Take your children hunting; and you won’t have to go hunting for your children.”

FHFH.org

COLUMBUS, OH --(Ammoland.com)- A while back my wife, Ann, and I were pulling onto the lot of one of our favorite fast “health food” restaurants and saw a gentleman bobbing his silver-templed head up and down behind the bed of his pick-up.

With a puzzled look we stopped and continued watching. It soon became apparent that he was playing that centuries-old game of Peek a Boo with a little guy in his stroller.

That Pap and his grandson were obviously very close. So you’re asking, “How do I become and stay close with my child?”

Try to be best friends? NO. Buy them lots of stuff? NO. Act like a kid? NO. Be the father or mother your child needs? YES.

Sit down with your spouse and talk about the kind of family you desire; then pray to God that He will give you the desires of your heart. If your desire is to love your children for the rest of your days with the same excitement you did at their birth, then resolve together to spend more time with one another than with anyone else.

We can “occasionally” become selfish with our time. Spending “quality time” with someone we love is one of this generation’s biggest excuses for not spending “quantities of time” with our loved ones. A Saturday af-ternoon at the movies cannot replace daily or near daily time playing and working with our children – and spouses. Some believe the other lie that their careers must come before their families – after all (the excuse goes) we are the providers.

I’ve learned that some men have actually found they receive nearly unlimited kitchen passes as long as their kids accompany them?

At a church council meeting our Pastor’s wife made a very simple, BUT POWERFUL, statement. She said, “One of Satan’s most effective tools is keeping us busy.” She said B U S Y N E S S can keep us from the most important activity in our life – spending time with God!

One council member asked, “How can being busy in ministry several evenings a week keep us from spending time with our families and God?” Early in my life my mother was busy at the church several evenings every week with choir practice, class meetings, and helping her friend from the choir take care of others; then one day my dad said we needed her! From that day on she spent more time with us and with God whom she loved.

My wife made a rule shortly after we married. We were each allowed one regular evening per week apart from our family – JUST ONE! I’ve spent hours talking with Wil Graham about ballistics, archery and what it takes to create a Godly family.

His dad Franklin even wrote a book about his experiences growing up the son of the most famous evangelist of modern times. You’ve probably noticed that some of the difficult and unhappy individuals you know are the children of pastors. If you doubt that our time is what our children desire most, then ask them while still under the age of 10 what they would most like to do with you.

Their answer will be PLAY. Once we’ve established that early relationship, we must develop it daily. If we don’t – WE’VE LOST THEM!

I’m convinced that relationship can extend through the difficult teen years and into adult-hood. Early in the spring before my dad went to live for eternity with Howard Hill, Fred Bear and the other great hunters who loved the Lord he said, “What do you want to do today?” I answered, “Let’s go down to our hunting spot in Virginia and check out the deer.”

My dad, my brother, and I played together all of our lives; and our two sons and I began to play together when I handed them their first rubber suction cup bow and arrow on the day they were born! You can see the photos of the mighty archers. God has blessed hunters and fisher-men with a special bond from the beginning. I was once hammered by a bumper sticker that read, “Take your children hunting; and you won’t have to go hunting for your children.”

I know from conversations with many of you that you also have that special bond with your kids. One father told me that his high school senior chose to go to the World Archery Championships with him instead of his big high school dance. Of course, we knew that was just poor scheduling on the part of his school.

Recently two of our FHFH Coordi-nators, Allen Dunlap of Ohio and Jason Boyd of Indiana represented FHFH at the 2011 QDMA National Convention held in Nashville. Allen and his 12 year-old son, Luke, and Jason and his 12 year-old son, Noah, and the rest of their gang spent a bit of time talking with Jeff Foxworthy, a familiar face in both the world of hunting and the world of 5th graders. These families hunt, travel, and play together.

AND MY GUESS IS THAT THEY WILL REMAIN CLOSE FOR LIFE!

Many of our Coordinators are training the next generation of FHFH leaders in their communities. I know this to be a fact because as I talk with them throughout the year it’s difficult for them to tell me about their latest adventures in hunting and feeding the hungry without bragging about these growing leaders – their kids!
So from whom did we as parents and grandparents receive this desire to be a close family? For many it’s written on our hearts.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 The answer can be found in Mark 9:33.

About:
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is an outreach ministry of the people of God called upon to feed venison to the hungry among us nationwide. Visit FHFH.org

NRAHuntersRights.org

Fairfax, VA--(Ammoland.com)- A great many people in the outdoor industry are trying to get kids into hunting.

National organizations with distinguished boards are holding summits, creating websites, raising funds, forming task forces, studying demographic surveys and writing mission statements.

Then there are guys like Bill Crutchfield, a fireman from Charles County, Maryland. He wants to do the same thing all those groups want, but he does it a different way.

He finds kids and takes them hunting. He doesn’t have a budget. Or a staff. Or a website.

What he has is fervor to make sure kids get a chance to hunt.

Crutchfield is well known for taking the biggest nontypical whitetail ever killed on the East Coast – a Boone and Crockett-certified, 268-1/8-inch behemoth he shot in 2006.

“Shooting a buck like that changes your life, makes you want to give something back to the outdoors,” Crutchfield said.

To give something back, he came up with the idea of the Young Guns Hunt Club—an all-volunteer nucleus of friends, family and local landowners working together to create opportunities for local kids to hunt. He pulled this team together in September 2010, and they all started to secure land access, screen guides and plan logistics.

Finding the kids was pretty easy. Crutchfield and friends went to local hunter education classes and asked if anybody needed a place to hunt. They found 25 kids very quickly.

Maryland has a youth deer hunting day—November 12 in 2010, so Crutchfield scheduled the hunt for that date. With a guide lined up for each youngster, and hunting permission granted on local lands, he got the nearby Izaak Walton League club to host a “Meet and Greet” a week before the hunt, so the kids could get to know the guides, practice on the range and do a little pre-hunt scouting. He got NRA to contribute gift bags full of NRA fraternal items, safety literature and a bow to raffle off.

Crutchfield is well known for taking the biggest nontypical whitetail ever killed on the East Coast – a Boone and Crockett-certified, 268-1/8-inch behemoth he shot in 2006

A week later, he and his wife hosted a 5:00 a.m. breakfast for everyone concerned and sent the hunters out to their stands. At mid-morning, everyone returned to the farm that served as “hunting camp.” Hananah O’Neil, a high school sophomore, brought in an eight- point buck, her first deer ever. The midday break kept the kids busy with a barbecue served up by the local 4-H, a fox trapping demonstration, an archery and BB gun range, and a retriever demonstration.

By the end of the afternoon hunt, several other kids brought in deer and everyone, successful or not, was telling stories, laughing, hugging and high-fiving each other.

Before everyone broke up, all the kids were given gift bags and a shed antler with “Young Guns 2010” engraved on the main beam. Crutchfield was then surprised when he and his wife, Terri were presented with a plaque bearing a photo signed by all the kids.

“The crowed cheered and everyone thanked us for putting on the event,” Crutchfield said. “It was hard to keep my emotions under control, and I almost completely lost it. The event was successful, not because of me and Terri, but because so many great people volunteered for a common cause and to make a difference, one shot at a time, for hunting and for these kids.”

It’s important to note that a lot of those national groups are making great headway in getting kids outdoors and into deer stands. NRA is proud to be one of them, especially with well-established programs like the Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC).

And substantial progress is being made in knocking down barriers to youth hunting, through youth mentored hunting laws that NRA and other groups are fighting for.

NRA is helping out with the 2011 Young Guns hunt by donating merchandise for door prizes and raffles, plus NRA Board member Dave Butz will be on hand to talk with the kids. Give a nod, too, to the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, which is providing insurance for the event.

But it’s particularly important to highlight individuals like Bill Crutchfield—not only for his tireless personal efforts, but because there are other people like him who would do something similar, with a little guidance. Bill’s dream is to get a “Young Guns” effort launched on a major scale, and he has established a “model” that could be followed almost anywhere. Yes, it is time-consuming and requires commitment.

If you want to help Crutchfield reach even more kids this coming season—he’s trying for 50–there are plenty of ways that you could contribute.

If you are interested in getting his advice to start something similar in your state, he’d be glad to talk to you. Either way, contact him at: bcrutchjr@aol.com.

About:
For the most up-to-date information about your hunting rights there’s just one source: www.NRAhuntersrights.org.

South Dakota Fish, Game & Parks

PIERRE, S.D. --(Ammoland.com)- The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and the Department of Health teamed up in an effort to increase the amount of time pre-school age children spend outdoors.

The two departments recently awarded nature backpacks, filled with items to encourage outdoor activities, to childcare providers and pre-schools across the state. Based on class sizes provided by applicants, the backpacks will reach over 7,500 children.

“The nature backpack program is a perfect opportunity for the GFP and the Department of Health to partner with caregivers in getting kids outside,” said GFP Secretary Jeff Vonk. “Keeping kids physically active and connecting them with nature is very important, both for the children as individuals and for our society as a whole.”

Studies show children who play outside are healthier, have higher self-esteem, are good problem-solvers, have good self-discipline and do better in school.

This is the second installment of the grant program. In 2010, the Game, Fish and Parks reached 4,780 children by awarding backpacks to 180 childcare providers across the state. Follow-up surveys showed that childcare providers were going outside more often and spending longer periods of time outside each time.

Vonk said that the grant provided for 300 backpacks, and a few currently remain unassigned. These will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants. Applications are available at www.gfp.sg.gov.

The Game, Fish and Parks and Department of Health plan to pair up again to offer the grant program next year, focusing on after-school and out-of-school programs. Applications for that installment will be available this fall.

More information on other opportunities provided by GFP can be found at GFP’s Children in Nature webpage.

Ducks Unlimited Wetlands For Kids Day A Record Success

Ducks Unlimited

ST. LOUIS, Mo. --(Ammoland.com)- The Missouri Department of Conservation and Ducks Unlimited hosted the 13th Annual Wetlands for Kids Day at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area April 2.

More than 4,500 attendees came out to enjoy the beautiful day and learn more about wildlife and wetlands.

New sponsors U.S. Bank and the Dana Brown Foundation provided financial support for this year’s event.

“This was a record year for attendance,” said Dan Crigler, private land conservationist for the MDC. “It is fantastic to see these children enjoying outdoor activities and learning about wetlands and wildlife.”

All children who registered at the event received a free goodie bag and a complimentary DU Greenwing membership courtesy of U.S. Bank and the Dana Brown Foundation. Greenwing is the designation for Ducks Unlimited members under the age of 18. Many Missouri outdoor organizations participated, running booths and events that introduced children to various aspects of the natural world.

“It takes extraordinary dedication and cooperation from multiple groups to make an event like this possible,” said DU Missouri State Chairman Dave Hakes. “We registered 1,500 Greenwing members and had more than 20 demonstration and activity stations.”

Activities included a duck wing maze that led participants through a path to help them identify ducks using only the wing; air rifle and archery target shooting; casting lessons; coloring contests; and many others. Members of the Ozark Fly Fishers Association demonstrated the art of fly tying and provided each child with his/her own fly. Sorenson Kennels once again showcased retriever training with several of their best dogs.

Children crawled inside an artificial beaver lodge built by MDC staff to learn about the importance of beavers to wetlands. A live-animal exhibit of fish, reptiles and amphibians gave visitors a close look at wetland-dependent wildlife. Volunteers from the World Bird Sanctuary brought a great-horned owl, American kestrel, peregrine falcon and barn owl to give attendees the opportunity to see these large birds up close. Children were provided a native tree seedling to plant at home courtesy of the MDC and the George O. White nursery.

Wetlands for Kids Day is held annually from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Saturday in April at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.

About:
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. Visit www.ducks.org

Delta Waterfowl

Bismarck, ND --(Ammoland.com)- A new Delta Waterfowl program is designed to tackle one of waterfowl management’s most vexing social problems—declining hunter participation.

First Hunt is Delta Waterfowl’s comprehensive program to recruit and retain waterfowl hunters in the United States and Canada, where waterfowl-hunter participation has been declining for years.

“We’ve been putting on mentored hunts across North America since 2001, and that experience has been invaluable in developing First Hunt’s educational materials for first-time hunters and their mentors,” said Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson. “Today we’re starting a renaissance in waterfowl recruitment and retention. The continued loss of duck habitat and the continued loss of duck hunters are the two greatest challenges facing our waterfowling heritage. Delta has a long history of waterfowl research on behalf of ducks, and today’s launch of First Hunt focuses our attention squarely on hunters and their recruitment.”

Delta’s First Hunt vision is based on a dual-purpose model—building a robust North American mentor-ship pool while also recruiting hunters from every background and demographic. Olson says Delta’s mentored hunts, totaling in recent years about 120 annually across North America, have had great success recruiting youth (boys and girls) and adults (men and women), especially through the organization’s special youth, women and university hunts.

“Running these mentored hunts for more than a decade has taught us that we need more volunteer mentors, plain and simple, and that they are out there—in Delta chapters, working for government as game managers, in every marsh where ducks are hunted,” said Olson, noting that new mentors will bring new ideas and new energy to First Hunt. “You can’t impact hunter recruitment, to say nothing of retention, without a growing mentorship base, and one of the primary goals of First Hunt will be to connect mentors with anyone who wants to learn to hunt. We’re confident we’ve learned the keys to running these hunts safely and successfully and are now ready to expand this program with the help of volunteers.”

Olson says the dramatic declines in waterfowl-hunter participation in the U.S. and Canada is a crisis for conservation, particularly for chronically at-risk waterfowl habitat on the prairie breeding grounds. That’s why, he says, First Hunt is such an important program.

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“If hunter numbers continue to decline, the funding that protects and restores wildlife habitat in and outside the duck factory will also disappear,” Olson said. “We believe our expertise in providing quality, safe and impactful mentored hunts can change the trajectory of hunter participation. The timing is right for this. Society has become so urbanized, folks are more interested today in reconnecting with something real, like getting their own local, organic meat through a quality hunting experience.”

Olson says increasing hunter participation can be done, although, he acknowledges, it won’t be easy. A look inside the numbers shows why: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, U.S. waterfowl-hunter numbers from 2001 to 2006 dropped 27 percent. In Canada, waterfowler numbers peaked in 1978 at about 500,000. By 2005, participation fell to roughly 140,000, a number that’s remained roughly flat in recent years.

“Hunters are the unquestioned leaders in the fight for the conservation of our vitally important wild places, and the loss of hunters, especially the gradual exodus of the baby boom generation, should send a wake up call to everyone in waterfowl management that we have to do better, and that we can,” said Olson. “The aim of First Hunt is to make it easier for young and old to experience waterfowl hunting by facilitating hunt events through volunteers and by providing a cutting-edge array of new educational materials to streamline and supplement the learning process.”

Olson says Delta staffers have assembled a diverse, one-of-a-kind collection of First Hunt online educational videos and handbooks specifically designed for first-time waterfowl hunters and their mentors. Both a participant handbook and a mentor manual are available online. In addition, Olson says Delta’s First Hunt video library, which, he says, will grow over time, is a wealth of unique information for new and old waterfowl hunters alike. It includes a duck-identification section, hunting Q&As, quizzes, recipes and more.

In addition, Olson says that Delta Waterfowl has two full-time staffers working on First Hunt. Veteran regional director and former educator Scott Terning was hired in 2010 as the organization’s U.S. director of waterfowler recruitment and education, the first full-time position of its kind in North America. In Canada, Carly Deacon, who has organized mentored hunts across Canada for several years, is the Canadian hunter recruitment and education coordinator.

“We’re devoting the necessary resources to ensure program success,” said Olson, noting that Delta is also working with state and provincial governments on their hunting programs. “Our First Hunt goal is ambitious: to educate new waterfowlers, bring them into our storied culture, and help them become life-long waterfowlers and conservationists. What we’ve learned, in part, from our mentored hunts is that the first step to securing the future of hunting is reconnecting with the culture—those ancient roots that keep our traditions alive.”

One such tradition, Olson says, is introducing the “wild food” connection to First Hunt participants.

“At Delta, we eat what we kill, and First Hunt will teach and celebrate that aspect of our waterfowling culture in a big, big way,” said Olson. “We’re going to connect all willing participants in our increasingly urbanized society to the reality of where their food comes from.”

Olson says he’s seen firsthand for many years that “magical connection” that occurs “when people first truly connect to where their meat comes from,” which, he believes, will bind First Hunt participants to the natural world in a way that “cannot be replicated by simply going to the grocery store.”

“The pride a youngster feels when serving a duck dinner to his or her parents after they have shot, cleaned and prepared it during a mentored hunt is a life-changing and unforgettable moment for kids,” said Olson. “What we’ve also learned is that new hunters who prepare and eat what they kill are far more likely to understand the need to conserve our natural resources, including ducks, for the next generation and beyond. It’s a powerful message, and a powerful thing to witness, and something we intend to duplicate time and time again with First Hunt.”

For more information on Delta Waterfowl’s First Hunt program, see www.deltawaterfowl.org/firsthunt.

About:
Delta Waterfowl provides knowledge, leaders and science-based solutions that efficiently conserve waterfowl and secure the future for waterfowl hunting. Visit: www.deltawaterfowl.org

Bass Pro Shops

Springfield, Missouri --(Ammoland.com)- Popular outdoor retailer, Bass Pro Shops presents their third annual “Santa’s Wonderland – A Classic Christmas” - an event that has already become a family Christmas tradition.

This year, the magic returns with Santa’s arrival, Saturday, November 6th at 5pm. Families can enjoy the wonder of Christmas inside every Bass Pro Shops store with “Santa’s Wonderland” – an over 3,500-square foot Christmas village chocked full of fun games, activities and crafts for the whole family – from November 6th through December 24th.

“It reminds you of the old times, like in the movies; everyone is interacting and having a good time…it gets you in the spirit!” says Barry Martin of Springfield, Missouri after visiting the Santa’s Wonderland event last year at the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.

Angela Ferguson, a customer at the store in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma said regarding her visit “Definitely tell people to come see Santa’s Wonderland ‘cause there’s a lot of stuff for the kids to do, and they love it a lot and it’s free!”

Comprised of both animated and live elves, nutcrackers, reindeer and more, the village offers a Lionel old-time model train area, remote control trucks, a Red Ryder laser arcade, a Nerf soft gun range and slot car racing. Kids can also play the hottest new video games of the season with The Strike and The Hunt. They’ll love the activity tables where they can write a letter to Santa, color and do fun crafts every weekend–all absolutely free. New this year, a fun, different Santa Bandz bracelet will be offered every week to the first 150 kids who visit Santa’s Wonderland on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only from 5-7pm. Of course, Santa will be in residence there throughout the season.

Always a family tradition, customers can get a free 4×6 photo with Santa and his reindeer from 5pm to 8pm Monday through Friday, Saturdays 10am to 8pm and Sundays noon to 5 pm with extended hours beginning December 13th. Photo and gift packages will also be available. If the line is long, they can just grab a Bass Pass and their appointment with Santa is set.

Every weekend from 12 to 5 pm beginning November 7th through December 19th, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, November 9th through December 23rd from 5-7pm, kids can take part in the time-honored traditions of making crafts and holiday ornaments. They can do a fun elf mask, construct a snowman suncatcher, and make great ornaments out of fishing bobbers, popsicle sticks and more—even decorate Christmas cookies December 21st-23rd.

Again, it’s all free! A complete schedule of activities and times will be available at Santa’s Wonderland or visit www.basspro.com/santa and click on your local store beginning November 2nd.

Bass Pro Shops stores will kick off the Christmas season with a special Preview Night Saturday, November 6th from 5 pm to 8 pm. Local children’s groups and others will be singing Christmas carols in front of the store and customers will be treated to hot chocolate and cookies. Santa arrives at 5pm in a Tracker boat pulled by a Toyota Tundra truck or Cub Cadet ATV.

Kids will be invited to help Santa, through a little magic, light up the outside of the store, a big Christmas tree in the main entrance and then on into the store for the unveiling of Santa’s Wonderland. Santa will also be giving away $25 Bass Pro Shops gift cards to one lucky winner every half hour. Kids can kick off the season by coloring stockings and the first 150 kids to visit Santa’s Wonderland will receive a Santa Bandz bracelet!

Bass Pro Shops also has big plans for Black Friday. The 4th Annual Great Turkey Campout begins at 5pm Thanksgiving Day. Customers are invited to bring their tents and camp out all night on the parking lot so they can be one of the first in line to enter the store the next morning. They can enjoy hot chocolate, coffee and smores from 5 pm – 8 pm around the fire pits and there will be special drawings for prizes.

Return to the Christmas feeling you remember as a kid, return to “Santa’s Wonderland” at Bass Pro Shops and begin your own family tradition you are sure to remember for a lifetime.

About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 109 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations.  For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com.  To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO

New Jersey Fish and Game

Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds young hunters that the popular Take a Kid Hunting programs are in full swing for the fall 2010 season, and more excitement is on the way with Youth Pheasant and Upland Bird hunt day scheduled for Saturday October 30.

The Take a Kid Hunting Program offers youth hunters the opportunity for quality hunting experiences that are valuable in shaping their appreciation and enjoyment of hunting. The youth hunting programs provide special days when families, friends and more experienced hunters have the opportunity to share their hunting skills and outdoor knowledge with a new generation of hunters.

The shared knowledge and memorable Youth Day hunting experiences increase the likelihood of young hunters choosing to continue to hunt as they grow older.

Pheasant Hunt
The Take a Kid Hunting Pheasant Hunt allows properly licensed youth hunters to hunt on one of ten stocked Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) on Saturday October 30. The Division Fish and Wildlife will stock approximately 2,000 pheasants on the designated WMAs for both guided and non-guided pheasant hunts.

The popular guided pheasant hunts offered through a cooperative arrangement between the Division of Fish and Wildlife and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs are all filled and registration is closed. These hunts are offered on the Whittingham, Black River, Clinton, Assunpink, Colliers Mills, Millville, Peaslee and Winslow Wildlife Management Areas only. All pre-registered guided hunt participants must be accompanied to the check-in by a parent or guardian. Parents or guardians are welcomed and encouraged to follow the hunters through the fields.

The Flatbrook and Glassboro Wildlife Management Areas will be stocked with pheasants for youth hunters who are not signed up for a guided hunt on the other WMAs. Flatbrook and Glassboro will be open all day for youth to hunt pheasant under the direct supervision of a properly licensed, non-shooting adult 21 years of age or older. Additionally, the eight WMAs where the guided hunts are scheduled are open after 1:00 p.m. for all youth hunters. Plenty of stocked pheasants remain after the guided hunts on these WMAs and afternoon hunts can be productive and enjoyable for youth hunters.

Upland Bird Hunting Day
The Youth Upland Bird Hunting Day provides a great opportunity for hunters belonging to semi-wild preserves to introduce youth hunters to upland bird hunting without competition from adult hunters.

Youth hunters with a valid youth license, under the direct supervision of a New Jersey licensed, non-hunting adult 21 years or older, will be permitted to hunt on licensed semi-wild hunting preserves on this day. Youths may hunt for pheasant, quail and/or chukar from 8 a.m. to sunset on October 30.

Information on all of the Take a Kid Hunting programs is provided in the August 2010 Hunting and Trapping Issue of the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest, which is available at license agent locations or online at www.njfishandwildlife.com/dighnt.htm.

Youth Duck Hunting - Several States Hold Youth Hunting Days, Including Utah.

Utah Division of Natural Resources

Utah --(Ammoland.com)- Hunters 15 years of age and younger will have Utah’s marshes—and the ducks and geese that go with it—all to themselves on Sept. 18, 2010.

That’s the day Utah hosts its annual Youth Hunting Day.

Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says Youth Hunting Day is a perfect way to get your children involved in duck and goose hunting.

“The marshes are usually filled with ducks in mid-September,” Aldrich says, “so your kids should see plenty of birds and get plenty of shots.

“And because adults can’t hunt that day, your kids get all of your attention,” he says. “Youth day might be one of the best days you have in the marsh all season.”

Shooting on Youth Hunting Day starts at 6:41 a.m. Hunting is open to those who are 15 years of age or younger.

To qualify, you must be a Hunter Education course graduate, have a current hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, and be accompanied by an adult.

Learn more
More information about Youth Hunting Day, including the number of ducks and geese your kids can take, is available on page 30 of the 2010–2011 Utah Waterfowl Guidebook.

The guidebook should be available at wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks by Sept. 9, 2010.

United Special Sportsman's Alliance Kids Bear Hunt

United Special Sportsman's Alliance

Pittsville Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- “When I first started this charity, I never dreamed it would become the largest outdoor wish granting charity in the Nation for kids and families who endure life-threatening and chronic illnesses.”

Those words from Brigid O’Donoghue, the founder and CEO of the United Special Sportsman’s Alliance, a strictly volunteer 501(c)(3) charity that has granted thousands hunting and outdoor wishes for children in over 34 states.

Excitement mounts as each year, the growing group of young hunters head out into the woods on what will most likely be their only chance to ever hunt a bear.

Many of the kids have critical illnesses, all of which are overcome by help from gracious hunters who have donated their bear tags to them.

“There are no boundaries and no limitations here,” says O’Donoghue, “It’s all about the kids and we make a way for them”.

Land owners, guides and a multitude of volunteers transport, care for and take these kids hunting. The donations from sportsmen make incredible life-long memories everyone who is involved.

United Special Sportsman's Alliance Kids Bear Hunt

Taxidermists donate the mounts for each child that gets a bear, helping to keep the memory forever lasting in the lives of the kids and their families.

The pictures, the videos and the mounts are often the reminders of some incredible moments of sharing after a child who participated loses the battle with disease or illness.

This season, 41 tags have been acquired, making this the largest bear hunt ever to take place in the world.

Last season, 39 tags were made available and 27 bear were harvested by the children who took part in the hunt.

O’Donoghue says, “I can’t say enough how thankful we are. The families, the volunteers, even other charities have made a collective effort to create this opportunity and to pass on excitement and tradition”.

She adds that it is a massive effort, but the smiles and the stories from the kids and from all of those who take part make it a very worthwhile endeavor.

For information on this special wish granting charity, visit the USSA at www.childswish.com

About:
United Special Sportsman Alliance, Inc. (USSA) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit “dream wish” granting charity, that specializes in sending critically-ill and disabled youth and disabled veterans on the outdoor adventure of their dreams! USSA adventures give our youth and veterans something to look forward to, and help sustain them in their time of need! Families are whisked away from the mundane, man-made world of hospitals, and high medical bills by giving them a place of peace to focus on the quality of life, family ties, and the wonders of our natural world! USSA is composed of a 100% volunteer staff from all walks of life, bonded together by a common love for our fellow mankind and a deep respect and appreciation of our world’s natural resources. Visit: www.childswish.com

Outdoors Magazine

Colchester, VT --(AmmoLand.com)- Outdoors Magazine is proud to announce in March it will be unveiling its first issue celebrating youth hunters.

“We all know that kids are the future of our sport,” said James Austin, president of Elk Publishing, “A big part of the issue will be celebrating youth afield and telling their success stories. I don’t think it matters how old you are, these stories bring us all back to some of the best memories of our early days in the woods and on the water.”

Kyle Scanlon, editor of Outdoors, is looking for the perfect cover photo to highlight the issue.

“The stories are so good and the topic is so close to our hearts that we need the perfect image to wrap up the package,” said Scanlon. “We are appealing to all of our followers to send us pictures of their hunting or fishing adventures with their children,” he said.

“Any pictures we don’t use on the cover may be used in other places in the magazine over the coming months and on our website,” said Scanlon.

Outdoors Magazine Cover Photo Search

If you have a picture, please send it via email to amanda@elkpublishing.com. Be sure to include the names of the people in the picture and location it was taken. For prints, send via parcel post to: 531 Main St., Colchester, Vt. 05446

Don’t think that this issue is just about feel-good stories though. Scanlon is bringing forth an expanded editorial vision.

“Celebrating youth is great, but we also want to keep it real and hit on a couple of other very serious and practical topics you don’t hear about elsewhere. These include: The parents role in developing their kids as sportsmen and women, practical advice for gear, dealing with peer pressure in the woods, getting hunters started and the ‘high fence’ alternative, and the very real range of emotions that young hunters feel when they kill for the first time,” he said.

For more information, sponsorship opportunities, and expanded article descriptions, visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write.

Bass Pro Shop's Christmas Tradition Continues

Bass Pro Shops

Springfield, Missouri --(AmmoLand.com)- For generations, to help pass the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, kids and their parents have made holiday ornaments and done other fun crafts. Now you can introduce your child to these time-honored traditions every weekend at Bass Pro Shops Santa’s Wonderland.

Each Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm (while supplies last) November 28th and continuing through December 20th, bring the kids to the Santa’s Wonderland at your local Bass Pro Shops and enjoy a different craft activity.

Saturday and Sunday, November 28th and 29th, create a unique Santa ornament out of a fishing bobber, December 5th and 6th construct a fun reindeer hat fit for Rudolph himself, December 12th and 13th change a candy cane into a reindeer and December 19th and 20th decorate cookies for Santa.

These are just some of the fun events going on at the Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops this season. You can also enjoy old-time model trains, slot car racing, remote control cars, a Red Ryder® laser arcade, a Nerf-type soft gun range, The Strike bass fishing game and activity tables where you can color and write a letter to Santa. It’s all absolutely free.

Santa will be in residence there throughout the season so you can get a free 4 x 6 photo with him and his reindeer from 5pm to 8pm Monday through Friday, Saturday’s 10am to 9pm and Sunday’s noon to 5pm. Don’t forget to grab your Bass Pass if the line is long, and your appointment with Santa is set.

Remember Christmas as it used to be when you were a child and enjoy the season again with your children at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. For more information visit www.basspro.com/santa and click on the store site.

About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 100 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO. Follow us on Twitter @ bass_pro_shops.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

PRATT, Kansas – -(AmmoLand.com)- For most hunters, late summer is the time when thoughts turn to fall hunting seasons, which begin with dove season Sept. 1. For first-time hunters, preparation usually means taking a hunter education course prior to going afield.

In most cases, anyone born on or after July 1, 1957, must successfully complete an approved course in hunter education before hunting in Kansas. Those hunting on their own land are exempt. Anyone 16 or older may purchase a one-time deferral of hunter education, called an “apprentice hunting license,” for the same price as a regular hunting license. This license is valid only through the calendar year in which it is purchased, and the holder must hunt under direct supervision of a licensed adult 18 or older. Anyone younger than 16 may hunt without hunter education certification if they are under direct supervision of an adult 18 or older. Hunters 12 years of age and older may hunt without adult supervision provided they possess a valid hunter education certificate and the appropriate licenses and/or permits. No one younger than age 11 can be certified.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has scheduled a number of hunter education courses to accommodate those who have not yet taken one. The following is a list of currently-scheduled courses. Others will be scheduled in the future. Most courses require pre-registration. Contact KDWP’s Pratt Operations Office, 620-672-5911, for names and numbers of coordinating instructors, or visit the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, for updated course listings.

Volunteer instructors set the dates and locations for these classes. The majority of classes are held from August to October, the period of peak demand. There are also a good number of classes offered in early spring prior to the turkey season. There are very few classes offered between November and February. Check the website regularly to find a class that fits your schedule.

About:
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is a cabinet-level agency with a Secretary appointed by the Governor. A seven-member, bipartisan commission, also appointed by the Governor, advises the Secretary and approves regulations governing outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife resources in Kansas. The commission conducts business during regular public sessions.