NSSF Opposes Confirmation of Elena Kagan to Supreme Court

After reviewing the record of Elena Kagan, including public statements, written documents and her testimony this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms industry – is opposing her confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

Though Ms. Kagan’s record on Second Amendment-related issues is sparse, what’s available is troubling. While serving in the Clinton Administration, Ms. Kagan played a key role in developing anti-gun policies and strategies. Specifically, we know Ms. Kagan helped draft a presidential directive that suspended imports of semiautomatic firearms. Records also indicate that during this period Ms. Kagan met with plaintiffs’ attorneys involved in municipal lawsuits against members of the firearms industry.

As a clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, Ms. Kagan made clear that she did not support a challenge to the D.C. gun ban. Demonstrating that this belief had not changed, Ms. Kagan, as solicitor general of the United States, refused to file an amicus brief in the landmark McDonald v. Chicago case – a case that reaffirmed that our Second Amendment rights do not stop at state and city borders.

In her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, then Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said that she considered the Second Amendment to be “settled law.” It wasn’t until after she was confirmed that Justice Sotomayor let her true views be known as she ruled against the Supreme Court’s earlier decision (Heller) by supporting Chicago’s unconstitutional handgun ban (McDonald), thereby disregarding “settled law.” Similarly, Ms. Kagan, during her testimony this week, parroted Justice Sotomayor’s response, skirting the issue, when she said that the Second Amendment was “settled law.”

Earlier this week NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane, commenting on the McDonald decision, noted, “Today’s decision marks the beginning of a new era of civil rights litigation as laws and regulations that infringe upon and violate the individual right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms, protected by the Second Amendment, are challenged.”

Understanding this, it is clear that the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions were not the finish line, but the starting point of America’s fight to preserve and protect the Second Amendment. With a 5-4 ruling in both cases and a litany of challenges to restrictive firearms laws and regulations sure to be seen over the next few years, it is imperative that a Supreme Court justice not merely recognize the Second Amendment as “settled law,” but actually rule accordingly. Based upon Ms. Kagan’s record, we have no reason to believe she will.

For these reasons, NSSF is encouraging senators not to confirm Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court.

PRÓIS® Hunting & Field Apparel Expands to New Corporate Office/Warehouse in Gunnison, CO!

Próis® Hunting and Field Apparel has quickly become the authority in great-fitting, high-performance apparel that?s tailor-made for female hunters who hunt hard, and require gear that works even harder. And now, the company?s ?Pro? status and increased business over the past two years has earned it an expanded new facility to better serve its client base of passionate women hunters across the globe. Próis? new facility located in its hometown of Gunnison, CO, will provide the team with quadruple the amount of quality work and warehousing space more than its old building. The new offices will be home base for all internet warehousing and small retail distribution, where large retail distribution will continue to come from the company?s manufacturing partner in California.

 “This is an exciting time for the Próis brand. Our entire team is thrilled that sales are up, and we need more space to help meet our goals of expansion,” says Kirstie Pike, CEO of Próis Hunting and Field Apparel. “Our new state-of-the-art facility will help us accomplish this and more in the months and years to come.”

Hardcore female hunters who push the limits in the field rely on Próis? innovative technology incorporated into each piece of gear such as complex compressed fabrics that offer wind stopping, moisture wicking, silence, waterproofing and ultimate durability.

Próis has also come out with all guns blazing in 2010 with sleek new lines of women?s shooting apparel including the new Competitor and Turas collections. And, because Próis is as passionate about supporting our domestic economy as it is about hunting and shooting, all gear is proudly made in the U.S.A.

For more information about Próis? new facility, or the company?s innovative line of serious, high-performance hunting

and shooting apparel for women, contact:

Próis Hunting and Field Apparel
28001-B US Highway 50
Gunnison, CO- 81230
(970) 641-3355 

www.Próishunting.com 

To check out the latest updates on Próis field and pro staff and company news, visit the Próis blog at:
http://www.proishunting.com/community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     April 5, 2010                                                 

  Contact:    

Greg R. Lawson (614) 888-4868 x 214
Sharon Hayden (614) 888-4868 x 226

USSA Condemns Anti-Hunting Group’s Targeting of Sarah Palin

Group Distorts Record and Tries to Force New TV Show Off Air
(Columbus) – The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) is one of numerous groups that are condemning the latest public relations smear campaign by the animal rights group Defenders of Wildlife targeting former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Defender’s has sent out numerous e-mail pleas to its membership asking that they contact Discovery Communications Inc., the parent company of the popular Discovery and Animal Planet channels, and urge it to drop a proposed new documentary to be called “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” in which the former governor will star.
The Defender’s campaign largely rests on a gross mischaracterization of then Alaska Gov. Palin’s wolf management plan and recycled outrage at her opposition to designating polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to the Defender’s website, over 125,000 people have signed an online petition the group intends to forward to Discovery’s CEO David Zaslov. 
The USSA has stood up against Defender’s before when the group used the wolf issue during fundraising appeals in 2009.  At that time, the USSA and several other leading conservation groups sent a letter to Gov. Palin outlining support for the policy. 
The USSA stands by this letter as an accurate representation of the policy.  It clarifies that the Alaska program avoids game population decimation, especially for moose and caribou “through a rigorously controlled, scientifically based system.”  To view the full letter, Click Here.
The USSA also shares Gov. Palin’s concerns over the ESA designation of polar bears as endangered. That decision was based largely on an unverifiable 50 year projection of what could happen as a result of global warming.
“Once again, Defender’s of Wildlife have chosen to engage in misleading emotional appeals in order to tarnish the reputation of Gov. Palin,” said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO.  “Whatever one’s politics, Gov. Palin should not be falsely accused of being anti-conservation when her actions were in concert with wildlife management professionals and verifiable science.”
Take Action!  Sportsmen can let Discovery Communications know that they support their production of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” by writing a letter to David Zaslav.
Inform him that Gov. Palin is regarded as a conservationist by those inside and outside the wildlife management community and the rhetoric coming from Defender’s reflects an unscientific, emotional appeal.  It fails to take into account the science supporting the wolf management program in Alaska as well as the lack of science used to place the polar bear on the endangered species list.
Mr. Zaslav can be reached at:
David M. Zaslav
President and CEO
Discovery Communications Inc.
One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
For more information, contact the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance at 614-888-4868 or email info@ussportsmen.org.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

Prois Hunting & Field Apparel Appoints Katherine Browne as New Pro/Field-Staff Coordinator!
At Prois, we take pride in surrounding ourselves with the best support staff. With that said, we are pleased to announce the addition of Katherine Browne, who will serve as Prois Hunting & Field Apparel’s new Pro-Staff Coordinator. “Katherine comes to the table with great people skills, a hunting background and an unsurpassed energy level.”, states Kirstie Pike, CEO of Prois. “We are thrilled to have her as part of our team and will be looking to her to run with our Pro-Staff program.” Pike explains.

Katherine, a resident of Gunnison, Colorado, is a lover of all things outdoors. She has become passionate about elk hunting and doesn’t miss a season in the hills with her fiancee’, Eric. As well, she is a flyfishing guide on the waters of the Gunnison Basin and can be found pounding the streams year round. She is the president and founder of the Gunnison Valley Chapter of the Colorado Women Flyfishers and is gaining a great following with her efforts to promote flyfishing among women. In addition, Katherine has a passion for falconry and spends endless hours training and hunting with her Kestrel, Kyra.

As Prois Pro-Staff Coordinator, Katherine will be working with Prois and all Pro/Field Staffers to continue to encourage women to enter the hunting and shooting sports. Afterall, at Prois- we take pride in NOT being one of the guys!

Chronic Wasting Disease

Copyright© 2010 by Anne Vinnola

  Chronic Wasting Disease is an increasing issue for hunters in the USA and new states such as Virginia are showing up with the problem. With a little education on the subject we can all find ways to combat the spread of CWD and hopefully work together with wildlife agencies begin to find a way to eventually help eradicate the disease from animal populations.

 CWD belongs to a group of diseases known as TSEs or Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or prion diseases. It resembles bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle (also known as “mad cow disease”) as well as Scrapie identified in sheep for over 200 years, but is a distinctly different condition.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. CWD causes a spongy degeneration of the brain of the infected animal, resulting in weight loss over weeks or months, excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, excessive thirst and excessive urination, behavioral changes. In some animals, ataxia and head tremors may occur. Cases of CWD occur most often in adult animals, but also have been found in yearlings.

 It is not known for sure how CWD is transmitted, possibly through feces, urine or saliva. It is thought to be transmitted from animal to animal laterally but can also be transmitted from mother to fetus. 

 According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, much is being done to address the problem and many states have implemented programs and regulations regarding the transportation of hunter-harvested deer and elk carcasses out of known CWD areas. Some of the strategies for control include; regulations in Colorado that allows only boned meat, quarters (without spinal column or head) or processed meat from deer or elk to be transported out of certain CWD areas.

Another option for managing CWD in wild populations is to reduce the density of animals in the infected area to slow the transmission of the disease. This is done by selective culling of animals suspected to have been exposed to the disease. In Colorado, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Saskatchewan, efforts are underway to drastically reduce local wild cervid populations in an effort to eliminate CWD in areas where it recently was found.

Regulations concerning commercial captive cervid operations vary from state to state. The regulatory authority resides with the state agricultural or animal health agency, in some with the state wildlife management agency, and in some the authority is shared between agricultural and wildlife management agencies. When CWD is detected in a captive cervid facility, generally that facility is quarantined and all captive cervids in that facility are killed.

The WHO, World Health Organization has reviewed the latest research and currently believes that CWD is not transmitted to humans. The WHO website states “It is advised that any tissue which may come from deer or elk with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD, a transmissible spongiform disease of North American mule deer and elk) is not used in animal or human food; however, at this time there is no evidence to suggest that CWD in deer and elk can be transmitted to humans.”  However, health and wildlife officials advise caution. Hunters are encouraged not to consume meat from animals known to be infected. Hunters should take common sense precautions when field dressing and processing deer or elk taken in areas where CWD is found. A map from the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance (www.cwd-info.org) shows the affected areas of CWD. MAP

 Some recommended precautions for carcass handling are:

•  Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that appears sick; contact your local wildlife authorities.
• Wear rubber gloves when field dressing and processing animals.
• Bone the meat from your animal.
• Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues, and wash hands.
• Disinfect knives, saws and cutting table surfaces by soaking in a solution of 50 percent chlorine household bleach and 50 percent water for an hour.
• Thoroughly rinse all utensils in water to remove the bleach. Afterward, allow them to air dry.
• Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
• Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, pancreas and lymph nodes of harvested animals. Normal field dressing, coupled with boning out a carcass, will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.
• Do not consume meat or organs from animals known to be infected with CWD.

For more information please contact your local wildlife offices or the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance at www.cwd-info.org.  The mission of the CWD Alliance is to promote responsible and accurate communications regarding CWD, and to support strategies that effectively control CWD to minimize its impact on wild, free-ranging cervids including deer, elk, and moose.

Prois Hunting & Field Apparel Announces Primal Adventures “Extreme Huntress” Contest Winner at SHOT Show…Congratulations REBECCA FRANCIS!

Field Care Tips for Wild Turkeys

Copyright © 2010 by Anne Vinnola

 So you are heading out for a gorgeous day of turkey hunting. Are you prepared for having your turkey mounted by a taxidermist? Many turkey hunters don’t go past the kill part of their planning, they assume they are just going for the meat and are not prepared when a trophy walks into shooting view.

Turkeys are impressive mounted in a home. Here are some tips to help you get your turkey to the taxidermist in the best shape for a beautiful showpiece for your home or office.

Hopefully you have checked out the taxidermists in your area months before hunting season. Not every taxidermist is good at birds. Birds and fish are some of the more difficult specimens to do well. Look carefully at the turkeys in the taxidermy shop you visit. Balance is very important in a turkey mount. Does the bird appear to be ready to fall over or stumble sideways or does it look right for the position it is in? You as a hunter have a pretty good idea of how a turkey should look.

When aiming at your bird, try to wait for a shot that will not damage the fan. This seems obvious but many hunters get busy watching the tail feathers and shoot holes right through their trophy; sort of like hunters watching the racks on large bucks. The head can be replaced if necessary, but the tail feathers are harder to match.

Get over to your bird right away after you have shot it. You will want to prevent any possible thrashing around that may get the turkey dirty or harm the feathers. 

 Carry the bird by the legs not the neck. Keep it out of the dirt and weeds and if it is still bleeding place cotton or paper towels into the mouth to stop the blood flow.

Cool your turkey completely.  NEVER place a warm bird in a plastic bag, cooler or other tightly sealed container. Put it into a cool shady place with a breeze, opening up the wings and legs a bit if possible until it s thoroughly cooled.  

Decide what you want to do with your bird. Do you want a full body mount or just a fan display?  Full body turkeys are very impressive and showy and one you are going to have mounted in a full body mount really should be kept intact until you get it to the taxidermist; but you can free the breast meat only to use it if you follow these steps.

1.  Weigh the bird, so the taxidermist will know what size body to place back into the bird.

2. Place the bird on its back on a clean surface and find the line on the breast just under the beard, where there aren’t any feathers and begin your incision; cutting just deep enough to cut through the skin.

3. Cut with your clean knife facing up downward toward the vent being careful not to cut feathers. Stop your incision just above the vent. 

4. With your fingers and gently work the skin away from the breast working your way toward the back.

5. With a sharp knife remove the breast meat only from the carcass and set aside.

6. Place damp paper towels into the bird and place into a bag, keeping it dry and cool.

7. Take it to the taxidermist immediately or freeze it.

 If you will need to ship your turkey or haul it far then take some cardboard to wrap around the tail feathers or to sandwich the tail feathers, to keep them from becoming bent or frayed.

Save the spurs and the beard of your turkey and if you like the shotgun shell or arrow used to kill the bird also. A fan mounted with the beard is beautiful and the spurs are also a fun bragging piece.

When looking for a place in your home to display your bird, be sure there is no direct heat source such as a fireplace or furnace vent close by or anyway for dogs to get at it.

 Wild Turkey and Rice Soup

 Two turkey breasts cut into bite sized pieces.

3-4 stocks of celery chopped,

1 small can water chestnuts chopped

One small onion chopped

1 box or 3 cans of chicken broth

1 tbs. parsley

½ tsp. sage or poultry seasoning

½ tsp. rosemary

1 tsp black pepper

Dash salt

1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend

Dried cranberries, sliced onion and chopped walnuts for garnish

________________________________________________________________

Saute’ turkey breast, celery and onion together until the celery and onion are transparent and the turkey slightly browned.

Add broth, parsley, sage or poultry seasoning,rosemary, pepper, salt and rice and simmer until rice is tender.

Just before serving add chopped water chestnuts. 

Serve in large bowls with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and green onions as garnish.

Tell us what you think! Do you like the recipe and how can you use this field care info? 

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Camp Chef ~ SHOT SHOW Goodies!

Camp Chef's Hot pot keeps hot water at your fingertips!

The Camp Chef Dutch Oven Dome turns your dutch oven into a convection oven.

 For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of Camp Chef, you need to look this company up right now! This is THE way to cook outdoors.

 Camp Chef started in 1990 when engineer Ty Measom realized that there was little available for outdoor cooking. He designed the DB-60D a powerful 2 burner stove with shelves and with the huge success of that item he began offering more products for outdoor cooking.

Fast forward several years to the Hot Pot, this is a great item for any outdoor kitchen.  Made of steel with an enamel coating both inside and out including a steel lid to retain heat, this pretty red pot heats 20 quarts of liquid easily, another great feature is the spigot on the side that dispenses water for hot chocolate, spiced cider, broth or washing dishes easily and quickly.

The Hot Pot is sturdy, attractive and retails for around $54.

The Dutch Oven Dome is an ingenious product that turns your cast iron dutch oven into a convection oven. I watched the video online at the CampChef.com website and the Dome makes dutch oven cooking SO easy! It comes in a kit with a “flame tamer” that spreads out the flame, along with the dome itself that is made of the same flame resistant material used by firefighters.

The Dutch Oven Dome retails for approximately $38.

Camp Chef is also releasing several exciting new products this year! Watch AnnieGotHerGun.com for more info!