdoor Alliance

Maryland --(AmmoLand.com)-Also ending quietly last month was the Maryland Sportsmen’s Association, not quite 10 years old, the result of hunter apathy and sloppy paperwork.

Without the anti-hunting policies of the Parris Glendening administration to fire up the grass roots and with legislation breaking its way, MSA lost a lot of its raison d’etre.

“Nothing bad was happening. There were still little fights, but nothing scary,” said Wendy Donahoo, MSA’s final president.

Even worse, the founding fathers of MSA neglected to incorporate the organization, something that didn’t come to Donahoo’s attention until it was too late. When a group of hunters legally took the name for its club, MSA no longer had an identity.

At its zenith, MSA was the umbrella organization for sportsmen’s clubs statewide, with a membership of more than 5,000.

What did it accomplish?

• It lobbied successfully for the bear hunt, Sunday hunting and increased bag limits.
• It helped bridge differences between archery hunters during the creation of crossbow regulations.
• And in 2000, when budget cuts closed two state campgrounds in Western Maryland just before the start of deer season, MSA volunteers kept them open.

Now, there’s nothing left. And nothing is just what hunters are going to get. As a smart friend of mine said Friday:

“Now is not the time to park the car and walk away. Now is the time to keep the foot on the accelerator.”

The animal rights community already has taken notice.

Here’s my prediction:

• Expect heavy incoming rounds.
• Expect some serious anti-hunting legislation next session.
• Expect lobbyists in bear suits in the halls of Annapolis.
• Expect to lose some hunting opportunities.

And you know what, hunters? You deserve it.

About:
NJOACF Council Members: Reef Rescue * NJ State Federation Sportsmen’s Clubs * Jersey Coast Anglers Association * Trout Unlimited * National Wild Turkey Federation * NJ Beach Buggy Association * Hudson River Fishermen’s Association * United Bow Hunters NJ * New Jersey Council Diving Clubs * NJ Trappers Association * NJ Forestry Association * Society of American Foresters * Quail Unlimited * Ruffed Grouse Society * National Animal Interest Alliance Trust * Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association * NJOA

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Tennessee Elk Huntress Hopes to Inspire More Women

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

MISSOULA, Mont.—-(AmmoLand.com)- She used to cry when her father came home with a dead deer.

Now she’s the first woman hunter to bag an elk in Tennessee in at least 144 years. Tami Miller of Franklin, Tenn., hopes her story will inspire other women to take up hunting.

“It’s hard to get a babysitter at 4:30 in the morning but the experience of hunting is worth the trouble,” laughs Miller. “My husband introduced me to hunting. It has definitely enhanced our marriage and our family life. It’s something we can share, something that brings us all together in the outdoors. I wish more women would try it.”

She added, “Hunting is exciting. It’s empowering and it’s beautiful. When you’re out there at sunrise, and it’s so quiet you can hear a leaf falling from a tree, it’s priceless.”

Miller and her husband, both avid conservationists and supporters of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, in October participated in the state’s first elk hunt in modern times.

Elk disappeared from Tennessee in 1865 following years of habitat changes and unregulated hunting. In the 1990s, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and RMEF began an historic effort to restore a wild herd to the Volunteer State. By 2009 the population had expanded enough for hunters to take five surplus bulls. Four permits were awarded via random drawing, one via auction on eBay.

Knowing that auction proceeds would fund elk and habitat conservation, Andrew Miller didn’t mind paying $17,700 for the permit—or giving the permit to Tami as a special gift.

“My husband and I scouted together through September and October and I grew more and more excited about the hunt. The historical aspects were always on my mind. I thought about the women who walked these hills a long time ago, hunting for elk so their families could survive. I felt honored to represent them,” said Miller.

When the hunt day arrived, Miller joined the four other hunters—all male—in a group elk camp co-sponsored by RMEF and staffed by volunteers.

“I was a little worried about being accepted. I wondered if the men would think I was pushing my way into their fraternity. But everyone was supportive and wonderful. I met so many great people who really wanted me to succeed,” she said, adding, “I was actually surprised at how many people were watching to see how the woman hunter would do. In my hometown, girls and women that I didn’t even know were coming up and wishing me luck.”

When all four of the men killed their bull on the first day, but Tami hadn’t even seen an elk yet, anxiety simmered as she worried about letting people down.

“Hunting isn’t all about getting an animal but I didn’t want to be the only hunter who didn’t get an elk. I probably should have prayed for help finding a big bull. But, the next morning, as my husband and I hunted together in a beautiful place, with the colors of fall all around us, the stress melted away and I just thanked God for this day,” she said.

At dusk, after a long stalk, with her husband and two friends by her side, Miller finally steadied crosshairs on a bull elk, an animal many times larger than her. She was nervous. As her husband had taught her years before, she drew two deep breaths, then held the third and squeezed the trigger.

When the rifle spoke, the elk was hers.

“When I started hunting, I knew it would be fun to get outdoors with my husband and watch him doing something he loved, but I wasn’t sure I could kill an animal. Since then, I’ve learned that I can be a provider, too. I can bring food home to my family,” she said.

Miller’s 5×6 certainly wasn’t the biggest bull in the Tennessee woods but it will always symbolize an enormously important part of her life:

“Marriage is about sharing things, and, for us, hunting has become one of those things.”

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.6 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

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