Revision Eyewear:  Mission Critical-Family

Copyright ©2009 by Anne Vinnola

Whether practicing for trap and skeet events in 4-H or hunting protecting my family’s eyes is important to me and I have found the best products to do so, Revision eyewear. 

 We are currently using two models from the award winning Revision line, the Hellfly Ballistic sunglasses and the Sawfly Deluxe Shooters Kit and are extremely pleased with both the look and especially the performance each of these shooting glasses provides. Revision eyewear provides optically correct vision with no astigmatism in the lens to distort your vision while looking in any direction.

 The Hellfly model is sleek and stylish with adjustable nose pieces that ensure a comfortable fit, but what sets these apart from other shooting glasses is the safety performance. The Hellfly sunglasses exceed all U.S. military eyewear ballistic impact resistance requirements.

The Hellfly sunglasses feature 2mm thick optical grade polycarbonate for vision clarity, 100% UV protection from A, B, C ultra violet rays and a wrap around design for comfort and full protection.

 The Sawfly is a premier shooting system that also exceeds military standards and during testing, showed no penetration when fired at from a distance of 32.8 feet with a .12 gauge loaded with Federal heavy load, 1¼ ounce #6 lead shot.   The Sawfly features several lightweight lens colors for different lighting situations, 100% UV, A, B, C protection, adjustable arm length, scratch resistant coating on both sides of each lens and also optional prescription vision correction. 

 Revision has a great customer service team and works hard to meet and exceed all military standards for eye protection.

 I highly recommend Revision Eyewear for all of your shooting needs!

CCRKBA BLASTS DALEY’S ‘NEW LOW,’ FOR BLAMING FORT HOOD MASSACRE ON GUNS
BELLEVUE, WA – Anti-gun Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has reached a new low in his attempt to blame the Fort Hood massacre on firearms, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Mayor Daley is deplorably capitalizing on the outrage at Fort Hood to push his gun prohibition agenda,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “This is the height of moral bankruptcy from a man whose administration was sued Wednesday morning by the Chicago inspector general over apparent interference with an investigation into possible wrongdoing by current and former city employees.”

On Monday, Daley reacted to the Fort Hood shooting by telling reporters, “Unfortunately, America loves Guns. We love guns to a point where that, uh, we see devastation on a daily basis. You don’t blame a group.”

“You don’t blame guns, either,” Gottlieb fired back. “You hold the perpetrator responsible for his crime, not the instruments he used. Would Daley blame cars for the highway carnage created by drunk drivers?

“Perhaps the real culprit here,” he continued, “is former President Bill Clinton. The Washington Times revealed this morning that after he took office in 1993, the Army, under Clinton, instituted a ban on the carrying of firearms by military personnel on their bases. As a result, soldiers have been disarmed and left vulnerable to this kind of attack. Using Daley’s logic, he should blame Clinton for the Fort Hood massacre. That makes more sense than blaming guns. 

“Daley has an agenda,” Gottlieb observed, “that he shares with other anti-gun extremists. They will exploit any tragedy to pursue their goal of public disarmament and destruction of the Second Amendment. Whether it is the assassination of a Seattle police officer, the murder of 13 people at Fort Hood, or the horrible body count of crime victims that has piled up in Chicago under Daley’s regime, they will dance through the blood toward the nearest sympathetic microphone to push their cause.

“America must ignore the ravings of anti-gun fanatics,” he concluded, “who are so blinded by a hatred for individual liberty and personal protection that they cannot see how foolish and petty they have become.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

< Please e-mail, distribute, and circulate to friends and family >
Copyright © 2009 Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, All Rights Reserved.
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
James Madison Building
12500 N.E. Tenth Place
Bellevue, WA 98005Voice: 425-454-4911
Toll Free: 800-426-4302
FAX: 425-451-3959
email: InformationRequest@ccrkba.org

To Score or not to Score

Copyright © 2009 Anne Vinnola

Frequently our taxidermy studio resembles an old time feed store, with friendly, excited people hanging around telling their hunting stories, photos and sharing bits of wisdom. Hunters are proud of their animals and love to show them off. Each animal  coming in the door is a trophy to someone , be it the first spike shot by a young hunter, or a three inch trout caught by someone’s granddaughter.   Several times each hunting season an animal is brought in to the shop that stops everyone in their tracks.  The hunter and staff members are pretty sure they have a “trophy book” animal and everyone gathers around to see. 

 As a Master Measurer for Safari Club International, my husband Jerry is asked to score many gorgeous animals.    Saying you have an animal that made a trophy record book is a great reward, but is it necessary?   

To some people, keeping track of scores is only a way for people to boast about their kill, adding proof that “mine is bigger than yours.”  While crowing over a big kill can be a really nice piece of the puzzle, there is much more involved in record keeping and to the clubs in charge of classifying the animals. Trophy record books are used extensively for conservation purposes; a tool used by state and federal wildlife agencies alike.   Herd size, condition, and range and habitat stability over several years can be tracked and managed with the aid of these records.

  Finding out which book your animal qualities for can be more complicated and breaking down the different scoring methods, qualifications and philosophies gets really tricky

Safari Club International, Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young are some of the most recognized trophy record keeping clubs in the United States today.  There are smaller organizations in most states with some of the different clubs such as fishing clubs and turkey clubs.

Safari Club International is an organization dedicated to the protection of hunters and hunting all over the world, their main focus is conservation, and protecting our hunting heritage through hunting legislation, and chapter involvement at the community level. SCI hosts the most comprehensive record keeping system worldwide and recognizes all aspects of an animal stating that size matters as much as or perhaps more than perfection.  SCI recognizes animals taken with a rifle, bow, handgun, or muzzleloader.  There are categories for both free range and estate or high-fence harvested animals.    SCI has two types of measurer; official scorer and master scorer.  For most trophies, official scoring is all that is required. If an animal may potentially be a top ten contender, it has to go through a drying period and be rescored by a master measurer. 

The Boone and Crockett Club was established in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt along with several other influential men of his time and has a rich and fascinating history. Through conservation efforts they saved Yellowstone Park and set fair chase guidelines that are still in practice today. President Roosevelt understood the need to conserve and manage our rapidly vanishing wildlife while at the same time preserving our right to hunt.  The Boone and Crockett trophy record book is dedicated to firearm harvested North American game.  The system places emphasis on the symmetry of a rack and penalizes portions of the rack that are non-symmetrical resulting in  well-matched trophies placing higher than mismatched trophies of comparable size. 

Pope and Young Club was founded in 1961 and named after pioneer bowhunters Dr. Saxton Pope and Arthur Young.  Pope and Young with their scoring patterned after Boone and Crockett is dedicated specifically to the archery enthusiast.

 Animals deemed trophy book animals are those which have made the minimum score to qualify for a particular record keeping organization. These minimum numbers are usually posted online.   A certified measurer for your club will also have this information.  Getting an initial measurement on your own helps you know if you are close to the minimum requirements. Usually there are printable measuring instructions on the club websites.   Contact the organization you wish to be recorded with to have them give you the name of a measurer in your area. 

            Most often you will need to be a member of the organization in question in order to have your animal considered for a trophy record book.  Membership may be included in your registration fee if you are not yet a member.   Most of these organizations have implemented record keeping as a service to their patrons.

The hunter needs to take several good field pictures of the animal and rack from different angles. 

            Remember a trophy is in the eye of the beholder and all harvested animals are important.  Just because it doesn’t “make book” doesn’t mean it is not something to be extremely proud of.   A well worn book of snapshots depicting sensational hunting trips is every bit as important, if not more so than making a record book entry.  Record books change every 3 years or so, but fond memories never do.

Each of the aforementioned organizations recognizes that our best conservation efforts are in the lessons we teach to our children and grandchildren through positive hunting experiences. 

Jerry and Anne Vinnola are the owners of the  Big Timber South Taxidermy Studio  in Canon City, Colorado, and The Colorado Institute of Taxidermy Training, Inc.  Please feel free visit www.Coloradotaxidermyschool.com  call 1-800-733-6936 for information about becoming a professional taxidermist or to have custom taxidermy done.

REVOLUTIONARY TEAM HUNTRESS OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLINIC

COMBINES OUTDOOR INSTRUCTION WITH THE PAMPERING WOMEN LOVE

 Just because a woman wants to learn outdoors skills doesn’t mean she wants to stop being a woman. That’s why Team Huntress created the Outdoor Adventure Clinic, a revolutionary three-day event that caters to women who want to learn or expand on their outdoor skills while enjoying beautiful accommodations, spa treatments and the camaraderie of like-minded women.

 Following the resounding success of its inaugural Outdoor Adventure Clinic for women June 12-14 at the Pheasant Phun/OJ Bar Ranch in Hitchcock, S.D., Team Huntress has announced plans for its second clinic to be held at the beautiful Buffalo County Outfitters in Mondovi, Wisconsin Aug. 21 -22 – 23. 2009.

 The Outdoor Adventure Clinic offers training in archery, firearms, wildlife photography, gear and survival skills from the expert Team Huntress staff of prominent women hunters while a team of clinicians offers the kind of pampering women love: massages, facials, foot rubs, nature walks and wine tasting.

 Because the majority of the teaching staff is female, the environment is particularly welcoming for women who are interested in learning outdoor skills, but intimidated by the overwhelmingly male nature of the shooting sports. Team Huntress understands that women want and need a supportive and pleasant environment for learning – no ribbing about missed shots, no competitive bravado, no substandard accommodations that make a woman cringe.

 That formula – instruction, female staff and pampering – proved highly effective at the inaugural Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic at Pheasant Phun in June. Women who’d never fired a gun felt secure taking those first steps and found they really enjoyed what they were learning. By the end of the weekend, participants were abuzz about the shooting sports and the new friendships they’d formed.

 The Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic is the ideal gift, whether it’s a woman treating herself to something she deserves, or an outdoorsman who’s been looking for a way to bring his wife, daughter or girlfriend into the lifestyle he loves.

Team Huntress Wisconsin Outdoor Adventure Clinic

Empowering Women for Outdoor Success

DATE: August 20. 21, 22,& 23, 2009

 LOCATION: Buffalo County Outfitters, Mondovi, WI 54738

 FOR: Women ages 18 and over who want to learn or expand their outdoor skills 

BY: Team Huntress, an expert staff of prominent women hunters and outdoor enthusiast including Terri Lee Pocernich Camp Wild Girls, Kirstie Pike Prois Hunting Apparel, Barbara Baird the Women’s Outdoor News, Stacey and “Hawk” Huston A Focus in the Wild, Holly Hesyer NorCalCazadora, Jane Keller Team Huntress

  INSTRUCTION: Archery, firearms, gear, wildlife photography  

SPA SERVICES: Massage, facials, foot rubs, nature walk, wine tasting

ACCOMMODATIONS: 2-3 women per room, 5 full bathrooms, spacious great room

TRAVEL: Mondovi is 25 miles south of Eau Claire, 1 hour and ½ from MSP airport; pick-up and drop-off will be offered on 20th & 23 days. 

COST: $995 – includes instruction, meals, spa treatment, gifts from sponsors (clothing, skin care, and food), lodging and transport to and from airport for those who fly in. 

SHOPPING: Women’s hunting apparel from Prois, Camp Wild Girls will be available for purchase at discount Team Huntress rates. The Team Huntress camp store will be open.

CONTACT: Team Huntress founder Jane Keller, jane.keller@yahoo.com, 605-450-0931

Archery Fit/BowFit

Copyright©2009 by Anne Vinnola

Injury stalled my budding bowhunting career last year.  Part of the trouble with my back and shoulder began with a nasty fall down the stairs. While recuperating from that mess, I thought I was getting strong enough to continue learning to shoot my new bow. I quickly found that to be a mistake. I kept having pain while I worked out at the gym or practiced my shooting and it kept me awake every night. I was getting frightened that I would end up needing some sort of heinous surgery that would completely derail my ever learning archery.  I thought that if I kept working out, I would eventually work through it. I made it much worse and didn’t get to hunt at all.

I was sent a simple exercise tool and an extremely interesting, informative DVD. BowFit™ is a wonderful fitness device that helps you to duplicate the movements of shooting a bow, while strengthening the muscles involved.  Normal daily activities and many fitness exercises do not help strengthen the muscle group involved in shooting a bow but BowFit™ is designed specifically to do just that.

Injuries are generally avoidable but are most frequently caused by archers not warming up their muscles or stretching before they practice. Another problem archers have is trying to pull more weight than they are used to or able to comfortably. Just because you can get the bow pulled back doesn’t mean that it is the correct weight for you. You also need to be able to sustain the draw.

Bow hunters end up in medical offices because they decide to go out a week before hunting season to sight in their bows and pretend they have not gotten a year older.  Absolutely you must sight in you bow, but don’t start a week before hunting season. Start several weeks or months before hunting. You are going to have a much better hunt and keep yourself out of the ER if you follow some simple tips from AtcheryFit™. ArcheryFit™ is packed with great information from major players in the archery world, I needed to watch it several times to get a grasp on all of the tips and techniques. After resting my shoulder for several months, I began working with my Bowfit™ and learned so many techniques from the ArcheryFit™ video about proper stretching and strengthening techniques, I am able to use my compound bow with no pain.

            While at the Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Camp recently, I also found out that I could pull back a 51# recurve bow and make the shot. I had never tried a recurve and had always thought I would not have the strength to hold one. I was very pleasantly surprised. I credit the exercises I have been doing with my BowFit™ for allowing me to learn a new facet of archery.

            There are so many tips on the ArcheryFit™ DVD whether you are a seasoned archer or a beginner you will be able to get some helpful information to help you improve your game. If you couple an ArcheryFit DVD with a BowFit , you will be much farther ahead when bow season comes along.

You may purchase ArcheryFit and BowFit online at www.BowFit.com or www.Cabelas.com

NEWS RELEASE

HuntingLife.com is Pleased to Announce Huntress Terri Lee Pocernich as

the Newest Addition to their Pro-Staff.

Outdoor News”, “The Women’s Outdoor Media Association” and “Base Camp Legends.com”. Pocernich

continues to empower women through TeamHuntress events around the country. Terri Lee is a member

of the NRA and Whitetails Unlimited. Along with her youngest son Kale Williamson, the two will be

representing Team HuntingLife.com in the Battle of the B.O.W., on WisconsinOutdoorsNetwork.com. She

will be an active part of our business team as well.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, HuntingLife.com’s conservation commitment

is the strongest in the industry! We are an international resource for hunters and wildlife conservationists.

We offer value across the board from our sponsors, outfitters, advertisers and most especially our

readers. For more information you can contact us at: www.huntinglife.com

Web Site Hosting

Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Camp is a huge success. We have all had facials, massages and great shooting instruction. Mike and Stacy Huston did a fabulous archery clinic and I learned a new skill with shooting a recurve bow.
I never thought I would be any good at something like that and while I enjoy my compound, I am totally hooked now with instinctive shooting with a more primative bow. I got off to a slightly rocky start and hit the sky with several arrows, but soon got my groove on and even hit several moving targets! Whooo Hooo! Annie got her BOW! I am now in the market for a new recurve bow of my own!

PRO EARS LAUNCHES “EYES AND EARS” PROMOTIONAL
PROGRAM WITH ESS
Industry Partner Relationship Connects Best-In-Class Eye and Hearing Protection
June 1, 2009 – Traverse City, Michigan
Pro Ears, a leading manufacturer of US-made electronic hearing protection/amplification
products, and Eye Safety Systems, Inc. (ESS), a leading manufacturer in ballistic eye protection
for military and public safety professionals, announced today a cooperative promotional
program that offers each company’s products at extraordinary prices when customers shop at
both companies’ respective web stores.
“The Eyes and Ears Co-op Promotional Program is designed to make premium eye and hearing
protection products more affordable in today’s challenging economic environment,” said Brian
Ross, ESS Sr. VP Sales & Marketing. “The goal for both companies is to help customers afford
a package of best in class eye and hearing protection for public safety, military and shooting
sports activities when they shop for their safety equipment.” Pro Ears owner Charles Ricci said,
“This is our way of ensuring tight budgets won’t stand in the way of personal safety.”
Taking advantage of the promotion is simple: When customers purchase hearing protection at
www.pro-ears.com, or eye protection at www.esseyepro.com, they will be rewarded with one-
time-use 25% off discount codes that can be redeemed at the other company’s web store.
Email order confirmations for the initial purchases will include the discount codes and
instructions about how they can be redeemed. These co-op promotional discounts are available
beginning June 1, 2009, and will be valid until December 31, 2009.
Note: Purchase must be made at either www.pro-ears.com or www.esspro.com prior to
receiving 25% off discount code redeemable at other company’s web store. May not be
combined with any other offer. Discount code may be used only once. Limit one (1) discount
code per customer. Void where prohibited.
About Pro Ears, Inc.
Since 1992 Pro Ears has built the most advanced electronic hearing protection and amplification
ear muffs to ensure members of the Law Enforcement, First Responder, Military and Sporting
Enthusiasts have the advantage of DLSC® technology. The compression of impulse sounds
and amplification of low decibel sounds provide an advantage so you can be the best you can
be. Never lose the advantage of situational awareness. Use Pro Ears. Made now in Traverse
City, Michigan, USA. For more information, please visit www.pro-ears.com.
About Eye Safety Systems, Inc.
Established in 1998, Eye Safety Systems, Inc. (ESS) creates advanced eye protection systems
for military, law enforcement, and fire/rescue professionals. Designed for the planet’s most
hostile and unforgiving environments, ESS products feature cutting-edge technologies and
patented innovations to ensure peak performance and uncompromised eye safety.
Headquartered in Sun Valley, Idaho, ESS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oakley, Inc. ESS eye
pro is manufactured in Foothill Ranch, California, and sold in over 90 countries. For more
information, please visit www.esseyepro.com.

This coming week is the official Team Huntress kick off! We will be traveling to South Dakota for a fabulous pampering weekend filled with instruction from some up and coming movers and shakers in the outdoor industry. I will be teaching a class all about decorating with taxidermy, proper field care and how to care for your mounts once they are in your home. I will tell you all about it as soon as I return! Wish me luck!

May 5, 2009For more information contact:
Ted Novin
tnovin@nssf.org
Office: 203-426-1320
Cell: 202-253-1860

Firearms and Ammunition Excise Taxes
Up 31 Percent in 4th Quarter
NEWTOWN, Conn. — During a time period of great economic uncertainty, firearm and ammunition sales have continued to increase throughout the country.
According to the most recent Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Report, released earlier today by the Department of the Treasury, firearm and ammunition manufacturers paid more than $98.1 million in the fourth calendar quarter of 2008, up 31.3% over the same time period reported in 2007.
Manufacturers of firearms and ammunition pay a federal excise tax — a major source of wildlife conservation funding –on all firearms and ammunition manufactured (11% on long guns and ammunition and 10% on handguns).
The report, which covers the time period of October 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, shows that $27.6 million was collected for pistols and revolvers, $35.0 million for long guns and $35.5 million for ammunition. Compared to the same quarter in 2007, collections were up 70.1% for handguns, 11.4% for long guns and 31.1% for ammunition.
These figures close out the 2008 calendar year. In 2008, a total of $345.2 million was collected in excise taxes, up 13.9% from the $303.2 million collected in calendar year 2007.
“Demand for firearms and ammunition is clear,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. “Since the November elections we’ve seen an increase in firearm ownership coupled with an unprecedented level of attendance at firearm safety courses nationwide. Americans are buying firearms, and they’re taking the proper precautions to ensure that they exercise their individual Second Amendment rights safely and responsibly.”
 
View Full-Size Chart
Translation to Sales:
Using the latest collections as an indication of sales, a projection of $917.5 million was generated in the fourth quarter (calendar year) of 2008. Please keep in mind that although excise taxes are one of the best indicators of industry performance, they only report what the manufacturers paid in taxes and do NOT reflect retail mark-up and final retail sales. Furthermore, these figures are based solely on U.S. civilian sales and do not include sales to military, police and other governmental agencies.
Pistols and revolvers: $27,649,109.11 / .10 = $276,491,091.10 = $276.5 million for handguns
Long guns: $35,021,474.66 / .11 = $318,377,042.36 = $318.4 million for long guns
Ammunition: $35,488,061.46 / .11 = $322,618,740.55 = $322.6 million for ammunition
Total estimation for the quarter: $917.5 million
Using the same methodology, a projection of $3.22 billion dollars was generated in calendar year 2008, up 15% from the $2.8 billion projected for calendar year 2007.
Pistol and Revolvers: $907.1 million
Long guns: $1.15 billion
Ammunition: $1.16 billion
“These numbers speak to a much greater story,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “America’s gun owners have serious concerns about the country’s current political make-up. Lawmakers should recognize this and understand that these gun owners are not merely consumers buying a product, but voters reacting to a very real threat.”