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Shooters Given Nine Tips To Tread Lightly On Public And Private Land

Respected Access Campaign

Treadlightly.Org

Ogden, UT – -(AmmoLand.com)- The nonprofit organization Tread Lightly!, in partnership with some of the nation’s most influential shooting sports organizations, has released nine tips to help shooters minimize their impact on the environment.

The tips are part of a recent public awareness campaign developed to help shooters and hunters keep their access open by encouraging proper environmental and social behaviors. The multifaceted campaign is called Respected Access is Open Access.

1. Target shoot only on lands open to shooting.
2. Use only appropriate targets. Shooting at trees and other natural objects is illegal and leaves a negative image about shooters.
3. Only shoot where there is a good backstop to stop your bullets.
4. Shooting at signs, kiosks, trash containers, buildings and other property is vandalism and illegal.
5. Be sure to pack out your trash including food wrappings, shotgun shells, brass or steel cases, fragmented clay pigeons, and other targets. Be a thoughtful shooter and pick up litter and target trash left by others.
6. Do not shoot household appliances or other objects dumped in shooting areas. It is misconstrued that shooters are the dumpers.
7. Shooting across roads, trails, waterways or into caves or rocky areas is unsafe. Be sure you see your target clearly and you know what lies between you, the target, and beyond.
8. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
9. Shoot away from developed recreation sites such as campgrounds, trailheads, parking areas and boat ramps.
10. Travel on designated routes. Avoid traveling in sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams.

“The message of the campaign is simple—responsible behavior leads to continued access,” said Lori McCullough, executive director of the nonprofit Tread Lightly!. “Outdoor opportunities in America are dwindling at a rate so serious it demands our immediate action. Damage caused by a few uninformed or uncaring recreationists is contributing to the loss of access for everyone. This campaign will help change that.”

Funding for the campaign has come through grants from Yamaha Motor Corporation’s OHV Access Initiative, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Safari Club International, National Wild Turkey Federation, Boone and Crockett Club, US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Tread Lightly! created Respected Access is Open Access at the request of the Federal Lands Hunting and Shooting Sports Roundtable.

Public service announcements, web banners, decals, brochures, and more quick tips can be found at the campaign’s website: www.respectedaccess.org.

Tread Lightly! is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to promote responsible recreation through ethics education and stewardship. Tread Lightly!’s educational message, along with its training and restoration initiatives are strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them. The program is long-term in scope with a goal to balance the needs of the people who enjoy outdoor recreation with our need to maintain a healthy environment. Tread Lightly! offers unique programs and services to help remedy current recreation issues.

In 2006, a consortium of fish and wildlife conservation organizations and three federal land management agencies signed the Federal Lands Hunting, Fishing & Shooting Sports Memorandum of Understanding. As a result of this agreement, the Federal Lands Hunting and Shooting Sports Roundtable was created to focus on improving access and opportunities for hunters and recreational shooters across America. The Respected Access education campaign is one of the Roundtable’s top initiatives.

The organizations and agencies signed on to the Federal Lands Hunting, Fishing & Shooting Sports MOU are: USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management, USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, American Sportfishing Association, Archery Trade Association, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Bear Trust International, Boone & Crockett Club of America, Bow Hunting Preservation Alliance, Campfire Club of America, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Conservation Force, Dallas Safari Club, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Wild Sheep Foundation, Houston Safari Club, Izaak Walton League of America, National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, National Rifle Association of America, National Shooting Sport Foundation, National Trapper’s Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, North American Bear Foundation, North American Grouse Partnership, Orion – The Hunter’s Institute, Pheasants Forever, Pope & Young Club, Public Lands Foundation, Quail Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ruffed Grouse Society, Safari Club International, Sand County Foundation, Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, Texas Wildlife Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Whitetails Unlimited, Wildlife Forever and the Wildlife Management Institute.

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Whitetails Unlimited Signs Available For Landowners & Hunters
Improving hunter-landowner relations and fighting poaching are goals of programs.

Hunting With Permission Signs

Whitetails Unlimited

Wisconsin’s Door County - -(AmmoLand.com)- Project POLITE is Whitetails Unlimited’s long-running program to encourage cooperation and respect between hunters and landowners.

The popular program supplies bright green Hunting With Permission signs to landowners, providing potential hunters with a name and phone number to contact for permission to hunt on posted land.

The second component, the Hunter-Landowner ID Card, is an easy way to exchange names, addresses and phone numbers, greatly increasing the trust and understanding for both parties.

The program has been assisting hunters and landowners for more than 20 years.

“It’s not too late for landowners to call us and get the bright green Hunting With Permission signs before the deer season,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “This is a very simple way to manage hunters on their land, and to be able to reduce the numbers of deer that may be damaging their crops.”

The signs can help avoid the time-consuming process of trying to find out who owns a particular piece of land; and landowners who allow hunters on their land find this an easy way to have hunters contact them.

The signs are available at no charge (in limited quantities) by contacting WTU national headquarters at (920) 743-6777. Larger quantities are available at a very reasonable cost.

The second component of Project POLITE is the Hunting With Permission ID card, which is a wallet-sized card that hunters can simply fill in with contact information and provide to the landowner. This lets the landowner know exactly who is on their land, providing a level of confidence for the landowner. Since the program’s inception more than 20 years ago, WTU’s Project POLITE has opened tens of thousand of acres to the sport of regulated hunting.

“The ID cards are a simple, effective way to elevate the level of trust for landowners,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “For hunters, this is an easy way to build a file of possible hunting locations for the future, and also provides an easy way for the hunter to send the landowner a thank-you note later, and remember a name and phone number for future requests to hunt.”

The Hunting With Permission ID cards are also available at no charge (in limited quantities) by contacting WTU national headquarters at (920) 743-6777. Larger quantities are available at a very reasonable cost.

About:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization.

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