January 5, 2012

The Pope and Young Club is pleased to announce a new program to engage young bowhunters and young persons interested in learning more about bowhunting, fair chase and wildlife conservation.

A Pope and Young Club Youth Membership Program officially began January 1st. Any young person, under the age of 18, can join the Pope and Young Club as a Youth Member for just $10 per year. There are no other requirements. It’s for any interested young person: whether they are 16 years old and have started bowhunting, or 9 years old and just picked up a bow, or 5 years old and interested in learning more about big game animals. There will be something entertaining and educating for any age.

YOUTH MEMBERS will receive:

-Membership card, certificate and wristband
-Issues of the Club’s quarterly membership publication
-Access to Pope and Young Club Youth Member facebook
-Access to Pope and Young Club Youth Member website
-Special Offers and discounts

Exciting new opportunities for learning and interacting await P&Y Youth Members. Through our quarterly publication, the Youth facebook and the Youth website, we’ll be asking and challenging youth members to experience:

-”Shooting Straight”, a hunting ethics situation challenge
-”Ask the Experts”
-Bowhunting 101
-writing articles, submitting photos and videos
-special games and puzzles for all ages
-lots of opportunities for learning and growing as bowhunters/conservationists

SPECIAL OFFER – $10 Coupon from HUNTER SAFETY SYSTEMS
We are excited to announce the first special offer for P&Y Youth Members only! Every Youth Member will receive a $10 off coupon for any Hunter Safety Systems treestand safety vest or harness…an essential item for any bowhunter! We are very grateful for the Hunter Safety Systems company’s enthusiastic support of this new program!

YOU can sign up a young person who is interested in the outdoors, wildlife and/or bowhunting for P&Y YOUTH MEMBERSHIP online at www.pope-young.org/youth , or by calling 507-867-4144, or by downloading an application from the Club’s website. The upcoming issue of the Club’s quarterly publication will also have youth applications.

For more information, please visit www.pope-young.org/youth

Sunday- After bagging a week of running due to sickness, my 5 year old daughter wanted to go for a bike ride, so I joined her running. I still wasn’t up to par and the 3.2 mile route was challenging for the both of us. We did the out in about 17 minutes for the first 1.6 miles and walked most of the way back. It broke a lot of junk loose in my chest.

Saturday. Patrick Temple organized a social trail run at Annadel for Saturday morning. we stopped at each trail intersection to group up again. When the rest of the group went up to a lookout, I cruised back to the trailhead for 6 miles on the day. One of my slowest runs, but this early in the training cycle it is just about getting them done. Speed will come later

Weekly total: 2 runs for 9.2 miles..

WANTED: YOUR FAVORITE WILD GAME RECIPE

The members of the Pope and Young Club are creating our own wild game cookbook and we want everyone to participate!

Submit your favorite wild game recipe.

Submit the complete, detailed and accurate recipe, in a word document electronic file, to Club headquarters. Proof your typing and measurements before submitting.
Be creative! The more unique the recipe, the more likely it is to be ultimately included in the finished product. For instance, we can’t include 100 recipes for grilled deer backstraps, but certainly would include a recipe for muskox.
Include a photo of yourself or your family, and a brief commentary. The photo could be a portrait photo, “hero” shot (preferably of the animal pertaining to the recipe), family photo, hunting action photo, cooking photo, etc. The brief commentary could be related to the recipe, to the animal, to your hunting experiences, etc. Limit: 150 words or less.
Open to P&Y Members and their families.
Due to possible duplications and space constraints, we cannot guarantee inclusion of your recipe in the finished cookbook.
Submit your recipes, photos and text to the home office at admin@pope-young.org by December 31st. Mail: Pope and Young Club, Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Established in 1961, the Pope and Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to ensuring bowhunting for future generations by preserving and promoting its heritage and values. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository for the records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with the bow and arrow.

Pope and Young Club
273 Mill Creek Road – PO Box 548 – Chatfield, MN 55923
Phone: (507) 867-4144 – Fax: (507) 867-4144
Web site: www.pope-young.org – Email: admin@pope-young.org

Sunday, I hit the road for the two day trip to a new hunting area in Wyoming. Since it is a new area we will be arriving a few days before the October 1st opening day to get to know the lay of the land, and do some scouting.

During the hunt I’ll be out of contact, but upon return I should have some photos and stories.

See you in October!

After paying my Capital One credit card off I noticed on the statement that I had accumulated a number of points. The points could be redeemed for merchandise, or gift cards or cash at the rate of $1 per 100 miles/points etc. I had enough points to redeem for a Eureka Tent.

Eureka Grand Manan 9 Tent – CP01379
in Outdoor Recreation
Product Description:
Eureka Grand Manan 9 Tent Eureka! Grand Manan 9 is an all-weather dome style tent that sleeps up to five. The fly vestibule can be configured in multiple ways including awning and it has two large, side-opening D-style doors with Hi/Low venting offer entry and an access to the rear vestibule. There are eight interior pockets that help organize small items, a freestanding fiberglass frame with clips, pole sleeves, and ring and pin assembly make set up easy. Floor size is 9′ x 9′ with 6′ center height. Tent weighs 21 lbs. 7 oz. Model No: 2601202
32,000 miles (equal to $320)

Now this seemed like a slam dunk. A good Name Brand base camp tent, with no cash out of my pocket. I almost hit the REDEEM button then and there.

Then I noticed the Cash option. I could take the Rewards as cash so long as I had at least 5000 miles/points ($50). So I searched for that tent on line and found it from a variety of online retailers for quite a bit less.

Amazon.com New No tax + Free shipping $235.64
Cabela’s New No tax + Shipping: $5.00 $254.99
Campmor New No tax + Free shipping $259.97
Keenzo.com New $202.08
MJ Tactical Outpost New $180.13

There was nearly $100 difference between the average online price, and the REWARDS value. So beware of inflated rewards merchandise values. Your local retailers that accepted the card, actually paid the fee that the rewards percentage comes from. So take the cash from the credit card company and buy something from that retailer and both of you will be money ahead!

Alternatively, If you have a credit card balance, you may be able to apply your rewards to that balance. This is the best return on that money since it saves you the APR for that amount of principle over the next year. While paying off a credit card is the best method, using rewards over your payment actually saves you money in the long run.

Say for example you have a $1000 balance on your credit card, with a minimum payment of $35. If you have 5000 reward points, you could apply $50 to your balance over and above your minimum payment. That $50 goes against your principle and saves you $9 annually on an 18 % APR balance. That is an 18% return on investment. Better than any stock pick out there!

So keep this in mind when you get these reward cards.  If it seems too good to be true, then it is..

In the past Week a lot has gone on both for me and for Skinny moose.  You will notice the appearance has changed. That is due in part to the increased Role of OUTDOOR HUB. Jeremy Henricks, has put a lot of work into our new look at Skinnymoose.com and I’m glad to be a part of it. In the coming week I’ll have lots of things to share with you all as well as a few bugs to work out. So bear with me if things don’t look quite right as I figure out all the bells and whistles of this new platform.

Testing a You tube link of the first train to come to town in 12 years……

California has one new confirmed case of EHV-1. There are a total of 22 confirmed EHV-1/ EHM cases in the state. This new confirmed case is located on the same premises in Glenn County as the last three confirmed cases.

The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 12 counties: Amador(1), Colusa(1), Glenn(6), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (3), Plumas(1), Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3) and Ventura(1).
Sixteen(16) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.
One (1) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/ EHM CA cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.
Five (5) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases were exposed horses to an Ogden, UT participant.
Two (2) confirmed positive EHM horses were euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM.
Eight (8) confirmed positive horses displayed neurologic signs.
Thirteen (13) confirmed positive horses displayed only a fever.
One (1) confirmed positive horse displayed only a nasal discharge.
On June, 6, 2011, the total number of confirmed cases in California was reduced by one (1). The total number of California confirmed cases went from 22 cases to 21 cases. Initially, the horse in question had a low viral load on nasal swab and using an abundance of caution, was placed under quarantine. This Sacramento County horse did not have any clinical signs nor did any of the horses in the same barn. Due to the lack of clinical signs this horse does not meet the confirmed clinical case definition and was removed from the case count.

In case you thought California was just beaches and movie stars, here is a look at the Eastern Side of the Sierras.  It gets you ready for backpacking season in July.

This is not far from where I killed my Tule Elk.

Today, January 27th, marks the actual 50th Anniversary of the Pope and Young Club.

It was on this day in 1961, that Glenn St. Charles, Rosalyn Remick Malinoski, Bill Brown, Wayne Hathaway, Jesse Rust and G. H. Malinoski, sitting around a table in Glenn’s Northwest Archery Company store, officially called the Pope and Young Club into existence. Papers had been filed, a Board was being formed and Articles of Incorporation prepared.

Many years of creating a program to prove the effectiveness of the bow and arrow, and to improve the image of the bowhunter, had come to fruition–a membership-based organization carrying out those missions.

In our own individual ways, today would be an appropriate day to spend a moment recognizing the significance of this moment in bowhunting’s history and heritage, and its impact (and the resulting opportunities we have) on our own cherished bowhunting lifestyle.

Today officially kicks off a year of special ways the Pope and Young Club is recognizing this 50th Anniversary milestone.

Tomorrow night, Friday, January 28th (at 7pm), the Club staff is hosting a 50th Anniversary Reception at the headquarters and Museum. Any and all members are welcome to attend.

The central celebration of the year will, of course, be at our National Convention, April 6-9, 2011, in Rochester, Minnesota. It is the Club’s hope that every member will consider attending this very special celebration. It is a perfect time, today, to make your own plans to join in the camaraderie of this landmark gathering! Convention registration packets were mailed to the full membership in December, but can be requested again by contacting the headquarters (admin@pope-young.org or 507-867-4144). Details are also available on the Club’s website (www.pope-young.org), as is the means to register and order tickets online.

You won’t regret taking the time out of your busy life to pilgrimage to the Pope and Young Club’s biennial gathering, dive into our rich history and heritage, and share in this one-of-a-kind celebration of our lifestyle–BOWHUNTING!

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Established in 1961, the Pope and Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to ensuring bowhunting for future generations by preserving and promoting its heritage and values. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository for the records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with the bow and arrow.

Pope and Young Club
273 Mill Creek Road – PO Box 548 – Chatfield, MN 55923
Phone: (507) 867-4144 – Fax: (507) 867-4144
Web site: www.pope-young.org – Email: admin@pope-young.org

As my blogger and pro-staff buddies are all at the ATA (Archery Trade Association) show drooling over all the new gadgets, I find myself being a bit of a “Scrooge” when it comes to new archery innovations. The way I look at it is that it has taken me eight or so years to find a setup I like, and I’m effective with and I don’t want to change it.

To do so now would seem to be an insult to those pieces of gear that got me through some tough seasons and performed when I needed them to.

In fact I have come to appreciate a number of items strictly for their longevity.   Many other hunters do as well.  When I asked a group of dedicated hunters, about their oldest piece of gear, many replied that their rifle or their hunting knife was the constant through out the years.  And with good reason.  There is a great deal of emotion and sentimental value attached to these items, and often times they are handed down from generation to generation. 

Even though we are constantly bombarded with the “Latest and Greatest”, perhaps we as journalists should also put more emphasis on those things you only want to buy once.  On major purchases like tents, optics and weapons, I tend to look at products that have had the same design for years.  My point being if someone has had a piece of gear for 30 years, that is a good indicator of good performance and rugged durability.

Of course there are things I wear out every year and I’m prone to look at innovations.  There are also those products where the technology is improving exponentially every year (think ultralight backpacking, hunting clothing,  and compound bows.)  But even among those products there are some constants that have stood the test of time. 

So what things in your gear list have stood the test of time, that you wouldn’t trade for something “new and improved”?