Looking For a Few Replacement Bloggers

From time to time bloggers leave the organization or some scale back from 2 blogs to authoring 1. Instead of deleting the blogs, there is usually some great content in there and so we look for new bloggers to step in. So right now we have a few openings for some current blogs which will need new authors. Check out the following below and if you are interested please contact us at admin@skinnymoose.com

Nutria News - Hunting and fishing news out of Louisiana. We prefer to find somebody who resides in Louisiana to keep us up to date on issues in the state. If you live near the state but hunt there then let us know.

Rubbin’ is Racin’ - This is a NASCAR blog. We are looking for someone to blog about racing and keep us informed on things happening with the sport.

Maine Guides Journal - We are looking for a registered Maine Guide who would be interested in blogging about their guide service by providing success stories, news about things surrounding being a Maine Guide, and posting pictures of hunts.

Skinny Moose Media’s Rick Kratzke Interviews Terry Drury of Drury Outdoors

Rick Kratzke, author of the Skinny Moose Media blog Tails and Trails and Northeast Regional Director for U.S. Hunting Today was able to get an interview with Terry Drury of Drury Outdoors.

Rick - First off I would like to say that I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me and Skinny Moose Media. I would also like to say in my opinion that you and Mark produce the best video’s and television shows on the market and I for one have quite a few and look forward to adding to my library as they come out.

Terry - You are more than welcome and I thank you for the compliment.

Rick - When did you and your brother Mark start producing video’s?

Terry - We starting back in 1988 and it has just grown from there.

Rick - With all the series you have started how many hunting teams would you say you have working right now?

Terry - From North to South and East to West we have anywhere from 25 to 30 teams working at one time. We cover the whole continental U.S.

Rick - How much time would you say you spend on the road?

Terry - Between hunting, shed hunting, scouting with the wildlife eye’s, planting food plots, and doing shows I would say anywhere from 7 to 8 months out of the year I am on the road.

Rick - How does your family cope with you being gone so much?

Terry - My wife Willa has grown up with hunting and the kids are older now so they are very accustomed to it. We do spend time as much as possible. Willa and I live about an hour South of St. Louis which is where are main office is and brother Mark live in St. Louis where our distribution office is, that is where we do all our editing and shipping and receiving.

Rick - Out of all the states you have hunted in do you have a favorite?

Terry - We started hunting in Iowa which is full of sparse fields and small blocks of timber with some agricultural crops and CRP fields. So to answer your question I would have to say Iowa, that state will always hold a special place on both our hearts.

Rick - What type of weapon do you prefer to hunt with?

Terry - I would have to say Bow. It is more challenging to try and harvest a mature whitetail with a bow because they have to be so close and to try and outwit them with their keen senses can be difficult.

Rick - I know you and Mark are very busy but, how often do you get to hunt together?

Terry - Not as often as we would like. Years ago we use to hunt together all the time but as the busy grew and the demands got bigger we sort of had to split up to take care of things. We still do hunt together but not as much. Sometimes we only see each other back in camp. Sometimes we will get the chance in maybe Iowa, Missouri or Illinois.

Rick - What would you say is the biggest challenge in producing these types of video’s?

Terry - I would have to say “continuing to improve” is the hardest part. There are so many factors that go into making a video especially hunting. We have to constantly watch the weather for fronts coming in as well as high pressure systems. Watching the barometer, whether it is falling or rising and also the moon phase plays a huge part so you try to get all those factors to fall into place and keep the level of quality that everyone expects keeps us continuing to improve.

Rick - Hunting across the country like you do how would you say the deer population is?

Terry - I feel that possibly the doe’s are not being harvested as much as they should. It can be so hard on deer when there is more mouths to feed than there is food. That is why it is so important to try and manage the deer herds in your area. If hunters can practice game management and take some doe’s and let the younger buck’s grow to maturity than the deer density will only improve.

Rick - I totally agree with you. By watching your series 100% wild 100% fairchase vol.2 which is called Upper End Management I started this process last year by passing up a 2 1/2 year old 8 point and I believe I saw him this year just last week and he is now 3 1/2 years old and has 10 points, and his body mass has grown considerably.

Terry - I surely hope it pays off for you this year.

Rick - You have branched out into television with the “Dream Season” and “Wildlife Obsession” shows which Ive seen on the Outdoor Channel. Do you have anything new coming out for the future?

Terry - Actually Yes we do. Next season starting in July we will have 3 shows, the two that are showing now plus one more. I am sorry but, I am not able to tell you more about it at this time.

Rick - I understand and will surely keep an eye out for it next year.

Terry - I hope you do.

Rick - I want to thank you again for taking the time to answer a few questions and I look forward to seeing more of your productions.

Terry - You are very welcome and Good luck to you.

Turn That Computer Off And Get Out Into Your Community

There are ways to promote your blog and who you are when that computer is turned off. Unplug that thing and head out into the community. Go to shows, events, and just talk to people. Hand them a business card with contact information and your website link.

Another idea, is to submit editorials to local newspapers and talk about something that concerns you in what you are doing. Make sure to leave your name and drop your blog title. For instance, if I felt there was a lot of negative light being shed on the sport of hunting and I had an opinion, I could submit an editorial to my local newspaper and educate readers on the facts about hunting. Then at the end make sure to have them say:

Steve Remington
President/CEO
Skinny Moose Media

Try not to over do this. Maybe submitting an editorial once every month or every 2 months will do.

But show up to events, submit articles to local newspapers who are dying to get a story, take pictures, meet new people, and have a good time doing it. There is so much more you can do than sitting down at your computer each day and typing in a hunting or fishing tip, or telling how you caught that big fish back in the 60’s.

What else can you do offline? Can you think of anything?

How about go do an interview with a local resident. Maybe interview someone who owns a local gun shop or someone who is a Game Warden. Talk about the issues that matter. Snap a picture of you and them shaking hands. Why not bring your friend along to film it? Upload that puppy to YouTube and then embed it into your blog?

Let’s see… what else?

Got ideas on how to further your blogging offline? Shoot me an email at steve@skinnymoose.com with your ideas. When I get a few emails I will post up all the ideas in the form of a blog post. So make sure to provide a link to your blog, your first name, and what city you are from.

New Category - Health and Fitness

Skinny Moose Media is proud to announce a new blog channel being launched today… The all new Health and Fitness channel. Welcome Heather Chapman to her new blog at Heather’s Feathers. She will be blogging about health. Please head over to her blog and welcome her to the Network.

The following is a little bit about Heather:

Hi, my name is Heather i am from Southern Illinois. I run a ebay business, and i also scrap for a living. I enjoy digging old bottles out of old dump sites. I have a nice collection of 1800’s bottles. I also enjoy going to auctions, and buying and selling antiques. I live in a small town called Carmi, Illinois has a population of about 5,000 people if that. Not much here anymore. There is alot of hunting going on around here though. There is a small town about 10 miles out of Carmi called Dog Town or on the map it is Riseing Sun, there are alot of deer to see in the Dog Town hills. I like the albino deers there. There is one that is friendly and lets you feed it and pet it. Once in a while you get to see a bunch of wild turkeys go across the road at Dog Town to. I never had the opportunity to have anyone teach me how to hunt but have always thought i would like it. I like to fish for catfish though.
Thats some good eating with some fried taters, corn bread, and a big onion eahh. Well hope you all enjoy my blogs, looking forward to writing them. Heather…

Support the Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Flash the following Badge in support of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit. Place this on your blog or website anywhere and link it to: http://outdoorbloggerssummit.blogspot.com

What is the Outdoor Bloggers Summit? Head over to their blog to learn more, but in a nutshell their goal is to form an annual event where hunting, fishing, and outdoor bloggers, like the ones here at Skinny Moose Media, can get together, learn more about blogging, and meet each other. We hope to hear more on some of their goals shortly.

Link to Skinny Moose Media From Your Site

Thanks to Bill Anderson of Muskoka Outdoors for creating a few banners for us. We have had some made up for a while and he recently made up a few more. We plan to get a few more made up soon. Feel free to place any of these banners on your site and link it to the main site here. We are always looking for new bloggers. For those who place a banner on their website please send me an email and each week I will post a roundup and link to those new people linking over.

Here is one we use a lot for our campaigns. You have probably seen this one before:

Bill made up this nice vertical banner:

You can choose any banner from this page. We plan to update it as we create more.

Maine Web Report Joins Skinny Moose Media

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post called Further Your Career From Blogging where I gave an example of how Lance Dutson, author of Maine Web Report, furthered his career from his blog. He was credentialed by the Media Bloggers Association to enter the Scooter Libby trial as a legitimate form of press. Lance is now the Director of Internet Strategy for the campaign to re-elect Maine Senator Susan Collins.

Maine Web Report is now part of the Skinny Moose Media blog network. Skinny Moose Media is primarily a hunting, fishing, and outdoor blog network, but we also have added a few “off-topic” blogs to help diversify a bit. We plan to remain 90% in the outdoor niche but from time to time you may see some other blogs getting added to the Network.

So welcome Lance Dutson, author of Maine Web Report to Skinny Moose Media.

Skinny Moose Media To Receive Press Passes for the ATA Show

One of Skinny Moose Media’s goals is to attend events and shows as Online Journalists and report news as a valid media source. In January, the ATA Show will be taking place in Indianapolis, IN. Skinny Moose Media Field Journalists will be attending the ATA Show, and also meeting with and interviewing business owners and exhibitors… so that we can bring you the latest breaking news on new products and the industry as a whole.

John Stabley, Chief Marketing Director of Skinny Moose Media & U.S. Hunting Today, who worked hard so that we can acquire these press passes says:

“This is a great opportunity for us. I have attended the show several years. Events like this is where the news is. This is a Great Show to make contacts, see new product lines and even test some of them out. Some of the nicest people you ever want to meet will be at the ATA Show.”

Tom Remington, co-owner of Skinny Moose Media and author of the Black Bear Blog had this to say about it:

“To obtain press passes for the ATA Show is a major accomplishment for not only Skinny Moose Media but for outdoor bloggers everywhere. It is difficult to get recognition industry wide of bloggers as a viable media resource and outlet. I am thrilled!”

So for those who are attending the Show, we will see you there!

Skinny Moose Media Donates Advertising Space to “Hunt of a Lifetime”

Update: Marshall MacFarlane, Southwest Marketing Director for U.S. Hunting Today and author of Desert Rat sits on the Arizona Hunt of a Lifetime team as Public Information Officer and got the ball rolling for us to actually make this happen.

——————

John Stabley, Chief Marketing Director for Skinny Moose Media & U.S. Hunting Today, had an opportunity to interview Tina Pattison, Founder of Hunt of a Lifetime.

“Hunt Of A Lifetime” is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grant hunting & fishing adventures and dreams for children age 21 and under, who have been diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. We are doing what we can to make a difference in their life, a dream come true. Tina has done a remarkable job of bringing smiles to children’s faces and making their dreams come true.

John: How did you come up with the idea of Hunt of a Lifetime Tina?

Tina: Everyone needs something to look forward to, and Matthew Pattison understood that better than most folks his age. The Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, 19-year old succumbed to the ravages of Hodgkin’s disease, but not realizing his dream of hunting moose with his father, Chet.

Matt had hunted with his dad since he was a young boy. And when he was diagnosed with cancer his stepmother, Tina Pattison, began searching for an organization that could grant Matt’s moose hunt aspiration. Sadly, she learned that most organizations that specialize in such good works won’t sponsor hunts because of pressure from animal-rights groups. So she called outfitters and everyone else who would listen, telling her son’s story, trying to find someone who could help.

She was running out of options when, in August 1998, she got a call from the Wyoming chapter of Safari Outfitters, telling her a Canadian man had agreed to sponsor a moose hunt that September for Matt and Chet. What’s more, between the Wyoming group and Clayton Grosso, the Alberta outfitter, all expenses would be covered; airfare, license fees, meat processing and shipping, everything. Matt’s dream came true when, on the first day of his hunt, he bagged a big bull with two shots from his rifle

His success would be an uplifting message in itself, but the story doesn’t end there. Motivated by her own family’s trials during Matt’s illness, Tina Pattison has now established a new organization, Hunt of a Lifetime, that grants hunting and fishing trips to seriously ill children.

To her, it just seemed like the right thing to do, really, “trying to keep all that going. I don’t ever want to see another mother go through the channels I had to go through. I want it to be a simple phone call, ” she says.

Hunt of a Lifetime is a fully chartered, nonprofit organization, ready to accept any support that would make other youngsters’ dreams come true. Tina has experience in such matters, too. She’s the Erie County, Pennsylvania, Special Olympics fundraising coordinator. She’s established a trust fund and is seeking donations of money, outfitting services, frequent flyer miles, anything that might help. “We’re looking for everything.” Tina says. “Right now my biggest concern is airplane tickets.” The organization could use a new computer, too, she says; one with lots of memory and a CD drive. The old family PC simply won’t cut it, anymore.

John: How long have you been donating your time to the program?

Tina: 8 Years now

John: What can other people do to help Hunt of a Lifetime?

Tina: Outfitting, fishing guide, frequent flyer miles, volunteering & fundraising.

John- Has it been to difficult to find sponsors and outfitters?

Tina- No, once we get the media to write or publish our story’s or video’s on TV.

John: It has to be an amazing feeling to make a child’s dream come true. Can you share one experience with us?

Tina: Matt Riley our first kid.

Reflecting gratitude in God’s blessings, Roger Davenport and his wife Sue invited a 14-year-old boy suffering from brain cancer to hunt at their game preserve south of Three Lakes. Perfect conditions led to a perfect shot for Matthew Riley of Cedar Grove last Saturday, granting a perfect wish.

Davenport, owner-manager of the preserve, led Matthew and his father, Richard, into a deer blind set up for a south wind.
It turned out to be perfect,” said Davenport. “Four mature eight-point bucks came in from the south and Matthew took a shot at the leader, but missed. As it turned out, another buck stood in a semi-protected area, which worked out perfectly. Matt hit him just behind the left shoulder and he dropped.

Children facing life-threatening illnesses often make special requests to spend a day at Disney or some other fantasy.
Organizations such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation helps those children achieve their last wish. But for children who want to go hunting or fishing, this organization is unable to help, according to Tina Pattison of “Hunt of a Lifetime,” an organization based in Pennsylvania.

Matthew was diagnosed with brain cancer recently and has undergone surgery as well as chemotherapy. Richard Riley, Matt’s father, told a friend at church of Matt’s wish to go hunting. The friend contacted Pattison who made arrangements with Davenport. When we were asked if we’d be willing to participate in this project, we felt this would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the many blessings we’ve received since we opened this place,” said Davenport.

Davenport agreed to waive the usual fee of $2,800 and Jim Wendt, a taxidermist in Sayner, has agreed to mount the deer at no cost. He also plans to provide a special hunt next year for disabled hunters and he said he will participate in Hunt of a Lifetime again. Three Lakes Preserve is located at 5807 Branham Road, south of Three Lakes. The reason is because he is our first & carry’s the name of my son who this is in memory of.

John: How can someone become a State Ambassador or volunteer.

Tina: They must fill out a questionnaire, references must be impeccable & we will get them going from there.

John: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule for me.

Tina: God Bless Tina

Skinny Moose Media & U. S. Hunting Today has donated $14,000 worth of Advertising Space throughout our entire online network to Hunt of a Lifetime (HOAL). HOAL ads will appear on all forums, blogs and on the e-magazine.

John Stabley, Chief Marketing Director of Skinny Moose Media/U.S. Hunting Today stated…

“This is an Outstanding Program. I am proud to do what ever I can to help HOAL in any capacity. I hope that others in the outdoor industry will follow suit. In fact, I challenge them to!”

John spoke to Steve Remington, President of Skinny Moose Media/ U.S. Hunting Today about donating a National Advertising Package to HOAL. He was all for it. Steve said…

“I would be proud to be associated with such an organization as Hunt of a Lifetime. They are a noble organization, and I look forward to a long lasting relationship with them.”

“Hunt Of A Lifetime” is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grant hunting & fishing adventures and dreams for children age 21 and under, who have been diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. We are doing what we can to make a difference in their life, a dream come true. Please visit Hunt of a Lifetime at http://www.huntofalifetime.org

Interview With J.R. Absher, The Newshound

J.R. Absher over at The Newshound agreed to an interview with me. J.R. is an outdoor writer and blogger for Outdoor Life, and also has been reporting news online longer than anyone else I know. His passion to share news about hunting and fishing is obvious. From time to time J.R. sends me news tips for our bloggers here at Skinny Moose Media and it is well appreciated. Enjoy the interview!

1 - J.R. how long have you been an outdoor writer?

Strictly in the outdoors (hunting/fishing/shooting) genre for about 25 years–newspaper and magazine work prior to that. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

2 - Can you tell us a little bit about where you started out as an outdoor writer, some of your journeys along the way, and where you ended up?

Went to work for PSE Archery company in Tucson, AZ in the early ’80s and produced a marketing/bowhunting magazine to promote the product and bow-and-arrow hunting. Did all the writing, editing, layout, production, photo work, etc. Also wrote press material and catalog copy.

From there I served as editor for the trade publication, Archery Industry Magazine (AIM), which also served as a marketing publication for the (now defunct) Bowhunting Trade Show. This was from 1992-95.

During this time I served as the press liaison for a state sportsmen’s organization that battled an anti-trapping voter’s initiative in Arizona with (at that time) an unprecedented $2 million campaign. That’s when I first became involved in hunting and outdoor political issues, and I’ve been a hopeless political junky ever since.

From 95-97 I was director of communication for the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America (which is now the US Sportsmen’s Alliance), in Columbus, OH. I left there and headed to the woods of Southern Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest, where I have been strictly freelancing ever since.

I won’t bore you with the magazines, Web sites, gun companies and other outfits I’ve written and consulted for in the past ten years. But today, in addition to my Outdoor Life blog and The Outdoor Pressroom Web site (which will celebrate 8 years online next month), I regularly write for print publications Outdoor Life, North American Hunter, North American Fisherman, Sports Afield, NRA Publications and Bowhunting World; with weekly online columns appearing on the Sportsman’s Guide and Mossy Oak Web sites. In addition, I serve as director of communications for the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) and as public relations director for the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA).

3 - Most of us are familiar with your blog over at Newshound. How are the dynamics different while maintaining a blog as an outdoor writer than the traditional style of writing?

Well, everybody who writes a blog does so for a different–and often personal–reason. Some bloggers offer more opinion, more politics or social commentary. But you know what they say about opinions. My current blog (as well as its predecessor over at ESPN.com and the one before that, outdoorweblog) tends to be more of compilation of outdoor news stories, with emphasis on the weird, wacky and absurd. With my heavy background in sportsmen’s issues and politics, there’s always plenty of that thrown in. But the main difference between the two writing genres is that blogging is far less structured, much more personal, and more free-flowing, without having to adhere to AP style or any specific format.

4 - Your blog takes on a journalistic nature where you report news; hence the name Newshound. Has it been difficult from time to time to find stories that are newsworthy or is the news usually fairly steady?

Finding the material is what I specialize in. Indeed it’s my forte’. I update my Outdoor Pressroom Web site with links to outdoor subjects every day. That’s why I started the site in the first place–because I was cruising the ‘net daily for material anyway, and I thought what I did would be beneficial to other outdoor writers and communicators. And it has. These days my site averages 37-40,000 individual link clicks each week.

5 - How do you like your new job with Outdoor Life?

I assume you mean as a regular blogger on the OL Web site–’cause I’ve been on the OL masthead as a contributing writer for about ten years now.

I love blogging there–I feel more comfortable there than I ever felt with ESPNOutdoors.com. For one thing, the blogging format is great and easy to use, and the interaction with readers is significantly increased. OL readers in general are hardcore hook-and-bullet folks who know the outdoors, equipment and the issues.

Despite a somewhat rocky and delayed start (I was scheduled to begin blogging about the time the surname Zumbo was simultaneously transformed into a noun, verb and adjective), I couldn’t be more pleased.

6 - Since you have been blogging, what would you say has been the most challenging task, and what would you say is the most rewarding aspect of blogging?

Perhaps the biggest challenge to all outdoor bloggers is understanding and comprehending what is genuinely newsworthy and important to outdoor enthusiasts and what is simply trivial and minutiae. There are appropriate subjects and items to rant about, and there are other times when it’s better just to write the facts and details and let the readers sort it out. I think my experience in print journalism helps me make that determination.

The most rewarding part is definitely hearing nice comments and receiving accolades from my peers and longtime writers friends. When an article in Outdoor Life a few years back referred to me as “the outdoor guru of the Internet,” that was real cool.

7 - You are an experienced blogger. Do you think that blogging has a significant impact on the hunting and fishing industry?

Not yet, but there’s certainly potential as more established outdoor industry folks, hunting/shooting/fishing writers, and dedicated individuals discover the medium.

8 - In your free time what is it you like to do?

Free time? Fishing, shooting and hunting are all part of gathering background material. Reading is research and inspiration. Getting together with other writers and industry folks is serious field work. Cooking game and gardening is basic sustenance. Backcountry excursions, jazz and classical music and sipping single malt scotch is considered necessary and therapeutic. Other than that, I have no free time.

Next Page »