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Safari Club International Foundation and Quail Unlimited Announce EPIC Outdoor Game Fair

Safari Club International Foundation

Tucson, Arizona --(Ammoland.com)- In an effort to actively engage families in the great outdoors, leaders of Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and Quail Unlimited (QU) announced that they will be hosting the first annual EPIC Outdoor Game Fair.

The event will be held September 23-25, 2011 in Douglasville, Georgia at the Foxhall Resort and Sporting Club. Modeled after European game fairs, EPIC Outdoor Game Fair will provide hands-on activities bringing outdoor sporting Education, Participation, Instruction and Competition to families, youth and individual enthusiasts – hence, the name EPIC Outdoor Game Fair.

“If we aren’t bringing in more people to the outdoor sports and making it easier for them to get engaged, then we’re not doing our jobs,” stated Joseph H. Hosmer, President of SCIF.

“We expect this game fair to be the largest event of its kind to support the future of outdoor sporting traditions in the United States.”

EPIC Outdoor Game Fair will feature numerous hands-on opportunities as well as seminars from the industry’s most recognized experts. Foxhall’s 1,100 acres along the Chattahoochee River will be transformed into “villages” featuring shooting, archery, fishing and fly fishing, boating and kayaking, equestrian, dog training, ATV use and more. Vendors from each of these outdoor recreational interests will represent the finest manufacturers in the world, including many fine gun exhibits, and outstanding food and beverage options throughout the three-day event. Sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities are still available.

“From beginner to expert, every level will have a something to learn and do through the EPIC content the Game Fair offers,” QU President Bill Bowles commented. “Families will find the Game Fair an outstanding opportunity to spend time in a world class resort setting while giving every member of the family time to experience the outdoor activities they know or want to learn more about.”

“I would like to thank the following sponsors: Beretta, Eukanuba, Laser SHOT, Shooting Sportsman Magazine, and John Rigby & Co. Gunmakers, Inc. for their commitment to partner with QU and SCIF in our inaugural year of the EPIC Game Fair,” concluded Cam Harris, Chairman of QU.

The EPIC Outdoor Game Fair website launched this week with more detailed information about the event and venue as well as the hosts and sponsors. The site will grow and expand to be the one-stop place for information about the event and for ticket sales. In addition to the website, the EPIC Outdoor Game Fair Blog will provide a social networking hub to receive regular updates as event planning continues. www.EPICGameFair.org

Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that funds and manages worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor education, and humanitarian services. Since 2000, SCIF has provided $47 million to these causes around the. Visit www.safariclubfoundation.org for more.

Quail Unlimited is the oldest national, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the management of America’s wild quail. Known as “America’s Leader In Quail Conservation SM,” our overall vision is to restore America’s quail populations for future generations. Our core values include the wise stewardship of our land and its resources, and the continuation of our proud heritage of conservation, therefore, leaving a legacy and firm foundation for our youth and families to build upon.

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SCI and New Jersey Sporting Groups File Suit to Force NJ Bear Hunt Decision

Safari Club Internationa

Washington, D.C. --(AmmoLand.com)- Safari Club International (SCI) and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs Inc. (Federation) filed suit yesterday in New Jersey to force action on black bear management.

Despite the best efforts of the state’s Fish and Game Council (Council), New Jersey’s Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has refused to approve a new comprehensive black bear management policy (Black Bear Policy) that includes hunting as a management strategy. Under New Jersey law, without a policy in place, the State cannot hold a black bear hunt. The Commissioner’s inaction has lead to a drastic increase in bear incidents state-wide since the last bear hunt in 2005.

SCI President Larry Rudolph said, “A well regulated hunt is essential for the sound and responsible management of black bear in New Jersey and for the safety of the general public. The goal of our lawsuit is simply to put legal pressure on the Commissioner and the Council to take the necessary action to adopt a Black Bear Policy. Forcing action on a policy will allow the Council — the people entrusted under New Jersey law to manage wildlife — to decide whether a hunt is both the appropriate means of managing the state’s bear population and a valued recreational experience.”

Legal Background:
In 2006, SCI and the Federation went to court to defend the Black Bear Policy that was adopted in 2005 because then-DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson and Governor Jon Corzine abruptly withdrew that policy and cancelled the annual black bear hunt.

In a 2007 decision, the Court questioned the Commissioner’s authority to unilaterally withdraw the Black Bear Policy, but nevertheless invalidated the 2005 Policy, finding that it had not been properly adopted in the first place. The actions of the DEP and the court’s ruling left New Jersey with no approved strategies for reducing the state’s growing bear population. The Court directed the Commissioner and Council to work together to formulate a new black bear management policy, and encouraged SCI and the Federation to return to court should the parties reach an impasse. That impasse has now occurred.

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