Hunter 2 Hunter Equipment Inc has retained Joella Bates as spokesperson and sales representative for the new line of “Gutwrench” bird gutting tools!

Mike Kennedy, H2H VP of Operations, announced the agreement this morning with the following statement: “Joella Bates’ hunting knowledge and expertise speaks for itself. She’s taken sixty species with a bow, worldwide, she was the first woman to take a Grand Slam of turkeys with a bow; to have her endorse the Gutwrench speaks volumes. Everyone at Hunter 2 Hunter is thrilled to have her endorsement.”

Bates agreed to represent the Gutwrench after field-testing the product on a recent pheasant hunt. Bates was impressed with the product’s ease-of-use and cleanliness, saying: “I’ve always hated gutting birds. I hate getting the mess under my fingernails, and the stench is awful, sometimes you can’t get rid of it, even after washing your hands with the strongest cleaners. When I tested the Pheasant Gutwrench, I had the bird gutted in ten seconds, with no mess at all – no blood on my hands, no stench to deal with. This product does a wonderful job, it’s quick, it’s easy, and it takes the hassle out of bird-gutting. I’ll never go bird hunting without a Gutwrench again.”

Bates will act as sales representative in the southeastern United States, and will represent the Gutwrench product line at trade shows and seminars throughout the hunting industry.

Contact:
Mike Kennedy
Hunter 2 Hunter Equipment Inc
(608) 444-4461
www.gutwrenchhunting.com

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal animal cruelty law so broadly written that it would criminalize the distribution of hunting videos and magazines under many circumstances. The 8-1 ruling in U.S. v. Stevens is a big win for NRA, and for hunters across America. A brief submitted by NRA was cited in the majority’s opinion.
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Hunter 2 Hunter Equipment, makers of the “Gutwrench” series of bird gutting tools, has announced a licensing agreement with the Duck Commanders!

After field testing the Gutwrench, the Duck Commanders vigorously pursued a licensing agreement, reaching terms with H2H this morning on an agreement which allows H2H to feature the distinctive Duck Commander logo on the packaging for all of its duck and goose gutting tools.

Speaking on behalf of Duck Commander Inc, W.E. “Red Dawg” Phillips stated: “This is a great product, that every duck hunter needs. When we tried it, and we realized we’d never get blood on our hands again – we were sold, this is the real deal! We’re excited to lend our name to this product, no more getting bloody is a big deal to us.”

Mike Kennedy, H2H’s VP of Operations, added: “We first approached the Duck Commanders at the SHOT show in Las Vegas, that night, they dominated the Outdoor Channel Golden Moose Awards – I think they won six! We left there with a great impression, they’ve got a great show, and they all treated us like old friends – right from the first conversation. Duck Commander is a great show, a great brand, and a great group of people. When they field tested the Gutwrench, they loved it, so we all got to work and hammered out this agreement. This is an exciting time for all of us at Hunter 2 Hunter, and a moment of triumph for the Gutwrench.”

Gutwrench duck gutting tools featuring the Duck Commander trademark will be available for purchase beginning July, 2010.

To see the Gutwrench in action, please visit, www.gutwrenchhunting.com.

Contact:
Mike Kennedy
Hunter 2 Hunter Equipment Inc
(608) 444-4461

The Freedom Group, Inc., announced the closure of its Marlin manufacturing facility, located in North Haven, Connecticut. The transition of Marlin firearms production in North Haven to a future site will not affect customers’ shipments or the range of Marlin product offerings. At the time of last Thursday’s announcement, the Freedom Group was still evaluating several relocation options and will announce the future production site of Marlin firearms when the final decision is made.

“As competition in today’s global marketplace remains intense, consolidation of our manufacturing processes and operating systems allow us to provide Marlin customers with the highest quality products at competitive prices,” said Ted Torbeck, Freedom Group’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to the Marlin brand, its core product offerings and bringing innovative new Marlin firearms to our customers.”

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About Freedom Group, Inc.
Freedom Group is the world’s leading innovator, designer, manufacturer, and marketer of firearms, ammunition, and related products for the hunting, shooting sports, law enforcement, and military markets. As one of the largest manufacturers in the world of firearms and ammunition, we have some of the most globally recognized brands including Remington, Marlin, Harrington & Richardson, New England Firearms, L.C. Smith, Parker, Bushmaster, DPMS/Panther Arms, Dakota Arms, Advanced Armament Corp (AAC), Barnes Bullets, EOTAC, and INTC.

The Company assumes no obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:
Linda Powell
(336) 548-8546

Beretta U.S.A. recently launched a totally re-designed version of their website, www.berettausa.com. The new site, which went live earlier this week, reflects Beretta’s commitment to making their website more user friendly and information rich.

“We’re very pleased with the new site – both the look and the functionality,” said Ryan Muety, Director of Marketing and Consumer Direct for Beretta U.S.A. “Beretta invested significant time and resources to ensure the end result would be a website that our customers and visitors find easier to navigate and to search for the products they are looking for be it specific merchandise or general information about Beretta firearms.”

The Beretta U.S.A. website includes information about the brand and certain marketing and social media components. Visitors will find new features and detailed product information that will make their shopping experience easy and efficient.

Over the coming months, look for even more exciting features to be introduced that expand and enhance visitor experience at www.berettausa.com.

Beretta, established in 1526, is the oldest industrial dynasty in the world tracing its roots through 16 generations of continuous family ownership. Firearms bearing the Beretta name have been sold for almost 500 years. Beretta USA Corp. was founded in 1977 and supplies the standard sidearm to the U.S. Armed Forces. Today, Beretta manufactures, distributes and markets a complete line of firearms, accessories and apparel. Beretta also owns and operates six retail Beretta Gallery stores worldwide. For additional information, visit www.berettausa.com.

Contact:
Kimberlee Eveland
(617) 360-1327
keveland@evelandpartners.com

Kim Rhode took an important first step towards her quest to set an all time record for individual American Olympic athletes by winning the initial International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup competition in Acapulco, Mexico.

The four-time Olympic medalist Rhode, 30, started the final round in the lead with 72 hits after the qualifications, tied with Italy’s Diana Bacosi. In the final round, Rhode did not miss a single target while Bacosi missed three allowing Yu Xiumin to claim the silver medal with another perfect final round.

Rhode’s final perfect score gave her a combined total of 97 targets, one better than the Chinese silver medalist who finished with a 96. Amber English also shot a combined score of 96.

“It hasn’t been easy. My shotgun got stolen a couple of months ago. I got a new one, but of course it took me time to get used to it,” said Rhode, after the award ceremony. “It’s great to be on the highest step of the podium today, these international competitions are really important now, on the path leading to the 2012 Olympic Games.”

Xiumin tied the second American finalist Amber English who was the early leader in the World Cup and edged her in the shoot off for the silver medal. Yu, a 2006 Asian Champion, had won her last ISSF World Cup medal in 2007 in Maribor.

Amber English secured the Bronze medal, joining her teammate Rhode on the podium. The 20-year-old shooter had never won an ISSF World Cup medal before.

Hunter’s Specialties® new Velvet™ Whitetail Clover provides much needed nutritional benefits to deer while enhancing food plots by putting nitrogen back into the soil.

Designed for spring or fall planting, Vita-Rack™ Velvet Whitetail brand Ladino Clover contains a proven mix of high performing clovers including Alsike, Dominion Red, Medium Red and Crimson, along with White Clover.

The mix grows extremely tall and spreads by stolons for a thicker food plot, producing tons of highly palatable and sweet tasting forage per acre. All Vita-Rack seed mixes feature high germination rates and a low percentage of foreign matter, making them a great value, as well as providing better plant coverage across the food plot.

Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover can save landowners up to 45% on fertilizer costs when used in a crop rotation with other Vita-Rack seed mixes, including the new Booming Beans™ and Winter Forage™ mixes. Clover is a legume, which pulls nitrogen out of the air and fixes it in the ground, where it can be used by other plants. Typical costs per acre to apply 17-17-17 fertilizer would be $93.00. By using Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover in a crop rotation the costs would drop to $52.00.

For more information, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.

Ten years after his death at the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt’s enduring legacy as a competitor and outdoorsman has sparked a new partnership between the Dale Earnhardt Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The new venture has been christened the Dale Earnhardt Land/Wildlife Legacy.

Announcing the news March 4 at the RMEF annual convention in Reno, Nev., RMEF President and CEO David Allen said the partnership is good for wildlife and hunters.

“There are lots of NASCAR fans in the RMEF membership, and lots of conservationists among race fans. Teaming up allows us to redouble our efforts on projects that honor Dale’s memory—things like wildlife habitat improvement, land conservation, hunting access improvements and more,” said Allen.

Allen added the partnership will help RMEF gain visibility at NASCAR races and events.

Earnhardt’s son, Kerry, was in Reno for the announcement and to represent the Earnhardt family and others involved in the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. The nonprofit group based in North Carolina funds charitable programs and causes that sustain Dale Earnhardt’s lifelong commitment to children, education and wildlife conservation.

Teresa Earnhardt, Dale’s wife, said, “As a lifelong outdoorsman, Dale was committed to wildlife and land conservation, a passion which he shared with his friends and family. Now that legacy lives on through his foundation and we are honored to have a partner in RMEF. Our shared mission to conserve and restore native game and their habitat will ensure the same opportunities for future generations and ‘Continue the Legend.’”

Allen was a personal friend of Earnhardt. In fact, he directed marketing and sponsorships for the Dale Earnhardt/Richard Childress race teams and other NASCAR teams until Earnhardt’s fatal crash in 2001. He remains close to the family.

“When Dale wasn’t thinking about racing, he was thinking about hunting and sharing his passion for the outdoors with others,” said Allen. “It was an honor to know him and now it’s an honor to be working closely again with Teresa to help keep that legacy growing. Dale is the working man’s hero and RMEF is the working man’s conservation group, so this is a great fit. Dale would be very proud today.”

Childress said, “Dale was ‘The Intimidator’ for his fearlessness and competitiveness on the track, but the peacefulness of the outdoors also was a big part of who he was. I believe his quiet-time hunting and fishing helped recharge him for racing, and I know he’s smiling down now at being able to help other people enjoy the outdoors like he did.”

Realtree founder and president Bill Jordan, who also was a friend of Earnhardt, said, “I was fortunate to hunt with Dale and to know him both as an outdoorsman as well as a legendary driver. I’m so pleased to see RMEF teaming up to help honor his memory through conservation, because that’s so meaningful to both race fans and hunters.”

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.7 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

The nation’s most outrageous animal rights group continues to stir controversy with campaigns that include disrupting the most well known dog show in the U.S. and attempting to tastelessly cash in on the Tiger Woods controversy.

Towards the end of the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 16, two women stepped into the middle of the ring where the dogs perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The women proceeded to raise signs over their heads that said, “Mutts Rule” and “Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs’ Chances,” which is a well known catchphrase used by PETA.

The two women, both members of the animal rights group, were quickly removed by security personnel in front of thousands of surprised onlookers in the audience. According to news accounts, PETA indicated that the women acted on their own but that it supported their efforts.

The show went on without any further problems with “Sadie” a Scottish terrier winning the show’s top honors.

PETA also made a serious effort to by billboard space promoting spaying and neutering using an image of Tiger Woods and making a reference to his recent marital challenges. The proposed billboard was to have Woods’ picture and large text saying “Too much sex can be a bad thing.” Below that, the billboard issued its standard call for spaying and neutering pets.

Tiger was not amused by the planned ad. His attorneys quickly contacted PETA and told them that it could not use his image. PETA responded by going after another high profile public figure accused of marital infidelity- South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford who received his fair share of headlines in 2009 after a trip to South America with his mistress.

Sportsman Channel’s Hunt.Fish.Feed national public affairs program to help feed the needy made a stop in the Twin Cities on February 28. Partnering with Comcast and Safari Club International, Hunt.Fish.Feed and its 40 local volunteers delivered meals of venison and fish to help feed more than 200 in need. Hunt.Fish.Feed is a unique initiative that taps an underutilized food source — game meat and fish donated by sportsmen — to feed those struggling with hunger across America. Sportsman’s Hunt.Fish.Feed 2010 tour continues March 16 in Harrisburg, Pa. For complete schedule information visit the website at www.huntfishfeed.org