Archive for January, 2007
FIELD & STREAM, OUTDOOR LIFE MAGAZINES FIND NEW OWNER
Sweden’s Bonnier Magazine Group will acquire Time Inc.’s Parenting Group and Time4Media titles, which include Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and 16 others. With the purchase, Stockholm-based Bonnier and its U.S. magazine partner, Winter Park, Fla.-based World Publications, will become one of the largest consumer publishing groups in America, with 40 titles and annual revenue of more than $350 million. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.
The acquired magazines are as follows: Parenting, Babytalk, Popular Science, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Yachting, MotorBoating, Salt Water Sportsman, Skiing, SKI, TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorld SNOWBOARDING, TransWorld MOTOCROSS, TransWorld SURF, ride bmx, QUAD, SHOT BUSINESS and TransWorld business. Editorial, sales and marketing staff will remain in New York, California and Colorado.
January 29th, 2007
Trial Begins for PETA Employees Charged with Animal Cruelty- (01/26)
Two employees for an animal rights organization that opposes all animal use are now on trial for allegedly killing and dumping adoptable dogs and cats.
The trial for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) employees Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook, who are each charged with 21 felony counts of animal cruelty, began Jan. 23. The two are accused of tossing garbage bags full of euthanized cats and dogs into a dumpster in Ahoskie, North Carolina on June 15, 2005.
The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) has issued reports from the trial this week. The reports detail how Ms. Tonya Northcott, an employee at the Ahoskie Animal Hospital, on June 15 sent a mother cat and her two kittens with the defendants who claimed that they would have no problem finding homes for the cats. Northcott explained that the cats had been socialized, played with, and had their shots.
Those cats ended up in a trash dumpster less than an hour later.
The CCF also reported that Bertie County Animal Control Officer Barry Anderson turned animals over to Hinkle and Cook on June 15. He described several healthy, adoptable dogs that he sent with the defendants with the understanding that they would find homes for the animals. These animals were among those found dead.
Defense lawyers tried to get Anderson to concede that he knew the animals would be euthanized after being picked up. Anderson admitted that he had seen PETA employees injecting animals, but he was told that the animals were being sedated for the ride back to Virginia.
PETA claims to be uncompromising in its stance against animal cruelty, but the organization has in fact killed more than 14,400 dogs and cats and pets since 1998.
Source: U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance
January 29th, 2007
Idaho is making news with the declaration that they now have details setup for hunting wolves when/if they become delisted from federal protection. There is word that the wolves could be delisted as soon as next month. We will wait and see what really happens. However, Idaho is not waiting around and is getting things in line for wolf management. The price to hunt a wolf in Idaho as a resident will be $26.50 and a nonresident tag at $256. Of course that’s in addition to the expense of a hunting license, $12.75 for Idaho residents and $141.50 for nonresidents. They have also set aside 10 tags to be donated for fundraising auctions and similar purposes. There are now an estimated 650 wolves in Idaho and the state must maintain at least 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs as part of their management plan.
Here is what is posted on the Idaho Fish and Game web site:
wolf report: planning for wolf hunts
If changes in state law, recommended by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, are enacted by the state Legislature, it would cost $26.50 for a tag to hunt wolves in Idaho once they are removed from the endangered species list.
The Commission will ask the Legislature to change state statutes to allow the commission to authorize wolf hunts, so if wolves are removed from the endangered species list the department would be prepared to set hunts and sell tags. The federal government has said it plans to initiate the delisting process this month. An actual hunting season on wolves could be months or years away depending on the outcome of that process.
Commissioners Thursday, January 25, approved recommended changes to three statutes that would authorize the commission to issue tags and set fees. The commissioners also agreed to ask for up to 10 special commissioners’ wolf tags, and to set the price of a resident wolf tag at $26.50 and a nonresident tag at $256.
Hunters also must purchase an Idaho hunting license.
In addition, the commissioners proposed an increase in the price of black bear and mountain lion tags to make them the same amount as wolf tags, and the same amount as lion tags were until 2000 - $26.50 for resident tags and $256 for nonresident tags.
For the changes to be approved this year in time for the possibility of wolf delisting this fall, the proposed changes must be submitted as proposed legislation by early February.
Meanwhile, Fish and Game officials are working on a wolf hunting and species management plan under the guidelines of the Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan that would reduce wolf numbers in areas of conflict and try to stabilize numbers across the rest of the state.
Any hunting seasons must be approved by the commissioners.
Large carnivore coordinator Steve Nadeau has assembled a planning team that includes the Fish and Game wildlife staff members and wolf specialist. The public will be involved at various levels throughout the planning process.
Fish and Game officials expect to have a final plan for hunting delisted wolves in Idaho ready for Commission approval in November.
Idaho has never had a hunting season on wolves. They were killed off across most of their range in the lower 48 states by the early 1900s. By the time they were listed as an endangered species in 1974, they were reduced to a small population in the northeastern corner of Minnesota and Isle Royale, Michigan.
In 1995, a federal reintroduction program brought 35 wolves to Idaho. Today, officials estimate about 650 wolves in 71 packs, and 41 or more breeding pairs inhabit Idaho.
UPDATE: (February 16, 2007) A bill setting a price for wolf tags advanced a little further in the state Capitol Wednesday. The Senate Resources and Environment Committee approved a measure that puts the price for a wolf tag at $9.75 once the animals are removed from federal protection. The cost for out-of-state residents would be $150. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission had originally hoped to ask a higher price ( $26.50 for resident and a nonresident tag at $256) for wolves to help defer costs of managing them. Fees to hunt cougar and black bears would have been raised, too. But the panel that oversees the Department of Fish and Game abandoned the higher prices after hunters grew concerned about paying more to bag a large carnivore.
January 27th, 2007
A 70-year old man was hiking with his wife at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on Wednesday when he was attacked by a mountain lion. His wife basically saved his life by beating the cougar with a stick and stabbing it with a pen. Game wardens closed the park and sent dogs to track the lion and eventually tracked and killed a pair of mountain lions. The man underwent surgery for lacerations on his head and body and is currently in fair condition.
LINK: Washington Post Article
UPDATE: (January 29, 2007) The 70-year old man was rushed to the hospital over the weekend when his condition went from fair to serious and doctors had to perform emergency surgery to his scalp. It has also been verified that one of the two mountain lions that were found and killed (the female cougar) had human blood in her claws.
January 26th, 2007
I received this email and thought this was interesting to pass along if you are interested in improving Utah’s RAC meeting system and the process for public input.
FYI - You can also find this survey on the DWR website.
The Division has a complex and time-consuming process to gather public input on wildlife policy. The cornerstones of this process are the Regional Advisory Councils (RAC’s), which are charged with gathering public input from the grass roots level on matters concerning wildlife management, policy, rules and regulations and make recommendations to the Wildlife Board in an advisory capacity. Since being enacted by the Legislature 12 years ago, the public process has grown to also include statewide ad hoc committees that provide input into the development of species management plans.
As the process has evolved, some concerns have surfaced about the public input process. Some citizens feel they are not being heard. Others wonder if an adequate cross section of pubic opinion is being solicited. Some DWR employees have become frustrated with the process. Some RAC members are similarly frustrated when the Wildlife Board does not follow their recommendations. These are just a small representation of comments overheard at RAC meetings.
While many good things have resulted from the RAC process, there may be ways to improve it. I have asked the Southeastern Region Leadership Team to evaluate the current process and see if it can be improved within existing rule and statute. This project aims to identify what is working with the RAC process, what is not working; and what solutions can be implemented to provide better efficiency and effectiveness for all parties involved.
Your input into this process is essential. Your experiences will be invaluable in helping to assess our current situation and come up with ways to improve the process. Will you please take ten to twelve minutes and complete the survey located at the link below:
LINK: www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=935712818968
In order to make sure you response is included, please complete the survey by 2/1. Results from this project will be compiled within the next several months and shared with you at that time.
Thank you,
Jim Karpowitz, Director
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
January 26th, 2007
Last Saturday night at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo, there was a special banquet program. During this banquet there were some great presentations and speeches (some a little too long). I really enjoyed Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA and his keynote speech showcasing some notes and video clips from his recent debate against the head of PETA from the UK.
But the main draw to this banquet was the auction. I thought I would give a rundown of what each auction tag went for at this banquet. Let’s just say that this was not an auction that you wanted to accidentally raise your hand to swat a fly away.
Utah statewide elk: $100,000 (I seemed to sense that they were hoping for a little more than this)
Utah statewide Rocky Mountain Bighorn: $75,000
Utah statewide Desert Bighorn: $80,000
Pahvant elk permit (Utah): $50,000
San Juan elk permit (Utah): $40,000
Kluane First Nation Dall Sheep permit: $170,000
Utah mule deer permit: $137,000
Utah Governors Mountain Goat permit: $30,000
Arizona’s Governor’s mule deer permit: $100,000
Utah Henry Mountain mule deer permit: $67,500
January 25th, 2007
Hunting Illustrated Yamaha Grizzly 700 ATV Giveaway
There is no question that one of the top draws at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo last week was the opportunity to win a custom edition 2007 Desert Shadow Yamaha Grizzly 700 at our King’s Outdoor World booth. Our booth was hopping with people signing up for Hunting Illustrated Magazine and getting a chance at winning the ATV. What was so special about this ATV? Outside of the fact that you have an awesome ATV with industry first Electric Power Steering, fully independent suspension, and much more; but also the fact that it is the only ATV in the world right now that is dipped in our King’s Desert Shadow Camo. Yes, we worked hard to make this happen at this show and we wanted to bring something that nobody had anywhere else and nobody could get anywhere else.
We first started with an ATV that we feel is the best out there. The new 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI is packed with features and rides like a dream (see full review in our Jan/Feb 2007 Issue of Hunting Illustrated).
So who was the lucky winner….well, let me first explain just how sweet a deal we had going on as a great promotion with our Hunting Illustrated Magazine. If you subscribed to Hunting Illustrated at the show, you would be entered to win. The amazing thing about it was the fact that the winner was drawn from this expo only. Not some big national campaign with multiple shows and thousands of people to water down your odds. The winner was going to be a lucky subscriber from the four days of the expo only. What an awesome deal!
I would like to extend a big thank you to Yamaha for supporting not only King’s Outdoor World, but the support they are giving the outdoor industry. Also want to thank Freedom RV from Gunnison, Utah for the hard work at the last second to get the four wheelers ready for the show.
“Get on with it man…so who is the winner!!!!!”
The lucky winner, who was selected randomly at the Expo on Saturday night is Brad Stocks from Murray, Utah. Congratulations Brad, and thanks for supporting King’s Outdoor World and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. A simply one year subscription to Hunting Illustrated just got you one of the most coveted ATVs out there.
I will be posting some more pictures after we deliver the Yamaha Grizzly 700 to Brad this week.
January 23rd, 2007
click for larger image
I just received this exciting press release from Polaris. The side by side market just got more interesting. Yamaha has put together a great sport unit with their Rhino 660. Polaris has now countered that and even taken it a step further in the performance side with their new Ranger RZR 800 EFI. Here is their official press release.
See more photos below.
Introducing a RANGER Like No Other
RANGER RZR Offers Razor Sharp Side-by-Side Performance
Starting today, the game has changed. Introducing RANGER RZR, the first trail capable, side-by-side vehicle that screams down the trails as the fastest accelerating and lightest side-by-side; navigates through tight, twisty terrain with ease; and tackles mud, rocks and anything else nature throws its way for the ultimate off-road experience.
“RANGER RZR was designed to appeal to a wide variety of riders,” said Matt Homan, general manager of RANGER. “Avid trail riders will appreciate RANGER RZR’s ability to go anywhere an ATV can go; hunters will enjoy the ability to navigate to the most remote and extreme hunting spots while hauling enough gear for two; and side-by-side sport enthusiasts will find RANGER RZR’s light weight, cornering ability, acceleration and top speed appealing.”
At 50 inches wide, RANGER RZR is the only trail capable side-by-side in its class. At 945 lbs, it is the lightest side-by-side with the lowest cage height, compared to its competitors, which ensures true trail accessibility. RANGER RZR also boasts a true all-wheel drive (AWD) system that automatically engages when the rider needs more forward traction and reverts back to 2WD automatically when AWD is no longer needed.
Built with a patented design that places the engine behind the seat, RANGER RZR has the lowest center of gravity of all the sport side-by-sides for unmatched off-road responsiveness. Riders will find themselves sitting at least seven inches lower than they would in competitive side-by-side vehicles for unparalleled handling and ground hugging performance. For optimal handling on any terrain, RANGER RZR has nine inches of travel in the front, 9.5 inches in the rear and 10 inches of ground clearance due to its double A-arm front suspension with an exclusive, front anti-sway bar and a rolled independent rear suspension (IRS). For comfort, RANGER RZR also sports the best ergonomics in its class, including tilt steering, and adjustable hand rails and seats.
Powered by a liquid-cooled, even-firing Polaris Big Bore 800 Twin EFI engine, RANGER RZR is the fastest accelerating side-by-side with the highest horsepower in its class; accelerating to 35 MPH in four seconds, and topping out at 55 MPH. This power coupled with RANGER RZR’s unique design and smaller stature creates a vehicle that delivers razor sharp side-by-side performance.
RANGER RZR is no slouch when it comes handling the tough tasks. With a cargo bed rated for 300 lbs with 12 tie-down points, 1500 lb. towing capacity, under-hood storage and a myriad of PURE Polaris accessories including Lock & Ride, cabs and cargo systems, you have all the utility you need.
Offered in green and red, RANGER RZR will be available at Polaris dealerships in early summer, with a MSRP of $9,999 (US) and $13,999 (CAN).
About Polaris
With annual 2005 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use.
Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ATVs in the world. Victory motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the motorcycle cruiser marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships.
Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index.
Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
More Photos
Front View
River Crossing
On the Trail
Here is a list of specifications:
* Engine: 4-stroke twin-cylinder
* Displacement: 760 cc
* Cooling: Liquid-cooled
* Carburetion: Electronic Fuel Injection
* Alternator: 500 watts
* Starting: Electric/12V-18 AH
* Transmission: Automatic PVT (Polaris Variable Transmission)
* Gear range: dual range (high / low) forward, neutral, reverse, park
* Suspension front: Double A-Arm w/Anti-Sway Bar
* Wheel Travel front: 9 inches
* Suspension rear: Rolled Independent w/Anti-Sway Bar
* Wheel Travel rear: 9.5 inches
* Front tire: 25 x 8 - 12 Maxxis
* Rear tire: 25 x 10 - 12 Maxxis
* Front brakes: Hydraulic Disc, Dual Piston Calipers
* Rear brakes: Hydraulic Disc, Single Piston Calipers
* Overall length: 102 inches
* Overall width: 50 inches
* Overall height: 69 inches
* Wheelbase: 77 inches
* Ground clearance: 10 inches
* Bed capacity: 42 inches x 22 inches. 300 Pounds
* Towing capacity: 1500 pounds
* Fuel capacity: 7.25 gallons (US)
* Dry weight: 945 pounds
* Multi-function Speedometer: Fuel, Speed, Hour Meter, Odometer, Trip, AWD Engagement Indicator, EFI Diagnostic Codes, Gear selection, Clock
* Color choices: Red, Green
* MSRP: $9,999 (US), $13,999 (Canadian)
January 23rd, 2007
For those of you who entered in for the 200 limited entry hunting permits at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo last week, the winners are now posted. Are you a lucky winner? I can tell you one thing, I came away empty handed. I was hoping for the Henry’s deer tag and the Pahvant elk tag, along with the rest of the world.
To see the full list of results click the link below. I can’t believe some of the people I recognize who drew some of these tags. Congratulations.
LINK: Expo Results Page
January 22nd, 2007
The huge typical whitetail deer taken in Ohio last year has now been officially scored. Taken by Justin Metzner with a compound bow, the 12-point typical has an official score of 196 6/8 net.
The Metzner Buck was scored by Rick Busse an official scorer for Pope and Young, and Boone and Crockett; and Randy Clark, an official scorer for Ohio Big Bucks. The deer scored at 196 6/8 which would position it to be the second largest deer harvest with a compound bow in Ohio; the fifth largest typical deer taken in the world in the Pope and Young record book; and Buckmaster’s seventh all time typical white-tailed deer harvested with a compound bow.
Official Score Details:
Number of points: 12 total - 5×7
Greatest spread: 21 7/8″
Inside spread: 19 5/8″
Total gross: 206 5/8
Longest tine: 15 6/8″
Side to side symmetry deductions: 5 6/8
Total of abnormal points: 4 1/8
Net score: 196 6/8
LINK: Full Story
January 22nd, 2007
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