Roger's Outdoor Notes

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERTS of July 30, 2016:   Hillary Clinton and Establishment Democrats Embrace Gun Control at Philadelphia Convention. If there was any uncertainly about the animosity Hillary Clinton and the elites of her party have towards America’s gun owners, those doubts were conclusively resolved by this week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Again and Again, the convention’s organizers made sure the issue of “gun violence” was front and center, even though with more guns being sold than at any time in America’s history—the U.S. homicide rate remains at a historic low. / JUST IN TIME FOR HIS PARTY’S CONVENTION, OBAMA ADMINISTRATON RELEASES LATEST EXECUTIVE GUN CONTROL.  On Friday July 22, 2016 the Obama Administration once again released a sweeping gun control measure by EXECUTIVE FIAT. The upshot is that DDTC is labeling commercial gunsmith’s as “manufacturer’s” for performing relatively simple work such as threading a barrel or fabricating a small custom part for an older firearm. Under the AECA, “manufacturer’s” are required to register with DDTC at significant expense or risk onerous criminal penalties. / DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL NRA-ILA APP!  This will keep you up to date on all the nasty issues the Democrats are doing to take away your guns!! / WHAT’S THE HILLARY STANDARD???  There is a real Hillary Standard: It’s that she wants to surround herself with armed protection, but demand the rest of us to go defenseless.

This past Friday I had the honor of working the phone banks in making calls for the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRAPVF.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. We asked three questions of each call and I was really surprised how many people do not know their Constitution. When asked if they would support the 2nd Amendment some would ask what is it? Then you really get to know that person when they start telling you that Hillary will stop all violence in America and protect all of us from the people with those dangerous guns. The hardest thing in my whole life was not being able to voice my comments to them. The people around me were laughing when they said I was shaking so badly while listening to them tell me how wonderful Hillary is and she will be our first woman President. All I could do was bite my tongue and I’m surprised I still have it.  Then I had an opportunity to speak with a lady whose husband just past way two weeks ago. She was so nice to talk to and I suggested to her to take a hunter education course for the gun safety part of the course. She lives in the country and it took the police and EMT’s over 15 minutes to reach her house when her husband had a stroke. I told her to think about taking a safety course how to use her husband’s guns and she thanked me several times. Its calls like that you start to appreciate the knowledge I had as a former hunter education instructor and firearm instructor. I was also surprised to see how many people have answering machines. So the next time someone tells you that the government will not take away your guns, remember what happened in Australia, as everyone thought that would not happen there also. So please, go to the website listed above and look at the information. Thank you and God Bless America!

Roger's Outdoor Notes

OPERATION DEER WATCH: Report deer sightings to the WDNR. Wisconsin’s residents can help with deer herd management by participating in this year’s Operation Deer Watch, an annual citizen-science survey that collects information on deer. Data from this survey provides insight to the reproductive status of Wis deer herd for 2016 and helps shape deer management for the state. To get involved record all bucks, does and fawns seen during the day from August 1st to Sept. 30th. Daily observations can be tracked using an online tally sheet available at: dnr.wi.gov, keyword “deer  watch”.  What a great thing to do with your children and friends. The DNR encourages anyone interested in deer, from hunters and trappers to outdoor enthusiasts to take part. Data from the survey is additionally used by the county Deer Advisory Councils (CDAC) when developing deer season framework, harvest quotas and permit level recommendations.

Roger's Outdoor Notes

Information on Sweden Rules of gun ownership: Mr. Tom Heberlein, Professor Emeritus UW-Madison, Dept. of Community & Environmental Sociology spoke to our Outdoor Writers Assn. and spoke on “A Gun Owner’s Perspective: Hunters Should Show Bold Responsibility.”  It was a very interesting presentation about life in Sweden. The professor is retired from the UW-Madison staff, but still teaches in Sweden 6 months out of a year. When he moved to Sweden, he decided to take along all his guns from America because they have a great moose hunting season there.  Once he arrived in Sweden, he found out that he was not allowed to keep his guns in his house due to the laws of Sweden. Sweden’s laws state that firearms are not allowed in a person’s house. Unlike America, the citizens of Sweden have NO RIGHTS or PROTECTIONS like our 2nd Amendment in the Constitution. You do have a right to own a firearm, BUT, you first must have permission from the police, you can only own 6 firearms, they must be stored in a safe in a club or public storage area for firearms, meaning like a Police station or club.  Before you can get a firearm you must pass a test of how to use it and know all the laws that apply to owning a firearm, and pass a background check. In the case of the professor, he had to show he knew how to use the firearm safely, and had to be able to hit the bullseyes circle 3 out of 5 shots. Sweden claims you can own a firearm, but you do not have any firearm rights, unlike in America. If you so much as get stopped for a speeding ticket, the police have a right to pull your firearms right and they will come to take away your firearms. No giving the firearms to a family member or selling them. You also have to serve 2 years in the military and if for some reason you cannot serve, it puts you in a very serious position if you want to find a job with the government. As an example, say you want to work for the University of Sweden, the first thing you tell them is that you served in the military and the job is yours. Unlike America, if you were to tell the University of Wis. you served in the military, it’s likely that you will never be hired to work for them, and those are the words of the professor. So with all that said, I’m glad we live in a country where our gun rights are protected by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. We will lose those rights if the election this fall doesn’t change the parties in charge now. My opinion only. I think I still have a right to express my opinion, don’t I?  

Roger's Outdoor Notes

AUGUST SPORTSMEN CLUB MEETING DATES:    Mishicot Sportsmen Club will be meeting on Aug. 3rd at 8 pm at the Jambo Creek Clubhouse. They will be discussing their upcoming FALL ARCHERY SHOOT on August 20th & 21st. They are also holding a raffle at the clubhouse that weekend and tickets are available at local businesses in the village. Winner need not be present to win.

Manitowoc Unit of Fish & Game will be meeting on August 4th at Cabin #1 in Lincoln Park, Manitowoc. Meeting starts at 7 pm with food and refreshments available. Here is a club who’s membership fee is less than a 12 pack of soda. It cost you only $5.00 for a whole year of enjoyment that you are part of a club that is over 100 years old. There is no age limit, so come sign up your children, grandchildren for half price ($2.50) and once again if you sign up to the Manitowoc Unit, you can become part of history in Wisconsin. $5.00 is unheard of in today’s world for a year’s membership. Hope to see you there.

Shoto Conservation Club is meeting on August 9th at 7 pm for their monthly meeting. Shoto Conservation Club is the only club at the Manitowoc County fair that serves the best ham sandwiches and other food that makes you always come back for more.

Roger's Outdoor Notes

FALL HUNTING SEASONS DEADLINES APPROACHING:  August 1st is the deadline to submit permit applications for Turkey, Sharp-tail Grouse, Bobcat, Fisher and Otter. Applications for Fall Hunting are $3.00 and $6.00 for Bobcat Applications. 101,300 Wild Turkey permits available to hunters for the Fall Turkey hunting season. That’s a 600 permit increase over 2015 levels. Any Fall Turkey Permits remaining after the initial drawing will go on sale at 10am August 27th. Leftover Fall Turkey Permits will be sold by zone until sold out or the season ends.

2016 FALL SEASON DATES:  Wild Turkey: Zones 1-5 Sept. 17-Dec. 31,   Zones 6-7 are Sept. 17 to Nov.18th,  Sharp-tailed Grouse: Oct. 16 to Nov. 6th.,   Bobcat Hunting and Trapping: Period 1 is Oct. 15th to Dec. 25th,  Period 2 is Dec. 26th to Jan. 31st, 2017,  Fisher (trapping only) Oct. 15 to Dec. 31st., Otter (trapping only) is: North Zone- Nov.5 to April 30, 2017;  Central and Southern Zones are Nov. 5 to March 31, 2017.


ATTENTION SQUIRREL HUNTERS: Turn in those Squirrel tails for CASH or trade them in for Mepps lures. Squirrel tails unlike practically all other animals, have all hair tails-no fur. Fur doesn’t ripple and pulsate like squirrel hair in the water. And squirrels are plentiful. Mepps is asking you to help them recycle this valuable resource. NOTE: Mepp’s does not advocate the hunting of squirrels strictly for their tails. Squirrel tails cannot be sold in CA, ID & OR. Send your tails to “MEPPS” ,  626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409. Got questions, well call 800-637-7700 or visit  www.mepps.com/squirrels. 

ATTENTION ALL SPORTSMEN IN AMERICA. NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY is Saturday Sept. 24th, 2016. Hunt, Shoot, Fish. Just remember these facts; through licenses and excise taxes, you generate $100,000 every 30 minutes for fish, wildlife and habitat programs! Follow this group on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and You Tube.  Sponsors for the program are America’s Wildlife Museum & Aquarium, NSSF, NRA, Bass Pro shops, Realtree, Gun Broker.com, Ducks Unlimited and Yamaha. OR If you HUNT, FISH or SHOOT, Share the Pride. Go to HNFDAY.org. Also follow this site for more information on which clubs will be holding some type of activities for everyone.

Roger's Outdoor Notes

Well, this has been a very interesting weekend as I spent it with the other outdoor writers and TV producers in Wisconsin at Eagle River, WI. We started out with a wonderful cookout and social hours until our evening session with Dave Clausen and Mike Amman who presented a program called “Are we managing Wisconsin’s deer herd, or is the deer herd managing our forest and woodlands.” This was one of the best programs I have ever heard and it dealt with how our deer herd is killing off our trees in areas around the state. I never knew you can allow a tree that was chewed off to the bare bones to grow back up. Even after several years of deer browsing, these trees will grow back to be healthy it taken care of. It’s wonderful to see how one can manage your wood lots and allow deer to survive during winter times, no matter where you live. On Saturday we started with a presentation by Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director of Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. She gave us a presentation on her travels down the Wisconsin Rivers from the MI/WI state line till it runs into the Mississippi River. One of the biggest things they need now is money, due to the fact not a lot of people know who they are. They are looking for funding, ad trust me, I am now a firm believer that this group will do wonderful thing for our state if they could only get the funding they so badly need. Ruth floated down the river in a kayak all by herself and ran into many problems in doing so. Some of the interesting items she had to deal with were over 20 beaver dams to go around and many other little problem that popped up as she made her way south. The group called River Alliance of Wisconsin has preserved over 7 miles of river frontage and this is so campers have a place to camp. One issue she told ua about was the portage of canoes on Hwy 107 which is a wonderful place to see and enjoy near the Wis. River. She also noted that there is a lot of water cabbage around the Stevens Point area and it can also be found near the shorelines there too. There is a couple near Baraboo area that setup all their land in a trust so that no one can ever use the property for personal gain, and it will remain open to the public. One very important comment she made us understand is that whenever you decide to travel on the water, always wear a life jacket to protect you and carry a very good First Aid kit. Waterfowl and people need these rivers and it’s important that this group is properly funded to carry on the work that so many people are working so hard to defend and protect for all citizens to enjoy. For more information about this group contact WisConservation.org or phone 866-264-4096. Please look them up.

Our next group was a panel of people who are in tourism. The title of their program was “North Woods Tourism: How has it changed from 1996 to 2016.” We had four individuals all involved in the tourism industry. We all know how much fun it can be going to Eagle River, but did you know that one of the fastest growing interests in the area is biking, trail bikes, Fat Wheel Bikes, horses, and hiking. Almost all the trails have a GPS setting on them. They also said that due to the lack of snow in some years, the trails are now being used by hikers and bikers. Who would of thought that? Years ago people would go up north for the fishing, but due to all the new toys everyone has, that is ruining the fishing. ( jet skis, speed boats ).  Leon “Buckshot” Anderson retired after nearly 60 years of guiding for fishing, and the one thing he mentioned that has changed in guiding people for fishing is the fact they are now targeting small little lakes, where there is no jet skis or bigger boats making huge waves. He claimed the people are more interested in seeing wildlife (loons with chicks on their backs, eagles, otters, beavers, etc…) and catching something isn’t as important anymore.

I’ll have more about the conference in the coming days that you might like to see. In the Spirit of the Outdoors enjoy it.

NRA-ILA DAILY ALERT 7-20-16:   Headlines for Wednesday were, New York: Local official shelved permit holder privacy forms. Law abiding gun owners have always had a healthy mistrust of the government ability to protect their rights. What’s in Room 101H of the Monroe County clerk’s office should give them-everyone else- even more pause. There, stuffed in 7 drawers of a black metal filing cabinet, are the unprocessed “opt-out forms” of some 20,000 pistol permit holders who sought to shield their names and addresses from public disclosure under the state’s SAFE Act.  NRA LEADER: A Clinton Supreme Court means your right to own a firearm is GONE!  Chris Cox of the NRA-ILA warned that gun ownership rights could be lost if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency. Clinton will put enough liberals on the Supreme Court to dominate the legal system for 40 years and dismantle the Second Amendment. (Editor’s Note: This is not hot air being blown around, you have heard Clinton say it loud and clear, she wants to take firearms away from everyone, like they did in Australia.) While we attack Clinton over her emails. or the Left slams Trump over his business record, we sometimes forget that there are some fundamental rights at stake. One of them is our Second Amendment Rights. Chris Cox warned that this election is not just about gun rights over the next couple of years; this is about the future of the Second Amendment over the next four decades. SEN. WYDEN (D-Ore.) seeks tax dollars for Anti-Gun research. The Senator wants the Center for Disease Control to be able to study gun violence, and he’s gathering data and information from around the state, including Southern Oregon, to make his case.  WILLIE ROBERTSON: Gun laws won’t stop violence. “Unfortunately, men are going to find ways to commit evil acts, whether it’s with a truck in Nice or a pressure cooker in Boston.” Said Robertson, referring to last week’s terrorist attack in France and the 2013 attacks at the Boston Marathon, where pressure cooker bombs were exploded.  With that being said, the NRA calls on all Americans to support Donald Trump for President.