I have discussed often the unfortunate results and the future dangers we face when we are subjected to statements like those of Al Gore who claim: the science is settled. As is spoken of in this movie, nothing is ever settled or accepted unless it is answered properly. The freedom to explore science can direct us toward answering more questions.

To some, this may appear to be a movie about intelligent design vs. evolution, and you can take that away from this movie if you so chose. I see it as more a revelation, supported by a preponderance of evidence, that the freedom to explore science to see where it will lead us, is being controlled by those not wishing to go there for myriad and disturbing reasons. There are, unfortunately, as you will see in this movie, consequences for the most simplest of actions to question the scientific industry that is working toward suppression.

I encourage all to watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIZAAh_6OXg

Tom Remington

I guess my notion wasn’t so far off as this technology has been implemented and with marked improvement. According to an article in the New York Times, there is now a competition with hunters, using 20-gauge shotguns equipped with a shooting scope…..but it’s not just any shooting scope. It can take photos and shoot video.

The competitors use the shotguns, with blank shells, and go hunt deer. Just prior to pulling the trigger, the hunter activates a video recorder and has ten seconds to record the shot. The competition is judged on several factors.

Would could possibly go wrong?

The entire event is being promoted as an educational thing and to be used to improve hunting or more accurately shooting skills; looking for that quick, clean and ethical kill. There are potentially other problems that can arise from this activity but I’ll withhold comment and leave it up to readers to weigh in with their ideas.

Ladies and gentlemen, the comment section is all yours.

Tom Remington

Tom Remington

The award was received by Dick Hammett, President of Winchester Ammunition and was presented by Ed Small, president of Big Rock Sports, Tommy Millner, president of Cabela’s Inc., and Bud Pidgeon, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) president.

“It is one thing to be recognized for high quality products,” said Hammett. “But it is truly an honor to be recognized for our work in protecting conservation. We look forward to continuing this legacy with company’s such as Cabela’s and groups such as the USSA.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its Outdoor Business Council created the award in 2006 to honor the Cabela family’s dedication to protecting outdoor sports, including hunting, fishing, and trapping. It is presented to companies that demonstrate the same passion and commitment to protecting America’s outdoor heritage as the Cabelas.

“This is our way of honoring the Cabela family and other leaders such as Winchester in the outdoor business community for their efforts to defend our rights,” said Pidgeon.

Winchester, founded in 1866, is one of the nation’s largest and oldest producers of ammunition. For more than 140 years, the name “Winchester” has come to mean many things to many people. To most folks it’s meant ammunition and the Gun that Won the West. For many others, however, it also rekindles images of fine hand tools and cutlery, fishing tackle and flashlights.

For years Winchester Ammunition has proven a dedicated supporter of conservation. Its support of USSA’s Outdoor Business Council, a coalition of businesses dedicated to protecting outdoor traditions, has made a large impact on hunting and shooting programs from coast to coast. Winchester has also been a key supporter of the Trailblazer Adventure Program, which has introduced over 900,000 youth and their families to outdoor pursuits such as hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting, since its inception in 2001.

Click here to watch a video describing the Cabela Lifetime Business Achievement Award and the history of Winchester Ammunition.

Cabela’s, known as the World’s Foremost Outfitter, has grown and prospered from simple beginnings to become the world’s largest direct marketer, and a leading specialty retailer, of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition, visit www.winchester.com.

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.

The 2009 RMEF grants will affect Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, Rich, San Juan, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington and Wayne counties.

All grants are funded by proceeds from Utah hunting permits sold at RMEF fundraisers.

“Thanks to our volunteers across Utah who helped drive the 2008 fundraisers that made these grants possible. When Elk Foundation banquets, auctions and other events transform into on-the-ground conservation work, it’s payday for all of our supporters who are passionate about giving something back to the outdoors,” said David Allen, Elk Foundation president and CEO.

Elk Foundation grants will help fund the following Utah projects, listed by county:

Cache County – Use herbicide to treat weeds and then reseed 255 acres of elk and mule deer range at Millville Wildlife Management Area.

Daggett County – Remove and mulch 390 acres of pinion-juniper to restore sagebrush habitat for elk in the Diamond Mountain area on BLM land; burn, chain and reseed 200 acres of winter range for elk and mule deer at Middle Fork Wildlife Management Area.

Duchesne County – Thin ponderosa pine forest to improve vegetative diversity and big game forage on 450 acres in Dry Gulch area of Ashley National Forest.

Emery County – Mechanically treat 1,000 acres to promote understory growth for elk, sage grouse and other wildlife in the Wildcat Knoll area of Manti-La Sal National Forest.

Garfield County – Rejuvenate meadows and aspen stands within ponderosa pine forest by prescribe burning 1,000 acres near Ahlstrom Hollow in Dixie National Forest; repair and replace sections of an exclosure fence to protect an emerging aspen stand near Antimony Creek in Dixie National Forest.

Grand County – Remove encroaching conifers and restore 2,115 acres of sagebrush communities in the Cedar Camp area.

Iron County – Prescribe burn and reseed 1,000 acres to reduce pinion-juniper and improve riparian habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Cottonwood Canyon area of Dixie National Forest.

Kane County – Repair wildlife drinkers by replacing underground storage tanks in Dixie National Forest.

Millard County – Remove pinion-juniper overgrowth to restore habitat for elk on 614 acres in the Canyon Mountain area of Fishlake National Forest; increase forage on elk winter range by treating 750 acres of encroaching conifer in the Kanosh Bench area of Fishlake National Forest; improve wildlife forage by treating 1,050 acres of pinion-juniper near Pahvant Mountain on BLM land; enhance grasslands by treating conifer on 837 acres near Pahvant Mountain on Fishlake National Forest.

Piute County – Partner with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to acquire 400 acres of crucial elk and deer winter range in the Kingston Canyon area.

Rich County – Restore a 35-acre aspen stand by prescribe burning and fencing in the Otter Creek area of BLM land.

San Juan County – Hand cut, pile and burn brush, and then aerially reseed 1,650 acres to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Little Baullie Mesa area on BLM land; treat and reseed 53 acres of habitat in the Peters Canyon area on BLM land; thin 612 acres of encroaching conifer to improve forage for elk and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildlife east of La Sal on BLM land; use no-till range drill to re-vegetate 18 acres of crucial winter range for elk in the Upper Pack Creek area.

Summit County – Restore native browse and forage for elk and other wildlife by disking and reseeding 300 acres of elk winter range near Harris Canyon in the Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management Area.

Tooele County – Remove encroaching conifer to rejuvenate sagebrush and browse for elk on 1,400 acres n the Deep Creek Mountains on BLM land.

Uintah County – Reduce lodgepole pine density and increase vegetative diversity by prescribe burning 815 acres of elk habitat in Ashley National Forest; treat noxious weeds and cheatgrass, and then reseed native grasses, forbs and shrubs, on 153 acres in the Big Park area on BLM land; aerially reseed 80 acres to improve habitat for a variety of species in the Johnson Draw area; remove conifer and seed 555 acres in the Book Cliffs area on BLM land.

Utah County – Treat and prescribe burn 1,000 acres of oak-maple habitat to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in Uinta National Forest.

Wasatch County – Aerially and ground spray and reseed 932 acres of knapweed to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Wallsburg Wildlife Management Area.

Washington County – Remove encroaching pinion-juniper and aerially reseed native grasses and forbs to improve habitat for elk on 600 acres in the Eight Mile Bench area of Dixie National Forest.

Wayne County – Improve 4,298 acres of big game winter range by prescribe burning, mechanical thinning and reseeding in the Thousand Lake Mountain area of Fishlake National Forest.

To date, partners for 2009 projects in Utah include Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, other agencies, corporations, landowners and organizations.

Since 1984, the Elk Foundation and its partners have completed more than 285 conservation projects in Utah with a value of more than $27 million.

The age data collected from the 2008 bear hunt is now available for those interested. If you volunteered a tooth from your bear, you can now find out how old it was.

To view this data, visit the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website. From this landing page scroll down and you’ll find a link “age of the bear they harvested“. It’s an Excel Spreadsheet.

The oldest bear taken was a female that was 28-years old. The oldest male bear harvested was 20.

MDIFW collected 1,037 volunteer teeth or about 38% of the total harvest.

Tom Remington

To download the Whitetail Report, visit http://www.qdma.com/media/

Among many topics in the 68-page report, you will find:

• Trends in yearling-buck harvest rates and antlerless harvest, including state-by-state statistics.

• A look at the top states in harvest of mature bucks (3 1/2 years old or older).

• Trends in youth hunter recruitment and other deer-hunter demographics.

• The economic impact of deer hunting compared to other forms of hunting.

• The latest on the impacts of hemorrhagic disease (HD) and chronic wasting disease (CWD).

• Deer-vehicle collision data, and other suburban deer management issues.

Plus, many other current issues, as well as supplemental information on Quality Deer Management techniques, whitetail biology and the latest in deer research.

The white-tailed deer is the foundation of the entire hunting industry. Of active North American hunters, 78 percent hunt whitetails, more than the combined percentages for wild turkey, pheasant, quail, waterfowl, grouse, elk, mule deer and coyotes (survey by Responsive Management and the NSSF, 2008). QDMA created the Whitetail Report to provide outdoor writers, editors and communicators with a yearly health report for whitetails and – by extension – the hunting industry.

About QDMA
The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is a nonprofit conservation organization that works to educate and encourage hunters and landowners to practice biologically sound deer and habitat management techniques. Founded in 1988, QDMA has more than 53,000 members in 50 states, Canada and abroad. For more information, visit www.QDMA.com or call (800) 209-3337.

Posted by Tom Remington

We know that mad cow disease has transmitted to humans but there is currently no evidence to suggest that animals infected with chronic wasting disease can infect humans.

Chronic wasting disease has shown up in deer, elk and moose in several states and we really have yet to get a firm understanding of whether the disease occurs naturally or the exact method of transmission. We do know it’s extremely difficult to sanitize infected areas, especially in the soil.

From Nature.com:

Generally, prions are limited to a specific host and a few related species. But prions sometimes cross the species barrier to infect new hosts. Notably, prions from cows have hopped to humans, causing disease in 208 people, mostly in the UK. Now, scientists wonder if the prion-induced chronic wasting disease (CWD), which afflicts elk and deer in the US, could jump to humans. Since prion diseases have long dormant periods, the fact that there are no human cases of CWD doesn’t necessarily indicate that people won’t develop symptoms in the future.

Studies are now underway to see if normal prion protein from humans can be infected with deer protein.

Tom Remington

Rich Forrest of the Chronic Wasting Disease Foundation at www.stopcwd.org, has sent out a memo to interested parties expressing his concerns about the report and further explaining more details about the test.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

I am concerned that the impression (is being created) that this new rectal test will be a panacea for cervid farmers. Basically, the one test that will allow animal movements everywhere. NOT SO. THIS IS NOT THE LIVE TEST THAT WE CERVID FARMERS NEED, yes, this is a live test, but of rectal lymph tissue which ONLY registers the disease at the same stage as a brain test. ONLY AN ANIMAL IN THE LAST STAGES OF THE DISEASE SHOW UP POSITIVE. and for that it is good, better and perhaps easier than killing them and taking the brain. BUT if positive, the animal is already on its way to being dead and is already shedding the disease to the environment and to other critters, so basically it’s negative herdmates are still terminal. Even a whole herd negative test is not conclusive. This test cannot find early stage infections. EARLY stage disease does not have readily detectable abnormal prions, hence one can have an infected herd and NOT SHOW a positive! NO GOVT AGENCY WILL CLEAR A NEGATIVE FOR TRANSPORT IF THEY STILL SUSPECT POTENTIAL DISEASE NEARBY. Even a healthy herd under a sphere of influence CWD quarantine will likely remain quarantined even with a whole herd negative! The problem lies with the test relying on finding abnormal prions and ( I believe) the erroneous thinking that they cause the disease. In my humble opinion (generally ignored by govt research funding agencies) is that they are finding a late stage symptom of the disease NOT THE CAUSE. Only in the last half of the disease are these prions present in sufficient numbers to be found. They NEED TO FIND THE REAL CAUSE, then a test could find it at an early stage. Should NADEFA require a greater explanation please feel free to contact.me

Rich Forrest
THE CWD FOUNDATION
www.stopcwd.org

I for one upon reading the report about the test, was lead to believe this was an early stage test. Perhaps I should have done a better job at researching about this test before reporting on it.

Needless to say, this is still a better test than having to kill an animal to do it and we can hope that this is also another step toward the eventual cure we are all looking for.

Forrest mentions in his memo that he believes the detection of abnormal prions is only a symptom of the disease and not the cause. He may be right. For those interested, you can visit the website at www.stopcwd.org and Forrest has many studies you can read about the disease and his theories on causes and transmission.

My concerns, which are the same as thousands of others, is that many times government funded research may be more interested in finding ways to continue the inflow of money rather than working more fervently to find a cure. We should all be asking if these research facilities are moving in other directions looking for cause as Forrest suggests.

Tom Remington