NSSF Statement on Discarding Venison in North Dakota and Minnesota

For more than a century, hundreds of millions of Americans have safely consumed game harvested using traditional hunting ammunition. There is absolutely no peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support the unfortunate and unnecessary overreaction by North Dakota and Minnesota health officials, based on an unpublished study by a local dermatologist, to have food pantries discard perfectly good meat because it was taken with traditional ammunition. Furthermore, we question whether a dermatologist is even qualified to render these opinions, particularly in light of the absence of any scientific findings published by qualified experts. No systematic scientific or epidemiological evidence exists in the scientific literature to support conclusion that there is a human health exposure risk. The dermatologist study does not scientifically establish the existence of a health risk. For example, there is no blood test to show whether anyone who consumed venison acquired at a food panty has elevated lead levels, let alone that the venison was the source. The decision to take nourishing, high-protein food out of the mouths of the needy was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the chemistry of elemental lead and the human digestive system. The state is needlessly creating a scare upon hunters that has no basis in science. We strongly urge North Dakota and Minnesota health officials to reconsider their decision and for other states to base their public policy decision on sound science.

Warnings of lead in venison irk hunters

By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 29, 5:32 AM ET

BISMARCK, N.D. - Thousands of pounds of venison donated to food pantries this year has become a contentious gift in three states.

Officials in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa warn that the meat could be contaminated by lead from bullets. Hunting groups are calling it an overreaction.

“It’s alarmist and not supported by any science,” said Lawrence Keane, a vice president and lawyer for the Newton, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. “High quality protein is now taken out of the mouths of needy, hungry people.”

North Dakota health officials on Wednesday told food pantries in the state to throw out donated venison, saying it may have lead fragments. Officials in Minnesota and Iowa followed with similar alerts, asking that venison in those states not be distributed.

Gov. John Hoeven said the alerts were issued as a precaution. He said the state has a “tremendous working relationship” with hunters, and the questions raised about venison are new.

Safari Club International’s Sportsmen Against Hunger program donated 317,000 pounds of venison last year to the needy, said Doug Burdin, a lawyer for the Tucson, Ariz.-based group. The meat donated by hunters was enough for more than 1.2 million meals, he said.

“It’s provided a lot of free meals to a lot of people,” Burdin said. “Hunters are doing something they love and helping others at the same time. This is disheartening, and we certainly don’t think this program should come to an end on the unscientific assessment that has occurred here.”

Dr. William Cornatzer, a Bismarck physician and hunter, alerted health officials after he conducted his own tests on venison using a CT scanner and found lead in 60 percent of 100 samples. The North Dakota Health Department confirmed the results on at least five samples of venison destined for food pantries.

“This isn’t just a food pantry problem. This is a nationwide problem,” Cornatzer said Friday.

Hunters have alternatives to lead, he said. “I’m a big hunter. I’ve already purchased four boxes of copper bullets to next year,” Cornatzer said.

The North Dakota Community Action Partnership distributed 17,000 pounds of venison from 381 donated deer after last year’s hunting season, a number that has tripled since the program began in North Dakota in 2004, executive director Ann Pollert said. At least 4,000 pounds of venison were in food pantries in the state when the health department issued its warning, she said.

The state has about 45 food pantries, and surveys have shown a need for more than 70,000 pounds of venison annually, Poller said. She hopes people will donate other types of meat.

“Meat is so expensive,” she said. “This is going to have an impact — it’s a quality, lean meat protein source that we’re losing.”

Jason Foss, president of Minot-based Pheasants for the Future, said hunters from his group donated about 100 deer this year to the program. He believes the issue of lead-contaminated meat is “a little extreme at this point.”

“Sportsmen have been shooting deer for hundreds of years with lead bullets with no problems,” he said. “I hope this program keeps rolling along because so much good comes out of it.”

___

National Shooting Sports Foundation: http://www.nssf.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                Contact: Cory Johnson (614) 888-4868 ext. 214

March 25, 2008                                                      Sharon Hayden (614) 888-4868 ext. 226

Legislation To Remove Barriers

Introduces 87,000 to Hunting

(EDGEFIELD, S.C.) – Across the country, more than 87,000 new hunters have taken to the field thanks to laws that remove barriers to youth hunting.

The new laws and regulations are the direct result of the Families Afield initiative, which was launched to help turn the tide against waning youth hunter recruitment and decreasing license sales - a key source of revenue for state wildlife agencies.  The program was spearheaded by the NWTF and its partners, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. 

Together, with the support of the National Rifle Association and local sportsmen’s organizations, Families Afield is getting results.  As barriers to hunting are struck down in state capitals nationwide, a new generation is discovering America’s time-honored hunting tradition.  To date, 25 states have passed laws as a result of Families Afield.

In addition, a new research report from Mile Creek Communications shows that many states that have introduced apprentice license programs have shown sharp increases in youth license sales, from 10 percent to 111 percent.

“We are always looking for ways to open the door and invite new hunters in,” said Ohio Division of Wildlife Chief Dave Graham.  “Our apprentice license has really allowed us to put out the welcome mat.  And the best part of the project is that, just as our early research indicated, young hunters accompanied by a mentor are among the safest of all hunters.”

The apprentice license programs help new hunters learn under the watchful eye and guiding hand of licensed adult mentors.  Completion of a hunter education course is still required for a new hunter to become fully licensed.

Mik Mikitik, hunter education coordinator for the Washington Division of Fish & Wildlife, added that the programs have proven to be very popular, and are expected to gain popularity among novice hunters both young and old.

“What really surprised us here in Washington is that approximately 60 percent of the hunters taking advantage of these new opportunities are over 18 years old,” said Mikitik.  “So we’re seeing that all people, not just youth, are wanting to try hunting, and hopefully it’s something that they’ll enjoy for a lifetime.”

The new programs have garnered support from not only state wildlife agencies, but also lawmakers such as Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, who expressed his support for the mentoring system.

“This is how I learned to hunt, and how my son learned to hunt, and I think most hunters agree that it is the best way to pass on the tradition,” said Gov. Freudenthal. 

For more information about the NWTF visit the Web site at www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.

About the NWTF: In 1973, when the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded, there were an estimated 1.3 million wild turkeys and 1.5 million turkey hunters. Thanks to the work of wildlife agencies and the NWTF’s many volunteers and partners, today there are more than 7 million wild turkeys and nearly 3 million turkey hunters. Since 1985, the NWTF and its cooperators have spent more than $258 million upholding hunting traditions and conserving more than 13.1 million acres of wildlife habitat.

The NWTF is a nonprofit organization with more than 550,000 members in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.

For more information about the NWTF, call (800)-THE-NWTF or visit www.nwtf.org.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization 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.

I'm giving the guys at Pharis Custom Calls a shout out. Not only do they make awesome calls, their calls help us turkey hunters get those old toms!!

Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

In fact Im headed out now, today is the first day of turkey season here in Georgia.

The story of Randy Underwood and the members of Woody’s forum is truly one of
Hunters helping Hunters. Randy is a Florida sportsman who has spent a lifetime
enjoying the bounty of the north Florida swamps and woodlands. From small game
to alligators Randy has hunted them all over the years. An injury left Randy
with a fused spine and an amputated leg. Neither of these procedures went well
and the pain has limited his mobility as much as his amputation. Without the
assistance of friends and family Randy could not access the woods and swamps he
loves so much. Randy adapted to hunting from a ground blind but was totally
dependent on others for transportation and scouting. To regain his independence
and access to the woods would take equipment Randy lacked the finances to
readily acquire.

When the membership of Woody’s became aware of Randy’s circumstance they
responded with an all out effort to return one of their own to the woods. As
many involved want to remain anonymous we will continue the Woody’s tradition of
using forum screen names in telling this story. An electric cart was donated by
Mule69 and family. The cart had not been run in quite a while but provided a
great starting point for an off road cart conversion. Firewagon, another Woody’s
member from Florida volunteered to take on the overhaul and modification of the
cart for Randy. He and fellow members of the Winter Haven Fire Dept. would
completely overhaul and convert the cart to be a functional and reliable hunting
vehicle. Firewagon picked up the cart while visiting his Georgia hunting camp
and he and his firefighter friends set about the conversion.

Other disabled members of Woody’s forum provided insight to what would be needed
to get Randy back into the woods. Without a wheel chair that had running gear
capable of maneuvering off hard surfaces access would still be limited.
EagleEye, himself a disable hunter donated a light weight wheel chair that could
be equipped with the correct running gear. While Firewagon and his fire fighters
worked on the cart a fund raising effort to fund the wheel chair and cart
repairs was in full swing. The wheel chair under went a transformation as it
passed was from hand to hand of the Woody’s membership. Priveye, another
disabled hunter, refurbished it in camouflage paint. It then got RealTree
upholstery and powder coat rims. New bearings, puncture resist tubes and
aggressive tires adapted the chair for the woods.

This labor of love was not to be without its challenges. The electric system of
the cart seemed possessed and required professional attention to get it running
reliably. In the end the cart was refurbished with new batteries, wiring, heavy
duty controller, 4 inch lift kit, and 20 inch tires. Camo paint and powder
coating were donated by another Woody’s member. Woodyites also donated hunting
clothing, a cart gun rack, new battery charger and a storage canopy, as an
effort to care for one of their own.

No effort of this scale can be completed without appropriate funding. The Woody’
s membership raised $1,500.00 to fund parts and shipping of the equipment that
Randy needed. If you drop by Woody’s outdoor forum give a shout to Randy, screen
name BoxCallWillie, to hear of his latest hunting adventure in his new
equipment. Be patient in waiting for a response because, thanks to the
membership of Woody’s, Randy Underwood has returned to woods.

You can drop by the GON’s Woody’s Campfire here:

Ok we have an update on the Tree Glider that I posted about back in January (click here for first post) 

Tree GliderTM
by Wake Up OutdoorsTM

 The makers of the Tree GliderTM have finished their web site and it is here at http://www.treeglider.com/index.html

They also have a video of the proto type going up a tree.

BIG NEWS: TREE GLIDERTM IS POWERED BY INTERSTATE BATTERYTM!

Here is a news release I saw on the Outdoor Wire.

Donation marks three million meals through Hunters for the Hungry program

When a Knott County landowner killed four nuisance elk that were destroying a family cemetery earlier this month, no one realized that the meat donated to Hunters for the Hungry would eclipse the 3 million meals prepared benchmark since the beginning of organization’s 2001 partnership with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

David Montgomery, founder and president of the Christian-based Open Hand Community Food Pantry in Lawrenceburg, accepted approximately 800 pounds of processed and packaged elk meat Thursday, February 28, at the department.

The meat will go into chilies, soups, casseroles and will make about 6,400 meals in soup kitchens and pantries.

“This donation makes it more than 73,000 pounds of meat – deer and elk – that has been donated to Hunters for the Hungry just this hunting season,” said Kent Cooper of Hunters for the Hungry. “It puts us over the 3 million meals mark since our partnership began in 2001.

“It took us about 5 years, until 2006, to reach the 2 million mark,” he added. “It’s taken only another 16 months to reach 3 million. That’s all due to the participation of the hunting public. Our hunters are doing an excellent job.”

Montgomery said his Pantry has provided meals for 466 people from 267 families in the Anderson County area since it opened last August.

Photo (left to right): David Ledford of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Kent Cooper of Hunters for the Hungry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commissioner Dr. Jon Gassett, and David Montgomery of Open Hand Community Food Pantry loaded processed and packaged elk meat donated to Hunters for the Hungry by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

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The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.8 billion annually. For more information on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.

Media Contact:
Mark Marraccini (800) 852-0842 ext. 310

 The Disabled Sportsmen of Alabama will be having an accessible sporting clays shoot in memory of Mickey Roy on Saturday April 5^th, 2008.  Mickey was an ambassador for disabled hunters who passed away on his dream hunt in Africa just a few years ago.  Please go to the DSOA website for more info on the shoot.  The web address is http://dsoaonline.org/Mickey%20Roy%20SCC.pdf

Describing Mickey Roy  

    His best love of the outdoors was hunting, and he hunted all over this country… Trying to describe Mickey Roy is like a blind man describing an elephant. It depends on which facet of his life you are touching. One thing is sure: He was a man’s man, and as far as life’s experiences, he didn’t miss much. The fact that he was in a wheelchair most of his life never stopped him from living life to the fullest measure. When we were kids, we never considered that Mickey was handicapped. Mickey did everything everybody else did; he just did it from a wheelchair. He loved the outdoors. He was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico on his own boat for Billfish when there weren’t many people doing it. He would just lash himself in a chair and away him and his buddies would go. His best love of the outdoors was hunting, and he hunted all over this country, including Alabama. I have known Mickey for at least 40 years, as a friend and as a patient, and it really never dawned on me that Mickey was handicapped because he did most everything anyone else did. I would kid him that he just used that  wheelchair to get to go on some of these fantastic hunts for the handicapped that I couldn’t go on, and if I got a wheelchair, could I get invited, too?  He would just laugh, and at my office we didn’t get much work done because Mickey and I would end up talking about hunting and fishing and where we were going to go next. Last year, when Mickey found out that there was little hope for a recovery, he said to me, Doug, if I went tomorrow, I haven’t missed much that I’ve wanted to do, and until I go, I’m going to keep on doing what I want to do.” Two weeks after that statement to me, he was in Iowa hunting a big whitetail buck that he missed last year. His lifelong dream was to hunt Africa, and praise the Lord, he got to.  Not many people in this world go out doing what they love to do, and Mickey did. He was one of my heros and was an inspiration to all of us who knew him. I’ll bet the Good Lord just needed someone to manage the hunting and fishing up there, and Mickey fit the job description.  Don’ t Shoot Them All, Mickey! There Are Some More of Us Coming! —Doug Smith

Bayouland Buckmasters
6th Annual Sporting Clays Classic

  
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Cajun Elite Shooting Complex
Evangeline, LA

Free
Food, Beverages and Door Prizes
The event is designed to provide people with physical disabilities the opportunity to enjoy and participate in the shooting sports.
“All proceeds benefit disabled sportsman in our community”

Main Event Begins at 9:00 a.m.
Registration Starts at 7:30 a.m.
100 Targets
Teams of four shooters
(3 able-bodied shooters and 1 disabled shooter)
Shells are provided

Golf carts, mules and gators etc. are welcome

First, Second and Third Place Trophies will be awarded to Teams,                                   Able-bodied Individual, Disabled Individual, Youth and Ladies Divisions.
Awards will be given for Shotgun Games

Entry Fees are waved for disabled participants

Each shooter will receive a one year Buckmasters Membership

Disabled shooters, Ladies and Youths can shoot the Shotgun Games for free

Shotgun Games
Make-A-Break
Wobble Trap

For directions to the event go to: www.cajunelite.com 
or phone: 337-824-2110.

Free Sporting Clays Clinic Friday, April 18, 2008
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

21373 Highway 26 • Jennings, LA  70546 • 337-824-8179 • Fax 337-616-1718