Archive for August, 2007
This video shows a great example of why we need to be protected and have the right to bear arms. A great testimony before Congress.
Also, there has just been a new report released by some professors at Harvard. They concluded that More Guns Lead To Less Crime. Imagine that. Here is a summary of that report. If you want to view the whole report, which would make a great resource for you kids needing resources for a school report, check the link at the bottom of this post.
More Guns, Less Crime
The ability of law-abiding citizens to possess firearms has helped reduce violent crime in America.
According to a study recently released by Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, worldwide gun ownership rates do not correlate with higher murder or suicide rates. In fact, many nations with high gun ownership have significantly lower murder and suicide rates. In their study entitled Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and some Domestic Evidence, Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser bring out the notion that more guns actually do lead to less crime and disprove “the mantra that more guns mean more deaths and that fewer guns, therefore, mean fewer deaths.” Here are a few excerpts from their findings:
“Norway,” they note, “has far and away Western Europe’s highest household gun ownership rate (32%), but also its lowest murder rate. The Netherlands,” in contrast, “has the lowest gun ownership rate in Western Europe ( 1.9%) … yet the Dutch gun murder rate is higher than the Norwegian.”
“murder in Europe was at an all-time low before the gun controls were introduced.” As the authors note, “strict controls did not stem the general trend of ever-growing violent crime throughout the post-WWII industrialized world.”
Citing England, for instance, they reveal that “when it had no firearms restrictions [in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries], England had little violent crime.” By the late 1990s, however, “England moved from stringent controls to a complete ban on all handguns and many types of long guns.” As a result, “by the year 2000, violent crime had so increased that England and Wales had Europe’s highest violent crime rate, far surpassing even the United States.” In America, on the other hand, “despite constant and substantially increasing gun ownership, the United States saw progressive and dramatic reductions in criminal violence in the 1990s.”
“the fall in the American crime rate is even more impressive when compared with the rest of the world,”
The reason that gun ownership doesn’t correlate with murder rates, the authors show, is that violent crime rates are determined instead by underlying cultural factors. “Ordinary people,” they note, “simply do not murder.” Rather, “the murderers are a small minority of extreme antisocial aberrants who manage to obtain guns whatever the level of gun ownership” in their society.
Therefore, “banning guns cannot alleviate the socio-cultural and economic factors that are the real determinants of violence and crime rates.” According to Dr. Kates and Dr. Mauser, “there is no reason for laws prohibiting gun possession by ordinary, law-abiding, responsible adults because such people virtually never commit murder. If one accepts that such adults are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than to commit it, disarming them becomes not just unproductive but counter-productive.”
- CFIF.ORG
LINK: View PDF of Whole Report
August 30th, 2007
The season is underway. So how are things panning out in 2007? So far there have been a few really nice velvet archery bucks taken in Utah from the opening weekend. I have been fortunate to talk with people and seen a couple of photos of a possible Utah state record archery typical mule deer. This buck is deceiving from its pictures, which don’t do it justice. However, the buck is 30-inches wide and “rough” green scores about 210 gross and 204 net typical. It was taken on public land, general season tag. Of course it is still early on this score. It does have a 3-inch kicker on one side and some junk around the eyeguards that could go either way.
UPDATE: I had the chance to talk with the hunter, Brady Larsen, about his great Utah archery buck. Here is the latest rundown on this velvet muley. He took it to a taxidermist and had it scored again. He still is waiting the 60 day period before anything is official, however, this gets us a little closer as to what this would probably score and how it stacks up to a possible state record archery typical buck. The abnormal points are what is going to hurt this buck, which is unfortunate. But a monster nonetheless. This buck has a gross non-typical score of 219. The typical frame is an awesome 212. It has about an 3 6/8-inch kicker on the left side along with about three inches of other abnormal points around the eyeguard that is going to cause extra deductions from the net typical score. After all deductions it is coming in around 212 gross and 198 6/8 net typical P&Y. However, this is not all….The most impressive feature on this buck is the mass. Early projections show that this buck has 54-inches of mass! That’s right, over 50-inches of mass. That is incredible. I would like to know what the most massive typical mule deer is in Pope & Young.
The good news is you will be seeing this buck featured in an upcoming issue of Hunting Illustrated. So is this buck going to be the next state record? Right now the green score puts him very close. However, there is another buck taken by Brad Roberts that could possible inch past as a potential state record as well. Brad’s buck is reported as being green scored at 213 gross and 201 + net typical P&Y. And that is without any eyeguards. Very pretty buck as well.
Stay tuned…
August 23rd, 2007
Tailor-Made Optics:
Leupold®Launches Custom Shop Web Site
BEAVERTON, Ore. — Hunters and shooters can construct a preview of customized Leupold® rifle, pistol and shotgun scopes before purchasing on the company’s new Custom Shop Web site, www.leupold.com/customshop.
Visitors to the site can select from 11 series of scopes. Following scope selection, customers begin the personalization process by choosing model, finish and reticle. From there, users can add custom colors and finishes to select models.
Laser engraving is another option available with the Custom Shop. In addition to their name or initials, users can also choose from 21 animals to have engraved into a scope.
After each customization step, the displayed image of the scope is automatically updated.
“The new Custom Shop Web site allows hunters and shooters to combine the optical excellence, ruggedness and durability of Leupold scopes with a personalized look and custom performance features,” said Pat Mundy, Leupold’s marketing communications supervisor. “By the end of the process, customers have a scope tailor-made for their unique brand of hunting or shooting.”
Other customization options include:
* Ring and Medallion
* Bullet Drop Compensation
* Parallax Adjustment
* Adjustment Dials
The site also features an itemized cost section where customers can see the price of each selected option as well as a total price. Once finished, customers can order their personalized scope directly from the site.
Leupold & Stevens, Inc., the only prominent American-owned and -operated optics company, employs more than 650 people in its state-of-the-art Beaverton, Ore., facility where rugged, dependable, high-performance Golden Ring® sports optics are designed, machined and assembled. Founded in 1907 and celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2007, Leupold was named the 2006 National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers, Accessories Manufacturer of the Year. Leupold is a fifth-generation, family-owned company with products sold worldwide to hunters, wildlife observers, competitive shooters, law enforcement officers and special operations military personnel. The product line includes rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; mounting systems; and optical tools and accessories.
August 21st, 2007
The hunts are here. Do you have the right camo? If you want to ensure you have the most effective camouflage on the market, giving you the best advantage you can get, make sure you get outfitted in one of our King’s ShadowCamo patterns. Are you hunting muleys, pronghorn or coyotes in the open terrain? Give our Desert Shadow a try. Heading into Wapiti country looking for the trophy bull elk, or into the brush for a big moose our Mountain Shadow pattern will be perfect.
Whatever you are hunting, we will have you covered. Are you out East, ready to head West to hunt? Make sure you come prepared with the appropriate camouflage for the terrain you are hunting in. Check out some good stuff…click here.
Below is a great testimonial sent in by Jake Cordova. Congrats on the hunts and thanks for sending in a great photo on another successful hunt with the help of some King’s Desert Shadow.
Jake Cordova
Harvested 10-16-2006
Kacyee Wyoming
I grew up hunting white tails in norther WI. I finally had the chance to go out west in 2000 mule deer hunting. I spent more time site seeing than hunting. I harvested a nice 3X3 mule deer. Then in 2003 I went to Idaho on an elk hunt and harvested a nice 5X6. On both of these hunts I wore the typical Advantage Timber camo and stuck out like a green giant. Now in 2006 I purchased your Desert Shadow and Mountain Shadow camo patterns prior to my hunt in WY. The Desert Shadow was phenomenal in the sage. It allowed my brother and I to connect on two nice antelope. The Mountain Shadow was great for the timber were I saw a lot of animals but nothing worth harvesting. I would be honored to be in your trophy room section of your magazine, I have been a subscriber of your magazine since the first issue.
Thanks
Jake Cordova
August 17th, 2007
I just heard about a crazy event that just happened yesterday in Alberta, Canada. A man was attacked by a grizzly bear. I am not sure yet of the situation. He may have somehow gotten in between the sow and her cubs. Unbelievably, this man had a knife with him and as the bear was chewing on his arm, he was stabbing the bear and ended up killing it. The man is in the hospital, but survived the attack and ended up actually killing the bear in self defense. Authorities are now looking for the abandoned cubs.
I will try and provide more information as I get it.
August 17th, 2007
There is some very cool footage from National Geographic showing wolves taking on elk, bison and even grizzly bears. Check out the video here
LINK: NG
August 16th, 2007
These hunts seem to be getting earlier and earlier. But I have to report the first monster bull elk for the 2007 season…and it is only August 10th. I just heard that the Nevada Governor Elk Tag holder just knocked down a monster elk. The early score that I have heard is 436 gross and 419 net non-typical. I am not sure, but the antlers may still be in the velvet.
Also, I just got an email that Randy Ulmer does it again..and again. Randy just arrowed another great Nevada archery non-typical velvet mule deer. Congratulations Randy!
August 10th, 2007
