Maine Trappers 1 – Animal Rights 0

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

Today I received a press release from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation that I would like to share with my readers. Ones again sportsmen and the supporting organizations have proven that when we stick together and argue with facts we win against animal rights. Read on!

Trappers in Maine won a major victory as the state’s Federal District Court upheld the state’s trapping practices and blocked the establishment of a precedent that could be used by anti-hunting and anti-trapping groups nationwide.
In 2008, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Wildlife Alliance of Maine filed a lawsuit against the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) seeking a permanent injunction that would have essentially prohibited trapping in the state. The lawsuit claimed that Maine’s trapping regulations violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because Canada lynx, a threatened species under the ESA, could be incidentally caught in traps causing “irreparable harm” to the population.

Throughout the case, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF), along with the Maine Trappers’ Association, Fur Takers of America, National Trappers’ Association , and several individual sportsmen, argued that the anti-trapping plaintiffs had to show that Maine’s trapping practices were a threat to the Canada lynx population as a whole. The plaintiffs insisted that harm to one individual lynx was sufficient for the Court to prohibit trapping in the state.

On November 10th, Federal District Court Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. ruled that Maine’s trapping practices did not irreparably harm the Canada lynx and denied the injunction sought by the anti-trappers. Further, the Judge agreed with the state and the USSAF that “irreparable harm” is harm to a species as a whole and not simply one individual member.

“Although the plaintiffs may appeal the ruling, the Federal Court’s decision is a monumental victory for the trappers in Maine and sets an excellent precedent that will make it harder for the antis to misuse the ESA in their attempts to ban hunting and trapping in other states,” states USSAF Vice President for Government Affairs Rob Sexton.

“We knew the evidence was on our side and are thrilled with outcome,” said Skip Trask, executive director of the Maine Trappers Association. “The USSAF’s legal assistance was invaluable to the favorable outcome.”

Read full article here.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Maine Trappers, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Trappers Win Court Case Against Anti Hunters, Press Release,

A happy day for Canadian gun owners

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

I am a bit late with this news but thought that my American readers would like to know that Canada’s gun owners finally can sigh a breath of relieve. The Firearm Registry is finally to be killed off.

The Firearm Registry required that every gun owner had to register any firearm they owned or acquired. Failing to do so was a criminal offence and could lead to having the guns taken away by the police. Canadian firearm owners had to endure the firearm registry for over a decade. The registry was introduced as a cosmetic touch in response to the December 1989 massacre of 14 women at a Montreal college. True to Liberal party thinking (then still in power) and the anti gun lunatic fringe of society the guns were to blame for the bloodbath not the killer.

The idea, faulty as it was, was that ones all the guns are registered, including all personal information of the owner, illegal firearms would just simply vanish and gun violence would end. Initially this cosmetic touch should cost taxpayers no more than two million dollars. But what do you know it ended up costing the taxpayers over two billion dollars and counting.

Any sane person would understand that just registering the guns alone would not prevent crime or illegal gun traffic. Since when do criminals register firearms? Even the police had to admit that there was not a single case known where the registry could be used to trace an illegal firearm used in a crime. As I just said, criminals do not register guns. However, that simple fact did not jell with the Liberal government, they just keep pouring more money into it.

When the Conservative party took over the government, Harper promised that he would kill the useless gun registry but since he only had a minority it was not as easy as he thought but finally it has happened. The Harper government finally could convince some of the more reasonable Liberals to see commonsense and support him to bring and end to Canada’s most expensive cosmetic application in recent history. The 164-137 vote in favour of Bill C-391 is a big victory for the Tories, who have been fighting for years to end what they call a "wasteful, inefficient" registry.

There are only a few left that will not see common sense and one of them is Michael Ignatieff who joined the Liberal party as their new leader and hopes one day to run for Prime Minister. Not if Canadians can help it. Ignatieff said that his Liberal party, who brought the long-run registry in, still support the gun control registry and believes in its value to control gun crime. That anti gun fanatic, the Major of Toronto, blows the same hot pro registry air. He cries that gun violence will go up if the registry is scraped. Funny thing is that all these years when Canada had a gun registry, Toronto’s gun related crime just went up, and up, and up… Could it be that the gun registry has eaten up so much money (two billion) that there was nothing left to hire more police officers? It seems obvious to me.

Although the first and important step is taken in killing the gun registry with an overwhelming nod from the parliament, there are still several hurdles to jump until we see the final burial service of the gun registry. There are some that say that the registry might resurface in a different from but somehow I don’t think so. The majority of Canadians are outraged about the amount of money it has cost them and they got absolutely nothing in return for it. I think, any politician, other than Ignatieff (he will just return to America if he fails) and a few other diehard anti-gun-advocates, will be very foolish to keep beating away on a dead horse and upset taxpayers even more then they already are.

It’s a good day to be a legal Canadian firearm owner again without been treated like a potential criminal and liability to society. Somehow and throughout the years I always believed that in the end commonsense would prevail. As for Harper, he will get my vote anytime. Harper and his Tory party worked for many years against all obstacles to make good on the election promise to scrap the registry, and so they did. It’s nice to know that there are still a few politicians left with a backbone.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Canada, Gun Registry, Gun Control , Harper, Canada Abolishes Firearm Registry

Two new states are added to the concealed handgun reciprocity list

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

The Sunday Gazette Mail reports that two more American states, Delaware and North Dakota, have added West Virginia to the concealed handgun reciprocity list. According to Managing Deputy Attorney General Tom Smith the signed agreement with Delaware should be back any day now.

Once the deal with Delaware is final, West Virginians with valid concealed weapons permits will be able to legally carry a hidden gun in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia under written agreements between West Virginia and those states.

While each day more American states recognize the inherent right of citizens to protect themselves against criminals and oppose the sweeping gun control plans of the federal government. Here in Canada, especially Ontario, legal gun owners have become the target of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and his rabbit anti gun boss, Toronto Mayor David Miller.

With broad sweeping statements and outright lies the pair blames legal gun owners for gun crimes. Since the day Harper became Canada’s Prime Minister he’s working on the abolition of the multi-million-dollar mess, called Firearm Registry. Miller and Blair, in an effort of scare mongering people, go public with statements that the Conservative government wants to abolish all gun control. Nothing could be further from the truth. Harper only wants to get rid of the gun registry that has terribly failed and costs taxpayers millions.

In a statement Police Chief Blair bragged that he assigned over 1,000 officers to the task of checking up on legal gun owners. In his mind that is how violent crime can be lowered. Of course we all know that the real problem of violent crime are the courts. The courts consistently refuse to punish criminals, often turning criminals back onto the streets before the ink on the police report is dry.

Having grown up in Switzerland I have learned at a very early age in life that when citizens are given the tools to make use of their God given right to defend themselves against criminal’s, crime will go down. Because as my father once said, “A criminal may not value your life but he sure as hell values his own. Knowing that he [the criminal] is likely to loose his life will make him think twice before committing a crime.” Which echoes a statement made by the late Swiss State President, “An armed society is a safe, free and polite society.”

Taking away the means of defense or even the tight to defend will not make for a safer society. Quite the opposite. There is nothing more appealing to a criminal then a defenseless victim. add to that the morally corrupt courts that seem to be more concerned with a criminals rights then that of the victim and it not difficult to figure out why crime is on the rise.

It seems that more and more American states understand that and begin to act upon, despite federal efforts to take guns away from legal gun owners.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Gun Control, Concealed Handgun Carry, Toronto, Concealed Handgun Reciprocity list

Wings over Canada – How ducks became a prominent feature of Canada

by Othmar Vohringer (Originally published in the Merritt News)

By Othmar Vohringer

We take it for granted when we see large numbers of ducks of all shapes and sizes congregating in city ponds, marshes, wetlands, and lakes or geese flying overhead in their characteristic “V” formation on their journey south.

So much so that it may be hard to imagine for the younger generation that this has not always been the case. About 60 years ago waterfowl were on the brink of extinction due to rapid urban expansion, pollution and the creation of agricultural croplands, which contributed to the disappearance of much of our wetlands – areas which are critical to waterfowl as feeding and breeding habitats.

As well, during the Dust Bowl years between 1930 and 1940, also known as the Dirty 30’s, North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. A group of dedicated sportsmen and conservationists decided not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl numbers continued to dwindle and so founded an organization in 1937 that became known as Ducks Unlimited (DU).

Less than 2 years after that historical event Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) was established in the year 1938. Considering that 70 percent of all North American waterfowl originates from Canada this was a smart conservation move. Since then other chapters have been established in Latin America, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia, making DU the largest waterfowl and wetland conservation organization in the world.

In North America alone DU has over 1,718 conservation projects running on more than 2.8 million acres of land. In order to create new habitat and restore wetlands more than 2,903 miles of shoreline has been created and the cubic yards of earth moved exceeds more than one million. The result of this massive undertaking didn’t take long to show the desired results. By 1944 waterfowl populations rose over 40% and have continued to rise up to the present day.

Waterfowl populations are now at their highest numbers ever. Ducks of different species flying along one of North America’s four major migration routes are estimated to be over 50 million strong. Add to that an estimated population of several million geese of different breeds and even the most oblivious among us will be impressed with the results.

Although Ducks Unlimited is primarily concerned with the conservation of waterfowl and their habitat, its benefits are far wider reaching. True to the DU motto, “It’s more than ducks”, song and wading birds, deer, beaver, muskrats, moose and bears among many other wildlife species have also benefited from those efforts.

Of course wildlife are not the only ones to benefit from wetland and marsh conservation. There are a vast array of plant species and insects that thrive near and around wetlands. Wetlands and marshes are critical to our rivers and lakes and with that to our fisheries and people. Far to few people are aware what a wide reaching positive impact the protection, conservation and reestablishment work of Ducks Unlimited has on our wildlife, habitat and people. It’s more than ducks. It’s an entire ecosystem.

As you can imagine ongoing conservation projects on such a grand scale costs many millions of dollars. Duck Unlimited relies entirely on private money donations and fund raising events organized by volunteers of the various chapters across Canada. To keep the running cost of such a large organization at an absolute minimum DU only has a few employees on the payroll. The rest are all volunteer workers.

Bill Otway, former Ducks Unlimited Provincial Chairman for six consecutive years and eight years on the national board of Directors told me recently that the organization spends over 90% of the money raised directly on conservation programs. According to Bill this is because: “Everybody, including the directors, are volunteers and have to pay their own expenses out of their own pockets to attend meetings, functions, and organization conventions.”

Bill also tells me that Ducks Unlimited has raised over one billion dollars and is well into the second billion. No other conservation organization in the world can match that conservation-funding feat. Ducks Unlimited today conserves, restores, builds and maintains in Canada alone over 6,679,810 acres of waterfowl habitat through volunteer work provided by the 100,000 strong Canadian memberships.

Despite the unparalleled achievements of Ducks Unlimited in bringing waterfowl back from near extinction to numbers never seen before the battle is not over; wetland loss continues in Canada. As much as 70 per cent of Canada’s original wetlands have been lost in some areas of the country.

As more of our precious and delicate nature disappears forever under the bulldozers it remains important to support the conservation efforts of Duck Unlimited in their never ending quest to conserve, restore and maintain important habitat that ultimately will benefit all wildlife and humans alike.

Join the Ducks Unlimited fund raising banquet event on October 30th in the Merritt Civic Centre knowing that your money will be spent on an important cause right here in the Thompson-Nicola region. Tickets are 50 dollars per person. The event starts off with cocktails at 6:00pm and dinner will be served at 7:00pm followed by an evening of fun, entertainment, silent auctions, raffle, door prizes and much more.

For more information about Ducks Unlimited Canada visit:
www.ducks.ca

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors


Rags: Ducks Unlimited, Canada, Wetland Conservation, Waterfowl, Ducks, Geese, Waterfowl Hunting

Zing Outdoors Productions Introduces New DVD

by Othmar Vohringer By Othmar Vohringer

I had the opportunity to watch volume I and II of Zing Outdoors new DVD releases. Follow the Zing Outdoor Production team as they pursue wild game in Montana, Alberta, British Columbia and many other places. Witness the success and frustration of real hunting, filmed as it happened in some of the most stunning landscapes North America has to offer.

Here are just some of the hunts that stand out for me. Jason Matzinger scouted hard and long to find a particular Big Horn Ram he named the “Copper King”. Watch as the hunt unfolds. First Jason tries to hunt the “Copper King” with bow and arrow. The Copper King would have made the Montana bowhunting state record, but it was not be. A few months later he tried again with the rifle and finally succeeds. This is real hunting and you’re part of it.

Another hunt I enjoyed is when the Matzinger team came to my home province of British Columbia in pursuit of caribou, grizzly bear and mountain sheep. The Zing Outdoors crew did a great job of showing the beauty of “my country” and the magnificent wildlife this world hunting and fishing destination has to offer.

Or how about the hunt for a mountain lion with traditional archery tackle in the middle of the Montana winter. The moment the dogs are let loose to the arrow hitting its mark you’re there. The action is so real that when the lion jumped out of the tree and landed almost on top of the hunter I was tempted to shout, “Watch out”

I could go on and list more hunts that stand out. But you just have to trust me when I say that I felt like I was right there hunting with the Zing Team. There are no commercials that interrupt the enjoyment of the video as you follow the pursuit of bear, elk, moose, caribou, antelope, mountain lion, turkey, mule deer and whitetail deer with bow, rifle, shotgun and muzzleloader.

It’s apparent from watching the video that the Matzinger family enjoys hunting and want you to be part of that enjoyment too.

If you love hunting as much as I do you will enjoy every minute of the Zing DVD volume I and II.

Find more information about Zing Outdoor Production on their website:
ZingOutdoors.com

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Hunting Video, Zing Outdoors, Video Production

Website Update

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

In case you all have been wondering what caused my absence from this blog. As usual I have been busy with earning a living and then there is the hunting season too. In the spare time we did some renovations on the house get the garden ready for next year, laid a new wooden floor in the living room and hallway.

After all that I still had a little time on my hand and used it up by completely redesigning my website. While I was at it I added a few new features to it, like “Ask Othmar”. This came about because I get a lot of questions from hunters by email or on my seminars. Many of the questions are similar, suggesting that many hunters have the same problem. So I thought to make my answers available to a wider circle of hunters by posting them on my website.

There are other new features and service that might be of interest to you as a hunter or company in the hunting industry. Go have a look at the new layout and design and let me know how you like it. This is also the perfect time to say a heartfelt thank you to my wife Heidi, without her professional input, design ideas and photography the website surely would not look as good as it does.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Othmar Vohringer Joins ASAT Camo® Pro-Staff Team

by Othmar Vohringer - For immediate release -

Merritt, September 24, 2009

Merritt, British Columbia, Canada – Othmar Vohringer announced today that he joined the Pro-Staff team of ASAT Camo®. Othmar said “I have been a ASAT camouflage user for many years. What convinced me about ASAT is the fact that it is one of the few camouflage patterns designed using animal vision science. After researching many different camouflage patterns in my own field tests I came to the researched conclusion that ASAT indeed is the choice of smart hunters.”

Highly respected by his peers, Othmar’s accomplishments as an outdoor writer, seminar speaker and hunting promoter will add to the reputation of ASAT Camo. “I am pleased to support ASAT any which way I can. As a convinced ASAT user I have the dedication and believability needed to promote the product convincingly.” Othmar said.

About ASAT
By the time ASAT Camo began back in 1986, Jim Barnhart and hunting buddy Stan Starr Jr. had already come to some definite conclusions about how hunting camouflage should look. The two did not start out to get into the camo business -- ASAT (All Season All Terrain) camo was developed after almost twenty years of exhaustive research in all parts of North America, in all four seasons of the year.

Stan and Jim believed that a lot of camo available at the time had been designed like fishing lures - to catch the hunter rather than help catch the quarry. They knew that just because a pattern looks good in a store or in a small isolated field situation, it doesn't mean that it will work well under all conditions and at all times of the year. What Stan and Jim ultimately decided to do was develop a camo pattern that would be good at all times, in any environment, to fool any game animal or bird. It was a tall order, but the pair felt that they had succeeded with ASAT. Obviously, many hunters felt and still feel, the very same way.

Today, over 20 years later the same pattern continues to turn hunter's heads, with it's light khaki tan background and contrasting, curved striped shapes. Hunters wearing ASAT realize they have effective camo for virtually all conditions - from bright direct sunlight - to the low light of early morning/late evening - to cloudy overcast days and most every hunting condition in between.

Whether you are attempting to hide in rocks, trees, limbs, bushes, leaf edges and more, ASAT continues to deliver - with a promise. We at ASAT are so confident in our camouflage that we are offering an impressive guarantee: If any customer wears ASAT exclusively for one year and doesn't see more game than they ever have wearing anything else, we will buy your garment back. More information about ASAT is available at:
www.asatcamo.com

About Othmar Vohringer
Life long hunter using bow, crossbow, rifle and muzzleloader in the pursuit of his favorite game animals, the whitetail deer and wild turkey, conservationist, outdoor writer, seminar speaker and registered hunter education instructor of British Columbia, Othmar has spent a lifetime promoting hunting and recruiting young and new hunters. More information about Othmar is available at:
www.othmarvohringer.com

Court Asked To Censor Hunting and Fishing Imagery?

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

Once again the US government tries with the help of the courts to censor our right of expression. This is important to all outdoor writers, photographers, hunting video producers, and hunting, and fishing blog/website owners. If the following case is decided against us we’re doomed. Please take note and act today.

Press release from POMA

JOHNSTOWN, PA. - The Professional Outdoor Media Association, a professional organization of traditional outdoor sports journalists and hunting and fishing industry professionals and organizations will participate in an audio news briefing today, September 24 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

POMA will discuss a case in which the government is asking the Supreme Court for the power to censor hunting and fishing imagery, creating a new exception to the First Amendment for the first time in 25 years.
At issue in U.S. v. Stevens, No. 08-769, is a 1999 federal law that makes it a crime to create, sell or possess videos and other depictions of cruelty to animals. The case arose over the conviction of a Virginia man, Robert Stevens, who received a three-year prison sentence from a Pennsylvania court for selling videos that included scenes of hunting with dogs. The Justices will hear arguments in the case on Tuesday, October 6.
In addition to working with the Washington, D.C., Jones Day Law Firm to file a brief on behalf of its members, Laurie Lee Dovey, POMA's executive director, coordinated a larger group of amici from a wide range of constituencies.

The American Society of Media Photographers, North American Nature Photographers, Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, Texas Outdoor Writers Association and more than 600 individual journalists, outdoor industry professionals and sportsmen joined POMA's brief.

POMA members, such as the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and others filed individual briefs on behalf of their members.
The speakers at the audio news conference are:

David Horowitz, Executive Director, Media Coalition
Laurie Lee Dovey, Executive Director, Professional Outdoor Media Association
Joan Bertin, Executive Director, National Coalition Against Censorship
Chris Finan, President, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
Doug Burdin, Litigation Counsel, Safari Club International

Read more.


Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Labor Day Weekend Fun

by Othmar Vohringer © By Othmar Vohringer

We had a great time on the Labor Day Weekend. Here in Merritt it’s the Weekend of the fall fair and the rodeo with a jam packed program. The event starts with a pancake breakfast in the town square followed by a parade, which this year was canceled for some reason.

Heidi entered the fall fair exhibition with a fine collection of her amazing photography and computer-generated artwork. For weeks Heidi searched through her huge image files to choose the very best she had to offer. When I saw the finalists staked up in her office I knew that she had a few winners. On Saturday when we went to the fall fair exhibition to see what everybody else had on display I was blown completely away by the fact that Heidi cleaned the awards up.

Every single photo and art piece made either first place, second or third place with the exception of two that made nothing and one honorable mention. To say I was mighty proud of my wife is an understatement. The fall fair is always interesting, there is so much to see and admire. Besides photography and art there were other crafts on display, preserved homegrown food, flowers, vegetables, 4-H livestock and projects, and so much more. It’s truly amazing what people do in their spare time. I only wish more young people would get involved in such community events.

On Sunday we went to the rodeo which, for me is always the highlight of the fall fair. Rodeo is just about the only sport that interests me. This years highlight was however the success of my wife. Nothing can compare to that. Yep, we have had a great weekend. There is nothing like living in a small town with an active community spirit. Can’t find that in the big city.

Read more about the fall fair and Heidi's exhibition here and here you can see a few of her award winning images.
To see Heidi's awesome photography and learn more about her photography services visit her website.

Here I leave you with a few pictures from the rodeo
Photos © By Othmar Vohringer

I just took that shot a split second before the cowboy joined his hat on the ground.





Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Roger Raglin – All new programming on the Pursuit Channel for 2010

by Othmar Vohringer Roger Raglin, respectfully referred as “America’s Whitetail Deer Hunter” has long been one of my favorite hunting celebrities with his patented “Jiminy Christmas” and so it is with joy that I provide to you the following media release.

LUVERNE, Ala. - The Pursuit Channel proudly announces the addition of award-winning outdoor TV producer Roger Raglin to the 2010 lineup.

An over 20-year veteran of outdoors television, Raglin will be bringing a brand new hunting show to Pursuit. "My goal is to produce a show that's entertaining, informative and easy to watch," said Raglin. "I think the Pursuit Channel is lining up the right folks to make this network a network sportsmen can't wait to watch. With the addition of Mossy Oak, Hank Parker, Keith Warren, and others, I'm thrilled they've invited me to join this elite group of outdoor giants."

Pursuit has recently welcomed a wealth of leading producers to a dramatically upgraded 2010 lineup. Mossy Oak recently announced its commitment of resources to branded, destination blocks of programming, anchored by their award-winning, popular programs. Leading producers including Hank Parker, Keith Warren, the NWTF, QDMA and many others have also committed to Pursuit.

Rusty Faulk, CEO of Pursuit network said, "We couldn't be more excited to have Roger join the Pursuit team. Not only is he an outdoor icon he also brings good wholesome entertainment that the entire family can watch, ethical and safe hunting practices and professional production value. He'll be a great fit here."

"Roger has been in outdoor television longer than me, and that's really saying something," said Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland with Mossy Oak Productions. "I'm anxious to see what he is going to deliver to Pursuit next year. I'm just excited to see all these great producers joining us on the Pursuit Channel, a network that is producer friendly and focused on 100-percent hunting and fishing programming."

Look for Roger Raglin's new show 3rd quarter of 2010. For information on how you can get Pursuit Channel in your home, call 334-335-6926 or go online to www.pursuitchannel.com.

Roger Raglin Website
Pursuit Channel


Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Roger Raglin, America’s Whitetail Deer Hunter, Pursuit Channel, Television Hunting Show

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