POMA and Outdoor Hub Launch Great Outdoor Jobs

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA – -(Ammoland.com)-  The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine are proud to launch the outdoor industry’s largest reaching job board, Great Outdoor Jobs.

Great Outdoor Jobs combines Outdoor Hub, which reaches 11-million-plus outdoor enthusiasts monthly,with the experience of POMA’s Money Line career service. POMA is the industry’s premier communicators organization. Since 2005, Money Line has provided top-level communicators, marketing professionals and industry executives career opportunities.

“POMA’s Money Line service is the leader in connecting industry professionals offering or seeking employment,” said Laurie Lee Dovey, POMA’s executive director. “Joining forces with Outdoor Hub allows this service to be expanded to the entire outdoor industry.”

Employers and Job Seekers can begin using Great Outdoor Jobs today by visiting: www.outdoorhub.com/outdoor-jobs.

“Outdoor Hub is the largest audience of outdoor enthusiasts online,” said Hyaat Chaudhary COO of Outdoor Hub. “We deliver a meaningful user experience, value to our publishers and results to our advertisers. Developing an industry-leading job board in partnership with POMA is another step in achieving our mission while also fostering opportunity and growth within the outdoor industry.”

Great Outdoor Jobs is a free service to employers and job seekers. It covers the full spectrum of opportunities, from entry-level to executive positions. In addition, visitors may find full-time and part-time job listings, freelance positions and even internships.

To learn more about POMA, please visit www.professionaloutdoormedia.org and to learn more about Outdoor Hub, may visit www.outdoorhub.com.

About:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is considered the premier, international, professional communications organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters and publishers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations who are Corporate Partner members share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

POMA Auctions Offer New Outdoor Gear Just in Time for Holidays

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA – -(Ammoland.com)-  Hey bidder, bidder… going once, going twice, sold! Don’t miss out.

Grab great outdoor gear through the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA, www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) annual holiday auctions. In addition, help ensure the future of the outdoor sports by supporting those who tell the outdoor story.

POMA launched its fall charity auctions on Gunbroker.com (www.gunbroker.com) today. Fantastic items are selling right now. Optics from Hawke, Leupold and Aimpoint, a Caldwell field pod and Tri-Tronics dog training electronics are on the auction block. In addition to these great items, POMA posts additional items several times a week through the end of the year.

Finding POMAs listings on GunBroker.com is easy:

1. Sign on (or create) to your GunBroker.com account
2. Choose “Advanced Search” from the search toolbar at the top of the page
3. Select “By Seller” from the left-hand links menu
4. Enter “POMA” in the search box, and click “Search”

Don’t miss your chance for some great deals. The holiday season is just around the corner.

Happy Bidding!

Funds raised go to POMA, a non-profit organization committed to ensuring the future of outdoor communications and the fair and honest reporting of the traditional outdoor sports story. A portion of the proceeds also go to the POMA Endowment Trust, a perpetual fund that generates income to support and fund POMA mission activities.

Grab some cool stuff now! Hey winner, winner!

Media contact:  Laurie Lee Dovey, lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org, 814-525-6989

POMA Holiday Auction Items, Week 1

• Aimpoint Hunter Series H34S Sight
• Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod
• Golden Ring 12-40x60mm HD Spotting Scope
• Hawke Sport Optics Frontier ED Spotting Scope
• Tri-Tronics Sport Basic G3 Collar  

About:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is considered the premier, international, professional communications organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters and publishers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations who are Corporate Partner members share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Eliminate Hunting & Shooting Travel Hassles

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA --(Ammoland.com)- Sorry sir, you can’t take that trophy rack on board; and the fee to put it in cargo is $150.

Ma’am, this gun case does not meet airline standards, we can’t check it. Nope, you cannot bring that firearm back into the U.S.

The U.S. Travel Security Administration (TSA) says regulations are strictly enforced. Violations can result in criminal prosecution and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation. Each airline/country also has its own rules and regs.

What should you do? Act like a Boy Scout. Be prepared so you don’t find yourself in one of these positions or worse.

During a live, webinar series called Masters of the Outdoors Webinars, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern time, North American Hunting Club Executive Director Bill Miller will teach you how to eliminate travel hassles. You’ll even have a chance to ask Bill questions.

Attend the Master Outdoorsman Webinar Series: Presented by the Professional Outdoor Media Association

REGISTER NOW - Limited Participation

Here’s a sample of what attendees will learn:

1. The most important thing to know about bringing guns back into the U.S.
2. Five measures to help ensure you and your guns/ammo, end up in the same place
3. The best travel gun cases
4. How to book hunting travel (airlines, hotels, etc.)
5. Tips for traveling with trophies and meat
6. Traveling with hunting dogs
7. Requirements for traveling with ammunition

The heaviest focus of the webinar will be on airline travel and crossing borders. However, many tips also apply to interstate travel in private vehicles.

REGISTER NOW – Limited Participation

• Register at: http://professionaloutdoormedia.org/node/3037
• For more information, visit: http://www.professionaloudoormedia.org

About:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is considered the premier, international, professional communications organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters and publishers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations who are Corporate Partner members share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Professional Outdoor Media Association Annual Business Conference

Professional Outdoor Media Association

OGDEN, UTAH --(Ammoland.com)- Browning, Mossy Oak, RAM Trucks, Simano, Hobbie Cat, UnderArmour, Brownells, National Shooting Sports Foundation, NRA, Sportsman Channel and the Mule Deer Foundation are just a few of more than 50 companies that will interacte with hunting, shooting, fishing, boating, trapping and camping journalists next week.

The industry professionals and traditional outdoor sports journalists are gathering at the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) Annual Business Conference in Ogden, Utah, Aug. 10 – 13, 2011.

During the event, attendees benefit from:

• More than 25 business-building educational sessions
• Three product-related information and hands-on testing events
• Editorial content generation – print, broadcast, visual and Internet
• Unparalleled networking opportunities
• Incredible auctions and raffles

“The POMA Business Conference is the premier event for companies who want to connect and interact with the most renowned outdoor communicators in the industry,” says Vickie Gardner, vice president of Alpen Optics.

“If you’re looking to grow business, build relationships with the media and keep pace with new media and business skills, there’s no better place to do so than the POMA Business Conference.”

From a media perspective, journalists also herald POMA as the best media conference in the industry. Tom Opre, owner of Tahoe Films says POMA is critical to his business success.

“The conference allows me to build long-term relationships with the top outdoor communicators and proactive, outdoor product manufacturers,” Opre reports. “These relationships are the bedrock of Tahoe Films’ success. Plus, cutting-edge, educational seminars offer real-world insight on how to make the business more productive.”

For more information on POMA and the annual business conference, visit POMA’s website at http://professionaloutdoormedia.org

Contact: Laurie Lee Dovey, POMA, lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org, 814-254-4719.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA --(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA, www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is offering 15 college students the opportunity to explore outdoor industry communications careers and rub elbows with top industry communicators and business professionals during POMA’s four-day annual business conference in Ogden Utah, Aug. 10-13, 2011.

Imagine the value of spending time with and learning from the editor of Field & Stream, the host of the Sportsman Channel’s most popular television show, the most successful freelance outdoor content providers in the nation, veteran columnists/bloggers and award-winning photographers/videographers.

The dream can become reality.

“I attended the POMA conference last year and it changed my life,” said DePauw University student Mitch Strobl. “I made incredible contacts, have been offered internships and jobs, have been invited on trips as a videographer and so much more. The POMA conference is an amazing opportunity and investment in the future. I’m attending again this year.”

Registered college students attend the POMA<35 program, developed specifically for them, enjoy dozens of educational sessions, interact with industry professionals, test outdoor equipment from the industry’s leading manufacturers during a day-long interactive event and much more.

POMA pays the $230 guest registration fee for the first 15 students who register. Registration entitles students to attend all conference functions including meals. Students also are welcome to book rooms at the Marriott Ogden at the POMA discount rate (at their own expense) or may make other arrangements.

To register, simply fill out the online registration form and pay a $50 refundable deposit (credit/debit card, check) to hold a spot. Deposits are refunded at the conference.

Visit the POMA website for complete details on the conference (http://tinyurl.com/3v6c3pa), or contact POMA Executive Director Laurie Lee Dovey at lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org, 814-525-6989.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA --(Ammoland.com)- As of May 1, 2011, more than 250 blogs were registered and became Charter Member Blogs in the Outdoor Blogger Directory (OBD). OBD is open to all bloggers who write about outdoor recreation and wildlife management-related subjects.

The directory, which is currently being compiled the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), and will remain a living document, will be available to POMA members at no cost and may be purchased by non-members.

OBD was developed by POMA to assist its members in identifying outdoor industry bloggers and provide them a way to connect with those bloggers.

“The compilation of this list of influencers is a huge step in providing POMA’s members and industry professionals with a tool they have been asking for with much more frequency,” said Bill Miller, POMA Chairman.

“As online content development and blogging become more mainstream methods of communication, this list is a tremendous value, especially to our Corporate Partners and industry professionals who are finding it difficult to identify influencers, bloggers and content providers. POMA is proud to have broken the services mold again with this offering.”

In addition to providing an industry service, POMA plans to use the list to help outdoorsmen find bloggers and content providers and drive traffic to the blogs listed in the directory.

Any outdoor industry blogger is welcome to list his/her blog(s) in the directory. List blogs via POMA’s online listing service (http://tinyurl.com/5wkxbmx).

For more information, contact:

Laurie Lee Dovey
POMA Executive Director
lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Johnstown, PA -(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) announced the election of Tony Bynum of East Glacier Park, Mont., Doug Gilmer of Bristow, Va., and Pete Brownell of Montezuma, Iowa, to its board of directors. Bynum and Gilmer were elected as Media Member directors, while Brownell was elected as the Corporate Partner director. The trio will serve three-year terms beginning in August 2011.

“Bynum, Gilmer and Brownell bring POMA a wide range of expertise garnered during their years as outdoor industry journalists and business professionals,” said Bill Miller, POMA chairman. “We congratulate them and thank them for their service to the organization.”

Bynum, is a full-time freelance outdoor commercial, wildlife, and nature photographer from Montana. His images have appeared on the covers of many major traditional outdoor magazines. In 2010, he also was selected to produce commercial advertising images for the State Of Montana’s Office of Tourism. He has worked or traveled to all of the lower 48 states, Mexico, and much of Canada. He writes regularly for his blog and is very active in social media and new media communications and marketing

Brownell is the president of Brownell’s, the largest supplier of firearms and gunsmithing parts and accessories in the world. He is the third generation of Brownells to lead the company. He grew up in the industry and worked hundreds of part-time hours at Brownells, from junior high through college. He officially joined the company in 1998, and spent nine years as vice president. He also sits on the board of directors of several other outdoor industry organization boards including the National Rifle Association, National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers and others.

Gilmer’s communications career began in the law enforcement and tactical areas when he filmed several episodes of “World’s Wildest Police Chases,” “Police Crashes,” and “Moment of Impact” with Sheriff John Bunnell. This led to crafting articles for law enforcement and professional publications and now a wide range of traditional outdoor sports publications. He is contributing editor of Christian Sportsman magazine, a frequent contributor to a number of online publications and blogs and works in outdoor TV and digital video. Gilmer also teaches outdoor communications at Liberty University.

About:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is considered the premier, international, professional communications organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters and publishers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations who are Corporate Partner members share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Johnstown, Pa. –-(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA, www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) announced a new webinar service focused on journalists and communications and marketing professionals.

The service kicks off with the webinar “News Flash – You Need an Online Newsroom” slated for March 23, 2011 from 3-4 p.m. EST. The first webinar is available at no charge, but space is limited.

Register now for the “News Flash – You Need an Online Newsroom”.

Go to: www.professionaloutdoormedia.org/node/2068

Beginning with the April webinar, POMA members may enjoy the sessions at no cost. Non-members may attend for a minimal fee of $20 per 30-45 minute webinar or may choose the option of signing up for a subscription bundle, six or more webinars, and pay just $10 per event.

POMA unveiled a schedule of monthly webinars for the remainder of 2011 but also explained webinars will be added if/when issues, legislation or other factors call for immediate attention.

To be alerted of additional webinars, sign up for the POMA News & Releases e-mail service at: www.professionaloutdoormedia.org/node/763

2011 Webinar Schedule

• March: Online Press Rooms. Communication guru and POMA Board Member Tammy Sapp reveals recent media survey data related to what makes a great online newsroom. She’ll reveal how some businesses are failing and how others are succeeding with their online newsrooms.
• April: Getting the Most out of Your POMA Membership. Posting news, updating profiles, directory searches and downloads. Plus 10 tips from veterans on how they use POMA to make more money.
• May: Do You Have an App(etitie) for Business? Hear from 2011 POMA Annual Business Conference presenter Jim Goldstein. Jim will discuss mobile apps and why you need one, as a preview to his conference sessions.
• June: Posting News to the POMA Website. (Members Only) Sure, you send press releases to everyone in the outdoor industry, but if recipients aren’t e-mail focused that day or are in the field, your message may be missed. Back up your marketing efforts by posting news and releases through the POMA website. News and uploaded is immediately posted to the website and accessible to members and the public. In addition, each News item or release is included in the next weekly issue of POMA Briefs. News and release also are highlighted on POMA’s social media sites. And guess what – it’s a free service to members.
• July: Vocus Keyword Searches. Want to know what bloggers are talking about? Want to search social media for mentions of your company or a list of specific keywords? Wonder what bloggers are saying about hunting, fishing or the shooting sports? Then learn more about POMA’s new Social Media & Blog Search Service.
• August: So You Want to Become an Outdoor Broadcaster, Videographer or Writer? Veteran industry journalists tell you how to get started and what it takes to become successful.
• September: Monetize Your Blog. Three panelists will each share five tips on how to monetize a blog. They’ll touch on everything from honing blog focus to entice advertisers, to growing readership, selling products to readers and much more.
• October: Connecting with the Media. If you expect membership in an organization like POMA, or exhibiting at a major tradeshow or an online newsroom to be the magic potions that generate ink for your company, forget it. Here hard-core journalists tell you what it takes to get their attention, work with them on projects and see resulting coverage.
• November: Working Trade Shows Effectively. Along with the New Year, comes the blistering outdoor-industry trade-show season. During this webinar, veteran journalists will share their work plans for success. They’ll discuss advance planning, time management, splitting up the load, working with interns/apprentices, finding stories others won’t and more.
• December: Damn Finances. What freelancers/independent contractors can do now to make tax time more manageable, and less, well, taxing.

POMA Mission
The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses. www.professionaloutdoormedia.org

Peter Suciu - Gun Writer

USA --(Ammoland.com)- To say that Peter Suciu has a passion for history is an understatement.

He has been a collector of militaria, specializing in military headgear of the 19th and 20th century since his great uncle and decorated World War II veteran Louis Suciu bought Peter his first helmet back in 1981.

Now 30 years later, Peter has written countless articles on military helmets, firearms and military history, and is the co-author of two books about military helmets, Military Sun Helmets of the World and The Wolseley Helmet in Pictures: From Omdurman to El Alamein.

As a result of his passion for military history he has dragged his wife, and fellow writer, Enid Burns to countless military museums, castles, fortresses and other obscure historical sites around the world. In this time he’s seen some of the finest collections of firearms, including those in London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Cairo and Tokyo.

As a professional freelance writer and journalist with nearly 20 years experience, Peter’s work has appeared in nearly 100 media outlets including Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Forbes, CNBC.com, CNN.com and MSNBC.com. He is a former Web editor and producer for FoxNews.com, where he helped manage the websites for The O’Reilly Factor and FoxNews Sunday. He has appeared on TV several dozen times appearing on CBS Morning News, Business Week TV, MSNBC, CNN, Headline News, German TV 1, TV Tokyo and the BBC World News.

On the subject of military history he has been a regular contributor to Armchair General magazine, Military Heritage, Military Trader and Military Vehicles for more than a decade.

Peter remains a crusader for Second Amendment rights, and is the executive editor of the Website FirearmsTruth.com, which was launched in early 2009 to expose, track and report on media bias against guns. The site has garnered the attention of the firearms community, and Peter has spoken on the subject of firearms laws, ownership and Second Amendment rights in several public forums.

Military Sun Helmets of the World

With the help of FirearmsTruth’s managing editor John Kullman, Peter co-authored the book America’s Road to Fascism: From the Progressives to the Era of Hope and Change, which was published in the fall of 2010. This book chronicles the rise of socialism and fascism in the United States over the past 125 years and looks at growing concerns that include the devaluation of the American dollar, the loss of freedoms and, of course, issues over the Second Amendment rights.

Peter Suciu is a member of the National Rifle Association, The Company of Military Historians and The Ohio Valley Military Society. He regularly attends large events including the annual SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show) and the National Gun Day show in Louisville. He has covered these events for the media, recently reporting on national firearms sales for CNBC.com.

As a collector Peter’s tastes for firearms are those of a historic nature, and he’s written extensively about the British Martini Henry Rifle , the gun that was the peacekeeper for the Empire for Which The Sun Never Set, and for Russian and Soviet era firearms from the Mosin Nagent to the AK-47 and everything in between. In the summer months Peter can be found at the range firing off 7.62x54mmR.

Peter also covers trends in fitness, and in 2010 helped launch KineticShift.com, a website devoted to the convergence of fitness and technology. He is also a contributor to BikeRadar.com, and puts in many miles on his road bike before heading to the range.

Peter Suciu Biography:

• America’s Road to Fascism: From the Progressives to the Era of Hope and Change (with John Kullman)
• Careers in the Video Game Industry (with Dave Gerardi)
• Military Sun Helmets of the World (with Stuart Bates)
• The Wolseley Helmet in Pictures: From Omdurman to El Alamein (with Stuart Bates)

Websites:

• FirearmsTruth – www.firearmstruth.com
• Military Sun Helmets – www.militarysunhelmets.com
• FascistAmerica – www.fascist-america.com
• KineticShift – www.kineticshift.com

Peter Suciu: As a professional freelance writer and journalist with nearly 20 years experience, Peter’s work has appeared in nearly 100 media outlets

~~~~

About AmmoLand’s Outdoor Writer Biography Series:
AmmoLand Shooting Sports News is doing all it can to support writers specializing in shooting sports, hunting and conservation. Our innovative publishing of active, working, writers biographies on our vast syndication network is one of our ways to give back and get writers noticed amongst all the chatter of blogs and social media. Today when everyone “thinks” they are a writer these folks “walk the talk” and are the cream of the crop!

If you are business and in need of support materials, a magazine in need freelance authors or a website or blog looking for fresh content then the writer above or the others found here may be just the hard working person you need to know. Contact one today and tell them Ammoland sent you.

Are you a writer with a background writing on the topics of Firearms, Hunting, Gun Rights or Conservation you can see your Biography here. Use our Contact Page, introduce yourself and ask for our Outdoor Writer Biography Series Writing Guide Lines to get you started.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA. --(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) announced the development of the Outdoor Industry Blogger Directory. List your blog now for free. The directory will be published in mid-April 2011.

Don’t miss this opportunity to have your outdoor recreation/industry blog added to the Outdoor Industry Blogger Directory.

Listing a blog is free. Just take five minutes to provide blog details. The information automatically posts to the directory.

The Outdoor Industry Blogger Directory is being compiled by the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) at the request of industry executives.

These professionals need to know who’s blogging about outdoor recreation and the outdoor industry, what subjects are covered and how many readers are visiting.

These executives want to connect with bloggers provide support, information and resource access.

• Are you an outdoor industry blogger?
• Do you know of a great outdoor blog?
• Does your outdoor industry company/organization have blogs?

If so, provide details on your blog(s). Get your blog listed and make it available to thousands of industry professionals and avid outdoorsmen.

In addition to listing your blog(s) in the directory, POMA will provide its Summary of Outdoor Blogs to each survey participant.

Direct link to blog listing site: www.survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e3hycq9tgku04vfx/start

POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is the premier, international, professional communicators organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters, publishers and content providers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations that are Corporate Partners share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Johnstown, PA --(Ammoland.com)- Four outdoor industry media veterans were elected as the 2011-2012 officers of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA).

Freelance journalist Michael D. Faw will serve as POMA’s chairman and Kevin Tate, VP of Productions with Mossy Oak, was elected president.

The incoming treasurer is Tammy Sapp, who is the communications manager for the Remington Outdoor Foundation, and NRA Editorial Director John Zent will serve as the organization’s secretary.

“POMA’s current board of directors is thrilled that Mike, Kevin, Tammy and John have agreed to continue serving the organization as officers,” said Bill Miller, POMA chairman.

“Their works on the board and efforts on behalf of the organization have been exemplary. They bring incredible enthusiasm and commitment to POMA – a key factor in the organization’s ongoing growth.”

• Michael D. Faw works full-time freelance editor, writer and photographer; and covers a wide range of outdoor sports with an emphasis on hunting, shooting and optics. He’s worked in this capacity for more than two decades. Faw’s work has appeared in dozens of international, national, regional and state publications.
• Tammy Sapp manages the content for OutdoorRoadmap.com, coordinates public relations efforts for Remington Outdoor Foundation and works on a variety of education and marketing communications projects. She has worked as an outdoor writer, photographer and public relations professional throughout her 25-year career, which included time at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
• Kevin Tate serves as Vice President of Productions with Mossy Oak, overseeing its vast production efforts. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and an insatiable reader. In the past, Kevin also has produced copy for American Hunter, Step Outside, Remington Country and others. Whether focusing on print or video, Tate’s mission is to deliver products Your browser may not support display of this image. that not only make the company proud, but also make all hunters proud of what they do.
• John Zent has been employed by NRA Publications for 28 years. He started as an entry-level editor and subsequently progressed to a number of posts on NRA magazines and other media. Currently, John is Editorial Director, and as such is responsible for the editorial operations and content of six monthly magazines and four online sites covering all facets of shooting and hunting, and is also a co-producer of NRA’s American Rifleman and American Hunter and American Guardian TV shows on The Outdoor Channel and The Sportsmen’s Channel.

POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is the premier, international, professional communicators’ organization serving the traditional outdoor sports, including shooting, hunting, fishing, trapping and other heritage activities. POMA’ more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters, publishers and content providers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations that are Corporate Partners share POMA’s focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports

Once, he got paid real, actual money to go duck hunting and that experience planted a seed that would eventually sprout into a loco weed that would prove harder to kill than Kudzu.

Hi, I am Roy Hill and I am a Writer...

USA- -(Ammoland.com)- Roy Hill learned to shoot at the age of eight when he got a Daisy BB gun for Christmas, only it wasn’t a Red Ryder, and certainly didn’t have a compass in the stock.

He never once shot it out with Black Bart or his gang of outlaws. Miraculously, he still has both his eyes, although he does need glasses now.

That Christmas BB gun eventually led him to compete in the 4-H BB-gun program, and while “B” does rhyme with both “T” and “P,” it led to neither trouble nor pool, and he never got anywhere near River City. Instead, the BB-gun competition led him to shoot a.22 Anschutz rifle for the Upper Arkansas River Valley 4-H Shooting Sports team, and he won a pair of state championships during high school. When he wasn’t shooting a lot, Roy both played high school football and marched in the high school band, and eventually ended up a tuba player for the University of Arkansas Marching Razorbacks. But he didn’t let that turn of events hold him back for long.

Because he still loved to shoot guns, he finagled a way to join the University of Arkansas Pershing Rifles air rifle team as a non-ROTC member. Despite the band and the rifle team, and a lot of other things he’d rather not talk about, he somehow managed to earn two degrees in English, first a BA cum laude, and then a Masters Degree in English and American Literature.

Roy Was Plagued By The Unseemly Habit Of Writing
All this time, Roy was plagued by the unseemly habit of writing, which he first picked up in grade school when he was asked to produce copy for what passed as the Waldron Elementary school newspaper. His equally suspect habit of reading stuff seemed only to feed his habit of writing stuff, and the confluence of the two is probably what led him down that dark road to perdition known as “majoring in English.”

After his time in the college marching band ended, Roy wanted another way to get into Razorback football games for free, so he decided to masquerade as a sports writer for the Arkansas Traveler, the student newspaper at the university. While his plan worked at first, he discovered, too late, that Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was most certainly correct when he observed that journalism is a “habit worse than heroin.” Before long, Roy found himself far gone into the gonzo world of hacking sports copy for whatever newspaper would pay him even the smallest pittance.

It got so bad that he found himself attending junior high football games where he wasn’t related to any of the players, and then, worst of all, loitering around the sports desk at odd hours on nights and weekends.

Eventually, the cruel world of dank press boxes littered with old paper cups smelling of spat-out sunflower seeds sucked him in entirely, and he fell in as a full-time sports writer with the Benton County Daily Record in Bentonville, Arkansas. Oh, there were still the bright and happy times now and then. But mostly it was a never-ending grind of high school football and basketball, beef jerky and box scores, deadlines and the dreaded inverted-pyramid lead. On his really dark days, it was 140-mile round trips to write ten column inches about junior high girls’ volleyball, or chilly afternoons at early season baseball games that seemed to last for eons.

On other days it got really weird, freaky stuff, like a feature on a local dentist who doubled as a semi-pro water skier, or the ex-pro wrestler turned high school strength coach.

There was the humiliating day when he masterfully interviewed an NBA power forward at a basketball camp, only to discover when he returned to the newsroom that his tape recorder’s pause button had been on the whole time.

One Day He Went To Far
But one day, he pushed it too far. One day, he actually somehow conned his editor into paying him to go duck hunting in Kansas, with the excuse that he’d write a nice 16-column-inch piece about it, and take lots of pictures. And he pulled it off. He got paid real, actual money–got paid–to go duck hunting. Sure, he wrote the piece, and brought back the pictures to go with it. But that experience planted a seed that would eventually sprout into a loco weed that would prove harder to kill than Kudzu.

Before that weed could emerge, Roy would first have to spend two winters in Wyoming, where he figured to make more money teaching college students how to write than he made writing for the paper. So he moved far to the north and west. But not even hightailing it to Wyoming fixed his writing habit. There he wrote sports stories about strange new things like indoor rodeo and high school wrestling. But always, the time he got paid to go duck hunting haunted him out of the depths of his memory.

As he taught writing and wrote, he managed to accumulate many guns, and much ammo. A pair of Wyoming blizzard seasons convinced him to move back south, and he landed another English teaching job at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. But he just couldn’t kick his writing habit. He once again covered high school football games on the sly, and tried to excuse it as “staying current,” to help him better advise his new college’s student newspaper. When the football game stories proved to be not enough, he branched out into feature stories for the local daily, and even worked his way up to several book reviews for the statewide Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Possum Pistol Academy

In a desperate attempt to reduce his reliance on writing (which was now funding his rapidly-growing ammo habit) Roy dove deeper into his teaching and his guns. He started his own firearms training business, www.possumpistol.com, and convinced his boss at the college to let him start and coach a club air rifle team, a lot like the one Roy had competed on during his college days.

For a while, it all seemed to work. But then Roy got offers to write for a new internet publication www.thecitywire.com. That led to another part-time gig with the Ozarks Farm and Neighbor, where Roy found himself writing feature stories about cattle ranching and farming.

And the recollection of getting paid to hunt ducks and write about it all those years ago rose out of his foggy, ink-soaked mind, like a springing teal on the first day of the season.

That memory and his new writing gigs pushed Roy closer and closer to the edge, like a well-tuned 1911 trigger about to trip its sear. He decided to get paid to do more stuff he liked by using the same old excuse that he’d write about it. He drank homemade beer, and wrote about it. He hung out with people who did cool things and wrote about them. He even spent a week at Orange Beach, Alabama, during an oil spill and wrote about that.

His fevered imagination pushed him to find more and more ways to combine things he liked with his low, base habit of journalism, and inevitably, it pointed him back to the guns. Ever since he had hit that first BB-gun bullseye on that fateful Christmas morning all those years ago, it had always been about the guns. So he shot guns and wrote about it. He watched other people shoot guns, and wrote about that. He sought out more publications  where he could write more about shooting more guns. He even made strange videos of himself as he shot the guns that he wrote about.

Worst of all, he discovered Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), an organization that promised to help him write more about shooting more guns and that might even, some day, allow him to once again get paid to go duck hunting.  Of course with the same tired old excuse that he would write something about it afterwards.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Roy has come to grips with his situation. He realizes who and what he is, and is willing to come to final acceptance and make peace with himself. He just hopes other people out there will recognize his peculiar circumstance, and provide him chances to fish, hunt and shoot guns, or even watch other people fish, hunt and shoot guns, and then write about it–that is, so long as he gets paid.

Remember, he’s not only addicted to writing, he’s got an expensive ammo habit to fund. And he remembers well the words of another good doctor, Dr. Samuel Johnson, who said “No man but a blockhead writes, except for money.” Roy’s got to find something useful to do with those English degrees, you know?

Editor Note: Roy Hill needs help, mostly professional, but if you’d like to become one of Roy’s writing enablers, email him at rhill@mynewroads.com.

~~~~

About AmmoLand’s Outdoor Writer Biography Series:
AmmoLand Shooting Sports News is doing all it can to support writers specializing in shooting sports, hunting and conservation. Our innovative publishing of active, working, writers biographies on our vast syndication network is one of our ways to give back and get writers noticed amongst all the chatter of blogs and social media. Today when everyone “thinks” they are a writer these folks “walk the talk” and are the cream of the crop!

If you are business and in need of support materials, a magazine in need freelance authors or a website or blog looking for fresh content then the writer above or the others found here may be just the hard working person you need to know. Contact one today and tell them Ammoland sent you.

Are you a writer with a background writing on the topics of Firearms, Hunting, Gun Rights or Conservation you can see your Biography here. Use our Contact Page, introduce yourself and ask for our Outdoor Writer Biography Series Writing Guide Lines to get you started.

Laurie Lee Dovey - This veteran journalists loves her job and life and isn't afraid to laugh at her self.

Johnstown, Pa. --(Ammoland.com)- Muck sucked at her legs, rear-end and waist. The brown goo was within an inch of topping her chest waders.

Arms splayed and one hand cemented by the muck to the handle of an equally entrenched 20- pound case full of camera gear, Laurie Lee Dovey was helpless, stuck.

The outdoor paparazzi enjoyed Dovey’s angst. Cameras clicking, flashes firing. Surely she was thinking, “Where might these images be shown, or worse, published?”

Yes, Dovey calls those photographers her friends. They’re fellow outdoor communicators. They relish catching each other in strange situations as they travel the swamps, mountains, forests and plains capturing the joys of the traditional outdoor sports – fishing, hunting, shooting and trapping – in words and images.

Dovey admits she doesn’t remember the stories she crafted that day. But says she cherishes the memory and her misfortune.

The life of an outdoor communicator is certainly fun, but when others in camp are napping mid-day or enjoying a campfire in the evening, those telling the story are working. In the instance described here, Dovey and two other questionably sane outdoor journalists negotiated a snake and mosquito infested Southern swamp to shoot white-tailed deer hunting photography, while the rest of the gang in camp enjoyed lunch, a power nap and an afternoon in the woods.

“I also cherish the memories of food poisoning, the result of a roadside hot dog stand; snake bite on the behind courtesy of a ‘Bama cottonmouth; falling head first while rushing to a downed turkey – caught on video and broadcast to the world; and so much more,” Dovey admits.

“This is real life in the outdoors. These are the stories I tell.”

This is yet another wild-and-wooly Dovey adventure, this time in Mexico. Ask her to tell you the story some time.

Dovey has worked as a freelance writer and photographer for a quarter century. The pages of magazines have been homes to more than 1,600 articles she’s gathered afield while hunting, fishing and shooting with consummate sportsmen and women, who allow her to share their expertise with others.

She has also served the outdoor industry as a magazine editor, newspaper columnist, television/video show host, scriptwriter, consultant and mentor.

“I’ve been blessed to write and photograph for scores of magazines and meet the most engaging, crazy and knowledgeable hunters, anglers, shooters and trappers along the way,” Dovey adds. “You see, I am by no means the outdoor expert. I’m simply the person who tells the story.”

Dovey continues to write for numerous magazines including her 10-year-plus stint as the corporate profiles columnist for the NRA’s America’s 1st Freedom magazine. But, times they are a changin’ and so she.

Today, Dovey’s world involves:

• Providing editorial content for websites like Suite101.com .
• Developing editorial and marketing content for outdoor companies/organizations like Brownell’s, National Shooting Sports
• Foundation, Remington Outdoor Foundation .
• Shooting video snippets.
• Serving as the executive director of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) .
• Mentoring up-and-coming outdoor communicators like Lisa Metheny, Kevin Reese, Darren Warner and Mitch Strobl .
• Providing keynote addresses, usually focused on her bizarre adventures.
• Teaching communications.
• Consulting with companies regarding media relations.
• Developing webinars and much more.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Laurie Lee Dovey, in the 21st century, is a multi-media content provider, media specialist and “Jill of All Trades”. So, if you’re looking for a writer, photographer, editor, content creator, speaker or teacher, give Laurie Lee a shout, mailto: lld@lldovey.com.

She’ll get the job done.

~~~~

About AmmoLand’s Outdoor Writer Biography Series:
AmmoLand Shooting Sports News is doing all it can to support writers specializing in shooting sports, hunting and conservation. Our innovative publishing of active, working, writers biographies on our vast syndication network is one of our ways to give back and get writers noticed amongst all the chatter of blogs and social media. Today when everyone “thinks” they are a writer these folks “walk the talk” and are the cream of the crop!

If you are business and in need of support materials, a magazine in need freelance authors or a website or blog looking for fresh content then the writer above or the others found here may be just the hard working person you need to know. Contact one today and tell them Ammoland sent you.

Are you a writer with a background writing on the topics of Firearms, Hunting, Gun Rights or Conservation you can see your Biography here. Use our Contact Page, introduce yourself and ask for our Outdoor Writer Biography Series Writing Guide Lines to get you started.

2010 Pinnacle Awards From left to right: Tim Anderson, Steve Pennaz, Dennis Dunn, Kendal Hemphill, Bill Konway, John Jefferson. Not pictured is Mike Marsh.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

JOHNSTOWN, PA – -(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) 2010 Pinnacle Award honorees were announced by Tim Anderson, Director of Public Relations and Pro Staff for Mossy Oak. Anderson presented the awards at POMA’s 5th Annual Business Conference in LaPorte, Ind., Aug. 13, 2010. Mossy Oak is the presenting partner of the Pinnacle Awards Program.

The awards honor journalists for exceptional achievement in traditional outdoor sports-focused communications, including writing, photography/illustration/art, broadcasting and content focused on wildlife conservation.

“The Outdoor Media has always held a special place in the hearts of Toxey Haas, Mr. Fox Haas, Cuz (Ronnie) Strickland, Bill Sugg and all of the folks who were involved in the beginning of Mossy Oak,” Anderson said during the awards presentation. “Your craft was critical to the early success of the brand and it continues today, 25 years later.”

The 2010 POMA Pinnacle Award Honorees

• Book: Dennis Dunn – “Barebow! An Archer’s Fair-Chase Taking of North America’s Big Game”
• Broadcast: Steve Pennaz – “Prehistoric Giant Florida Sawfish” – North American Fisherman
• Conservation: Mike Marsh – “Bearing Responsibility” – Wildlife in North Carolina
• Magazine Article: John Jefferson – “Firing Line” – Outdoor Life
• Newspaper/Web Article: Kendal Hemphill – “Trivial Intelligence” – Mason County News
• Photography/Art/Illustration: Bill Konway – “Whack!! Broken Jaw” – Field and Stream Online and “Traditional Hunter” – straightcreekoutfitters.com

“The words, stories, tips, insights, images and opinions that the outdoor media pass along to outdoor consumers, regardless of the format, plays a vital part in the success of all outdoor companies,” Anderson added. “That is why Mossy Oak is proud to have the opportunity to recognize these outstanding outdoor communicators.

“The word Pinnacle congers up visions of being at the top of your game … at the top of the mountain … or on top of the world … it’s fitting that we recognize the POMA media members who are truly the best of the best, and at the top of their profession, with the POMA Pinnacle Award.”

Mossy Oak’s partnership with POMA and appreciation of the traditional outdoor sports media are exemplars, according to POMA Chairman Bill Miller. Mossy Oak joined forces with POMA to promote excellence in communications at all levels and encourage members of the media to set the bar high – knowing the importance to the industry of a professional and committed media corps.

“Mossy Oak more than understands POMA’s motto, ‘Together, we can do great things,’” Miller said. “The company lives the motto. Through its support of POMA’s Pinnacle Awards, Mossy Oak encourages communicators to strive to be the best they can be, which positively affects our industry and our sports. So, together we are doing great things.”

POMA media members are encouraged to enter works into the annual Pinnacle Awards competition. The deadline for entries is mid-February. Complete details and entry forms are available on the POMA website, www.professionaloutdoormedia.org

POMA Mission
The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses. www.professionaloutdoormedia.org

About Mossy Oak
Haas Outdoors Inc. is headquartered in West Point, Miss., was established in 1986 and is home of Mossy Oak. Mossy Oak specializes in developing and marketing modern camouflage designs for hunters and outdoorsmen. Mossy Oak patterns can be found on a multitude of products worldwide. Haas Outdoors Inc. is the outdoor industry leader in modern camouflage design, international licensing and marketing. Haas Outdoors Inc. markets its services and products under widely recognized brands including: Mossy Oak, BioLogic, Mossy Oak Productions, MOOSE Media, Nativ Nurseries, and Mossy Oak Properties. www.mossyaok.com

This image was shot for a hunting outfitter and for my friend Brandon Butler, who is a traditional archery aficionado. Shot during mid day with a high sun, we used several small, off-camera flashes and a reflector to light it. A wide angle lens gives it the up-close feel. - Bill Konway

Professional Outdoor Media Association

POMA - -(Ammoland.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association has awarded Bill Konway with the 2010 Pinnacle Award for two of his photographic images.

The prestigious award was presented on August 13, 2010 during the POMA annual conference in LaPorte, Indiana.

The Pinnacle Award honors journalists annually for exceptional journalistic achievement in traditional outdoor sports-focused magazine writing, newspaper/Web writing, photography/illustration, broadcasting and conservation journalism.

“I feel very honored and humbled to be given such a prestigous award by my peers at POMA,” Konway said.

“Being a member of POMA and knowing the depth of talent that exists in the organization makes this Pinnacle Award mean even more on both a personal and professional level.”

Bill Konway

Konway worked for more than 20 years as a photojournalist at a daily Chicago newspaper until leaving a little more than three years ago to pursue a full-time career in the outdoor industry as a photographer.

His primary work in the outdoor industry includes clients like Realtree, BowTech Archery, Rivers West, Prois and Dogtra.

He also does portrait work for several singers in the music industry such as Mark Wills, Daniel Doss, Johnny Cooper, No Justice and Tyler Farr, as well as hunting personalities like Chris Brackett, Pat Reeves, Nicole Jones and Jon and Gina Brunson.

About:
Professional Outdoor Media Association – Mission: The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting, trapping and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses. Visit: www.professionaloutdoormedia.org

Professional Outdoor Media Association

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) honored veteran journalist Dave Petzal during the State of the Industry Dinner at the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show.

Petzal, of Bedford, NY, was presented with the POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award.

In honor of legendary outdoor communicator Grits Gresham, POMA and the NSSF developed the award in 2005 to recognize communicators within the firearms/shooting sports/Second Amendment arena who grasp the ideals, foster the commitment, and display the talent Gresham showed during his storied career. Tom Gresham presented the award.

“I had the privilege of knowing Grits for a long time, and hunting with him,” Petzal said. “There was no nicer guy or finer sportsman. Being given an award bearing his name is probably more than I deserve, but I’ll accept it anyway.”

Petzal started his communications career in 1964 as a magazine editor. In 1972, he became Managing Editor of Field & Stream, and since has held six different titles on the masthead. He is a graduate of Colgate University, was a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army, and has hunted in the United States, Canada, Alaska, Africa, Europe, New Zealand and New Jersey.

In 2008, Petzal retired, but still handles the rifles department for Field & Stream and is, along with Phil Bourjaily, a co-contributor to the Field & Stream blog, the Gun Nut. Petzal authored six books, and looks forward to, “not doing any more, ever.” For recreation, Petzal says he shoots trap and fly fishes – badly.

Nominations for the Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award come from all corners of the shooting sports industry. Nominees are not required to be affiliated with a communications or industry organization.

Shooting sports industry professionals are encouraged to make nominations for the award through the POMA Web site: www.professionaloutdoormedia.org.

About the Organizations
Professional Outdoor Media Association – Mission: The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting, trapping and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses.

Media Day At The Range

Centreville, VA –-(AmmoLand.com)- With the support of Bass Pro Shops and many manufacturers and organizations, the industry will be holding the 5th annual Media Day at the Range on Monday, January 18, 2010 being held at the Boulder City Pistol & Rifle Range in Boulder City, Nevada from 9 am to 4:00 pm.

We have some exciting news concerning Media Day 2010 that you surely do not want to miss. By registering and attending Media Day at the Range you will also have an opportunity to win a Blaser Rifle outfitted with a Zeiss Victory Scope valued at more than $4,000.

Here is all you will need to do to win:

• Visit the Blaser and Zeiss exhibits to experience shooting the Blaser rifle and using the Zeiss Victory scope.
• Purchase a raffle ticket to enter – one chance $4 or three chances for $10. All proceeds going to Safari Club AWLS Youth Program. There is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase.
• Drawing at 3:00 pm at the Blaser exhibit. You must be present to win.

With nearly 60 manufacturers registered, the range is nearly sold out. The day will consist of visiting with a wide range of manufacturers both from the shooting and non-shooting community and you will also have an opportunity to interview company representatives about their new product line-up. Transportation will be provided both to and from the range.

This event will give you the opportunity to handle and shoot new products being introduced at SHOT Show from many of the industry’s leading manufacturers. This year the event will be benefiting the Safari Club AWLS Youth Program.

So if you have not already registered, please do so today at www.media-day.com. Please be sure you pass this information on to all individuals from your publication or broadcast property who may want to attend, we don’t want anyone to miss this event. On behalf of all the attending manufacturers we look forward to seeing you at the range.

Media Day is open to members of the media only and registered exhibitors. For additional information, contact Cory Cannon with Triple Curl at ccannon@triplecurl.com or Cathy Williams with CMG Marketing and Events at cathy@cmgmarketingandevents.com.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

LaPorte, In --(AmmoLand.com)-POMA changed the dates of its 5th Annual Business Conference. The event is now scheduled for Aug. 11 – 14, 2010, in LaPorte, In.

The change was necessary due to Outdoor Retailer’s decision last week to change its 2010 Summer Market Expo dates.

“The altered Summer Market Expo dates directly conflicted with POMA’s business conference,” explained Chris Chaffin, POMA chairman. “Most of POMA’s Corporate Partner members and a large number of our media members were affected.

“To ensure members’ ability to attend both events, POMA moved its conference ahead a week. We’re grateful to the LaPorte County CVB and LaPorte Best Western for their flexibility and commitment to POMA’s conference.”

POMA’s annual business conferences offer journalists and industry professionals a wide range of business enhancement opportunities. Attendees take advantage of hard-hitting business sessions, the ability to participate in interactive shooting and product-testing events and countless networking opportunities for Media Members and Corporate Partners to share information and ideas.

During the POMA business conference, journalists generate more than $1.5 million in advertising equivalent editorial coverage.

More details

About:
POMA Mission… The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. --(AmmoLand.com)- Hunting communications were a central focus of the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday as the Justices heard arguments in the case U.S. v. Stevens, 08-769.

At issue in the case is a 1999 federal law that makes it a crime to create, sell or possess videos and other depictions of cruelty to animals. The case arose over the conviction of a Virginia man, Robert Stevens, who received a three-year prison sentence from a Western Pennsylvania court for selling videos that included scenes of hunting with dogs. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, stating it was in violation of Steven’s First Amendment rights.

In addition to working with the Washington, D.C., Jones Day Law Firm to file an amicus curiae brief on behalf of its members, the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), headquartered in Johnstown, Pa., coordinated a larger group of amici from a wide range of constituencies, including numerous large organizations and more than 600 individual journalists, outdoor industry professionals and sportsmen.

POMA Executive Director Laurie Lee Dovey was in the courtroom to hear the arguments.

“The Justices were highly engaged,” Dovey said. “Clearly, their queries were focused on testing the limits of the First Amendment. The questions were direct and at times extreme.

“Patricia Millett, the plaintiff’s attorney, represented Mr. Stevens, the hunting and fishing industry and traditional outdoor sports journalists at the highest level,” Dovey added. “Patricia understands how the statue could criminalize the communication and promotion of legal hunting and fishing activities. She directly argued the overreach and chilling effects of the existing statute.”

Testing the wide net cast by the language of the law, hunting-related questions were debated. Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal often stated hunting imagery did not fall within the parameters of the statute. Justice Antonin Scalia seemed to disagree. Scalia concentrated on the language in the statute that says, “… a visual or auditory depiction … in which a living animal is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed.”

“Kill” has one meaning, which is kill,” Scalia told Katyal, plainly indicating concerns about the legal actions of hunters. Katyal responded with a statement citing cruel killing versus hunting. Scalia countered with a question about an accidental low shot on an animal by a hunter, which he said was completely legal. Justice John Paul Stevens also asked about bow-and-arrow hunting or hunting with knives. Katyal backpedaled, saying, “So, there may be certain hunting examples that fall within it (the law).

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg looked at another aspect of the law, the separation of the filming of a criminal act and participation by a photographer in a criminal act. The abuse of the dog and the filming of the act are different, she said. The abuse would go on with or without the photographer. The comparison being made was to image-makers in child pornography cases – where the photographer is an actual participant in the criminal act.

In response to questions by Justice Stephen Bryer about Congress simply writing a statute that actually aims at the “frightful things they were trying to prohibit,” Millett agreed Congress must use a scalpel, not a buzz saw, when crafting statutes that restrict free speech.

Justice Samuel Alito posed the most difficult hypothetical of the day to Millett. He asked if the First Amendment would cover “a human sacrifice channel”. The discomfort in the courtroom was palpable.

Taking a few moments to collect her thoughts, obviously taken aback by the extreme nature of the Justice’s example, Millett responded.

“I don’t want to watch this channel, and people should fight with their wallets and their votes and not support these things,” she said. “But, under the First Amendment, if the only rationale Congress is giving is we are here to shield your eyes for you, we will make this censorial decision, it has got to find some basis to think that was never freedom of speech under the First Amendment, in the way that obscenity was. You don’t get to make it up as you go along. We are interpreting a constitution.”

The United States Humane Society, which pushed the original prosecution of Robert Stevens, claimed this case was and is about animal cruelty. POMA, National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, National Media Coalition, American Society of Media Photographers, National Press Photographer’s Association and dozens of other groups, which filed amicus curiae briefs in the case, strongly disagreed. They defined U.S. v. Stevens as a First Amendment case that could have potentially devastating consequences on journalists and Americans’ right to information.

A decision could come sometime after the first of the year, but the Court’s final deadline is July 1, 2010

The Statute – 18 U.S.C. § 48

(a) Creation, Sale, or Possession.- Whoever knowingly creates, sells, or possesses a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
(b) Exception.- Subsection (a) does not apply to any depiction that has serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
(c) Definitions.- In this section-
(1) the term “depiction of animal cruelty” means any visual or auditory depiction, including any photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, electronic image, or sound recording of conduct in which a living animal is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed, if such conduct is illegal under Federal law or the law of the State in which the creation, sale, or possession takes place, regardless of whether the maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding, or killing took place in the State; and
(2) the term “State” means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

About: POMA
The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)-The Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) Executive Director Laurie Lee Dovey is headed for Washington, D.C. today, to hear the arguments in the U.S. v. Stevens case, which is being heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow.

To set up an interview with Dovey for this afternoon or evening or tomorrow (post argument), e-mail lldovey@professionaloutdoormedia.org or call 814-525-6989.

POMA, headquartered in Johnstown, Pa., is a professional association of traditional outdoor sports journalists and hunting and fishing industry professionals and organizations.

POMA filed an amicus curiae brief in the case, on behalf of its members. The government is asking the Supreme Court for the power to censor hunting and fishing imagery, creating a new exception to the First Amendment for the first time in 25 years.

At issue in U.S. v. Stevens, No. 08-769, is a 1999 federal law that makes it a crime to create, sell or possess videos and other depictions of cruelty to animals. The case arose over the conviction of a Virginia man, Robert Stevens, who received a three-year prison sentence from a Western Pennsylvania court for selling videos that included scenes of hunting with dogs. The Justices will hear arguments in the case on Tuesday, October 6.

In addition to working with the Washington, D.C., Jones Day Law Firm to file a brief on behalf of its members, Dovey coordinated a larger group of amici from a wide range of constituencies.

The American Society of Media Photographers, North American Nature Photographers, Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, Texas Outdoor Writers Association and more than 600 individual journalists, outdoor industry professionals and sportsmen joined POMA’s brief.

POMA members, such as the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and others filed individual briefs on behalf of their members.

• Review a case summary
• Review comments from POMA’s executive director regarding the case
• Review POMA’s amicus curiae brief
• Review facts on the national economic contribution of hunting and fishing

About:
POMA Mission … The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- A case to be heard by Supreme Court of the United States might result in serious problems for any person, outlet or entity that shows or sells depictions of hunting and fishing activities.

Thank you for supporting or continuing to consider supporting the 1st Amendment amicus curiae brief that will be filed in the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Stevens.

We’re in the final week of pulling all the details together; and will have the draft to provide to everyone at the end of this week. However, you need to take one more step, if you haven’t already.

Every individual or group that plans to support the 1st Amendment amicus curiae brief, being written by Beth Heifetz and David Cooper of the Jones Day law firm in Washington, D.C., must provide a “statement of interest”. This is simply a one-paragraph explanation of who you are or what your company does. Examples of statements are available on the form.

Remember, if the Court upholds the conviction in the case, it could mean that the publication, broadcast or sale of images of hunting or fishing are felony actions. We must act.

Please click the link below and fill out the form.

Professional Outdoor Media Association

Johnstown, PA - -(TheShootingWire.com)- Over $100,000 in hunting and fishing adventures, firearms, outdoor gear, advertising packages and public relations services packages are up for grabs in the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) Annual Live Auction hosted by GunBroker.com. The auction runs through the month of July, ending at 10:47 p.m. July 31.

“From an African Safari, to AR and muzzleloading rifles, to a Derringer-style handgun, to optics, to advertising and public relations packages every outdoor company needs, to a handmade camo quilt, POMA’s annual live auction has something for everyone,” explained Bill Miller, POMA’s incoming president and auction chairman. “The generosity of POMA’s Corporate Partners and friends who donate to the auction every year is simply amazing.”

The partnership with GunBroker.com allows POMA to reach folks internationally and offer them opportunities to bid on items they might not have otherwise.

GunBroker.com is the largest person-to-person online auction site for hunters, shooters, firearms collectors and other traditional outdoor sports enthusiasts. Bidding on auction items is simple; and watching auctions, bids or favorite items a snap with the My Auctions option. To bid review the list of auction items and bid, visit http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SellerAuctions.asp?User=1402052.

The funds raised through the live auction go toward programs that support POMA’s mission of member and public education and promotion of the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and other traditional outdoor sports.

For more information, visit www.professionaloutdoormedia.org or www.gunbroker.com.

About:
POMA Mission… The Professional Outdoor Media Association is a group of individual communicators and Corporate Partners who believe in, defend, support and promote the heritage of hunting, fishing, shooting and traditional outdoor sports through writing, photography and other means. By doing so, members hope to educate the general public about these sports and encourage more participation in them. The organization serves the membership by helping members grow professionally, improve their skills, better their working environments and enhance their businesses.