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Sportsman Channel Showcases the True Test of Survival with Dropped: Project Alaska Presented by Realtree Outdoors
Brothers Chris and Casey Keefer Will Be “Dropped” in Remote Alaska Today.

Sportsman Channel

New Berlin, Wis. --(Ammoland.com)- Enter the minds of Chris and Casey Keefer as they set out to survive 30 days in Alaska’s backcountry in the Sportsman Channel original production, Dropped: Project Alaska presented by Realtree.

The Keefers will be dropped today on a river in a remote part of Alaska where they will have to pit their skills as hunters, woodsmen and anglers against an unforgiving landscape.

Produced in conjunction with Rusted Rooster Media and InterMedia Outdoors, it all will be documented to air exclusively on Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor TV for the American Sportsman, this January, 2012.

“The Keefers are perfect for this show – they shared the network’s desire to do something that would be truly monumental in outdoor TV. What is a better way to do that than by creating a real-life journey of survival set amongst some of the most stunning scenery in the world?” said Greg Trager, VP of Programming and Production, Sportsman Channel.

Viewers will have a chance to follow the daily progress of the Keefers, who also star in BackCountry Quest on Sportsman Channel, via their satellite phone and SPOT messaging system. Their messages will be posted on Sportsman’s Facebook page at http://facebook.com/SportsmanChannel and on Realtree’s page at http://facebook.com/RealtreeOutdoors

The Keefers will begin their float with only 100 pounds of gear on each of them. They will have no provisions in their backpacks – all their gear is for catching, trapping or killing their food and then preparing it.

“We are bringing our fans face-to-face with the reality of eating only what you can kill,” said Casey Keefer. “This is a true test of mind, body and soul – and we are ready for it!”

As they wind their way over 110 river miles of the most perilous and game-rich country in the world, the brothers will attempt to spot and stalk Caribou, Moose, Black Bear and Wolf – armed with only a bow. Plus, viewers will see these die-hard bowhunters fly fish and trap small game.

“The training we put into getting ready for these next 30 days was intense,” said Chris Keefer. “Its important your mind and body are prepared to survive in this remote country – I’m hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.”

“This Dropped project is one of the coolest things Realtree has ever been involved in,” said David Blanton, VP of TV/Video, Realtree. “I just spent a few days with Chris and Casey, filming their preparations for the trip. I’m telling you, no matter what happens up there, it’s going to be interesting to watch.”

View a behind-the-scenes video with Realtree’s VP of TV/Video, David Blanton, at http://realtree.tv/watch/dmlkZW89OTI1/episode-7-dropped–the-alaska-project

About Sportsman Channel:
Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel is now available in HD, check with your local cable or satellite provider. Acquired by InterMedia Outdoors Holdings in 2006, Sportsman Channel reaches 27 million U.S. television households and is a part of the nation’s largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (www.twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl), become a Fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/sportsmanchannel and download Sportsman App at www.itunes.com/appstore

Filed under: Ammoland TV, Hunting News, Shooting Media News by Ammoland No Comments »

Wilderness and Roadless Areas Release Act is Anti-Hunting Legislation
(H.R. 1581/S. 1087)
By David A. Lien
Board Member,
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

Joseph, OR --(Ammoland.com)- When big game hunter Theodore Roosevelt became President, one of his first acts was to begin planning a national conservation policy.[1] Roosevelt, in fact, implanted the idea of conservation into our culture and enriched our future prospects with 230 million acres of designated public forests, wildlife refuges, parks, national monuments, and game ranges.[2]

TR would be turning over in his grave today at the prospect of H.R. 1581/S. 1087 (the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011), which if implemented would open more than 60 million acres of these backcountry lands to road construction, motorized recreation, mining, and oil and gas extraction.[3]

As BHA’s (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers) founder (and Army veteran), Mike Beagle, says: “We believe in keeping public lands healthy and accessible. We believe in managing wildlife as a public trust and all native wildlife as a priceless resource. We believe in protecting the big, natural areas and natural functions that support our hunting and fishing heritage.”

BHA member (and World War II Navy veteran) Bill Sustrich hit the nail on the head when he said, “From my own observations, I have seen nothing yet created by mankind that offers the degree of habitat protection that is achieved through wilderness [and roadless] designation.”[4]

In places like Colorado, for example, 12 of the 15 most hunted game management units (the most productive ones) have over 100,000 acres of roadless backcountry. More than 70 percent of Colorado River Cutthroat trout habitat is in roadless areas. Build roads in these areas, and the elk migrations are hindered, the mule deer populations suffer, and the trout spawning habitat is negatively impacted. That means less hunting and fishing opportunity.[5]

In Idaho, roadless areas provide 68 percent of remaining bull trout habitat, and support 87 percent of bull trout strongholds. Similar examples exist everywhere roadless areas are found. California has some 4.4 million roadless acres, but also 40,000 miles of designated roads within the borders of its National Forests (for comparison, the circumference of the Earth is a mere 24,000 miles).[6]

While we understand the need for mining, oil development and other resource extraction activities on some federal lands, and even recognize the attraction (to some) of motorized recreation far from the glare of civilization, when our forefathers landed on our shores in the 17th century, 100 percent of the land was wilderness. Today, that figure has dwindled to less than 3 percent in the Lower 48 states, and H.R. 1581/S. 1087 threatens what little remains.

As the man whose visage is chiseled into Mount Rushmore once said, “I recognize the rights and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize a right to waste them or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

Contact your Senator and Representative and ask them to vote NO on H.R. 1581/S. 1087.

• [1] E. Donnall Thomas Jr. How Sportsmen Saved the World: The Unsung Conservation Efforts of Hunters and Anglers. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press, 2010, p. 64.
• [2] Hal Herring. “Today’s sportsmen and sportswomen are a powerful force for conservation.” Nature Conservancy: Autumn 2006.
• [3] Andrew Christie. “Representative McCarthy, have you no shame?” The New Times: 5/4/11.
• [4] Bill Sustrich. “Browns Canyon.” Landscapes: December 2009, p. 5.
• [5] Kirk Deeter. “Roadless Area Are Essential to Fly Fishing.” Field & Stream: 7/12/11.
• [6] Mark Clifford. “Off-road vehicles ruin the hunt.” November 2007.

About:
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers: Our primary mission is to advocate for more wilderness protection. We favor the USFS Roadless Rule, but want all of those lands to be included within the 1964 Wilderness Act. We will always lend our name and support to potential wilderness bills, National Wildlife Refuge additions and National Monument designations that protect habitat for fish, wildlife, and native vegetation. All of these ventures will benefit the hunting and angling communities. Visit: www.backcountryhunters.org

Filed under: Conservation News, Hunting News by Ammoland 1 Comment »