The TRCP 2009 Conservation Agenda's main goal is ensuring that moments like this will always happen.
Photo source: www.epa.gov
There is a lot of change going on in Washington, but the one thing that is staying the same is our aggressive agenda to conserve some of the most threatened hunting and fishing resources. With the help of our coalition members, the TRCP has outlined nine issues that we will focus our efforts on in the coming months.
“By bringing together the diverse voices of its partners, all of whom care deeply about our country’s fish and wildlife resources, the TRCP has been able to make sure government policy is benefiting future generations of American sportsmen,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. “As a new Congress and administration come to Washington, this year will be full of opportunities to advance the cause of conservation. We plan to pursue them with the vigor for which our namesake was known.”
The TRCP 2009 Conservation Policy Agenda includes the following issues: •Reforming the energy leasing and development process on Western public lands
•Expanding Farm Bill conservation efforts like the Conservation Reserve Program
•Ensuring a robust “Open Fields” sportsmen’s access program
•Advancing wetlands protection and clean water restoration strategies
•Improving recreational marine fisheries management through the SALT principles
•Promoting sound roadless area forest management
•Addressing the effects of climate change on fish and wildlife
•Solidifying tax incentives for conservation easements
•Updating the outdated General Mining Law of 1872
Over the past few months, our staff members have been meeting with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team and key members of Congress to make sure these important issues will be a priority with the new administration
Recreational saltwater anglers in the surf
Photo credit: Dusan Smetana
A part of the 2009 agenda, the TRCP and its partners are already making strides in improving recreational saltwater fisheries. Following two of the TRCP's SALT principles: Science and Licensing, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is getting ready to roll out its National Saltwater Angler Registry and create eight new Marine Protected Areas.
The SALT principles originally were created to help guide the restructuring of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and NOAA leaned in part on the licensing pillar to create the registry.
“The National Saltwater Angler Registry will help NOAA know more about the number of recreational saltwater anglers and their activities,” said TRCP Marine Fisheries Initiative Manager Jared Mott. “Once they have this information, it will allow the federal government to make sure that the needs and impacts of recreational anglers are better dealt with in marine management.”According to the final rule, which was released at the end of December, all recreational anglers must be registered by January 1, 2010. For more information, go to www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov.
The other big move that NOAA is planning to make is the designation of eight new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the south Atlantic coast to better conserve snapper and grouper fisheries. Only after extensive scientific review and talking with the public did NOAA decide to protect these areas. The MPAs are intended to preserve underwater habitat without creating adverse social and economical effects on recreational anglers, the sportfishing industry, and communities that benefit from marine fishing.
“MPAs can be an effective tool for marine conservation,” said Mott. “Especially when they are created based on sound science and input from recreational anglers.”
These south Atlantic MPAs range from 50 to 500 nautical square miles in size and range from nine to 30 nautical miles offshore. The sites were chosen on the basis of maximizing biological benefits while minimizing adverse social and economic effects.
Bull elk at the Never Summer Adjacent Roadless Area at the Routt National Forest in Colorado.
Photo credit: John Gale
The TRCP recently commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to extend the timetable for finalization of the Colorado roadless rule, a plan for management of the state’s national forest roadless areas. The decision was in response to a state request to prolong the rule-making process so stakeholders’ concerns could be addressed in the final plan. A range of diverse interests, including the TRCP and other sportsmen’s groups, has charged that the current draft of the rule fails to responsibly administer Colorado’s more than 4 million acres of backcountry.
“All along, the TRCP has maintained that the Colorado roadless rule can be significantly improved if adequate time and attention are dedicated to its revision,” said TRCP Roadless Initiative Manager Joel Webster. “That this fact has been recognized by state and federal decision makers gives us hope that conscientious management of Colorado’s backcountry – and the important habitat it provides fish and wildlife populations – can be attained through careful refinement of problematic language in the draft rule.”
Hunters and anglers affirm that the Colorado roadless rule can uphold healthy habitat, fish and wildlife populations and sporting traditions if common-sense revisions are made to the draft plan. Problems they highlight in the draft rule include the following:
•Vague language that would allow road building for power-line corridors and water projects in all of Colorado’s 4.4 million acres of backcountry.
•Allowing 70,000 acres of “gap” oil and gas leases to be developed where road building would be permitted in backcountry areas.
•The removal of more than 500,000 acres from Colorado’s roadless inventory – a transfer that also is questioned by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
•The absence of an establishment of an “upper category” of roadless lands – setting a higher level of protective guidelines for about 1.26 million acres.
“Sportsmen applaud the state’s request and its approval by the federal government,” Webster continued, “but we must remain focused on the task at hand: fixing the errors in the draft Colorado rule. Governor Ritter and the U.S. Forest Service must use this extra time to rectify the plan’s problems – for the good of Colorado’s backcountry and the citizens who use and enjoy these irreplaceable landscapes.”
Colorado and Idaho both elected to develop state-specific plans for administration of roadless areas within their boundaries, with Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter calling his state’s roadless rule an insurance policy in case the federal roadless rule was overturned. A recent decision by a federal judge in San Francisco limited the applicability of the 2001 federal roadless rule and effectively eliminated the state of Colorado from the rule’s oversight.
“Sportsmen gave their support to the final Idaho roadless rule, which was achieved through collaboration by the U.S. Forest Service, state authorities and other advisors,” stated Webster. “We believe that decision-makers can create a similarly strong rule for Colorado, but problems in the draft plan must be fixed first. We urge the Forest Service and state to use this extended timetable to create an improved management plan that guarantees the long-term conservation of Colorado’s backcountry.”
The TRCP is hitting the road this winter to continue its promotion of the “We Are Wetlands” petition.
Launched last April, the education campaign highlights the importance of our nation’s wetlands and clean water for not only healthy fish and wildlife habitat buy many other societal benefits such as clean drinking water, flood control, and hurricane buffers as well. With 50,000 signatures already, the TRCP is seeking 80,000 names on a petition – one for every acre of natural wetlands that our country loses each year – calling for legislation that restores critical federal protections that have been lost in recent Supreme Court decisions.
TRCP Field Representative Tim Balzer will be traveling to key states affected by the loss of natural wetlands in the coming months to educate hunters, anglers, and others on the issue and to promote the petition. Balzer has been working throughout the Mississippi River corridor and in the Dakotas over the past year to build teams of grassroots activists on this issue so they may carry the “We Are Wetlands” message to hunters and anglers in their respective states.
The TRCP will be at the following events in January and February seeking petition signatures:
Missouri Waters for Wildlife Summit – January 22
Bass Pro Shops, Columbia, MO
Pheasant Fest – February 6-8
Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI
Minnesota Wetlands Summit – February 21
Normandale Community College, Bloomington, MN
If you and your family have not signed the “We Are Wetlands” petition, please click here to sign today – it only takes a few seconds. For more information on this campaign, please visit www.WeAreWetlands.org.
For more information about We Are Wetlands, please contact Geoff Mullins at gmullins@trcp.org.
5. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Appoints Two New Assistant Directors
Bolton at a conservation discussion at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.
As one of his first acts as Acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Rowan Gould announced the appointment of Hannibal Bolton as the assistant director for wildlife and sport fish restoration and Greg Siekaniec as the assistant director for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Bolton is a 30-year veteran of the FWS, spending most of his career developing policy and implementing conservation strategies for fish management. In his most recent post, he was the chief of the Division of Fish & Wildlife Management and Habitat Restoration. As the Assistant Director for wildlife and sport fish restoration, Bolton will be in charge of the allocation of over half a billion dollars to states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories for fish and wildlife conservation.
"I am painfully aware of the threats to fish and wildlife, and their habitats, resulting from accelerating climate change, and I know that our best hope to address those threats is through cooperation between all conservation agencies, both State and Federal," said Bolton. "This is precisely why I am so excited about my new job as assistant director for wildlife and sport fish restoration programs."
Siekaniec has worked in the National Wildlife Refuge System for 24 years, and will be responsible for overseeing the system of public lands that Theodore Roosevelt formed in 1903. Since Roosevelt dedicated Florida’s Pelican Island as the first refuge, the system as grown to include more than 96 million acres of public land, 548 refuges and 37 wetland management districts.
TRCP Senior Staff Writer, Ken Barrett, fishing in the
Wyoming Range
Photo credit: Steve Belinda
In between confirmation hearings, the U.S. Senate passed a major bill to protect public lands. In a 73-21 vote, The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, S.22, will designate more than 2 million acres of wilderness and included two conservation measures that the TRCP strongly supports: the Wyoming Range Legacy Act and the authorization of the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS).
“The TRCP is heartened by the Senate’s perseverance in advancing this legislation, which does much to further the cause of promoting robust fish and wildlife populations on our public lands,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. “We urge continued support of the bill by the Senate in the coming days and the speedy passage of S. 22 into law.”
The bill, which was held over from the last legislative session, will now proceed to the U.S. House. S.22 is a package of over 150 public lands, water and resources bills that includes measures of enormous importance to American hunters and anglers. In addition to the Wyoming Range Legacy Act and the NLCS, the bill would protect wilderness in nine states including California, Oregon, Michigan and Virginia.
7. Catch All-New Episodes of TRCP's Escape to the Wild
Shannon Talbert, The Painters Union Local 376, from Farfield, Calif. on a Colorado elk dream hunt.
Make a New Year’s resolution that you know you can keep: Tune in to VERSUS Country every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern for all-new, adrenaline-pumping episodes of TRCP’s Escape to the Wild. This week, a painter from San Francisco treks Colorado’s mountainous terrain following the bugle of the iconic bull elk.
In this groundbreaking original series, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, VERSUS Country and sponsoring unions and contractor associations honor hardworking union members with all-expenses-paid trips to world-class hunting and fishing destinations. Each week, viewers will join host Tom Ackerman in an elaborate scheme to surprise the winner with the trip of a lifetime.
“TRCP's Escape to the Wild is about teaming up with deserving winners and taking them around the world to fulfill their dream hunting and fishing adventures. Special people, special places,” Ackerman said.
Tune in this season and join the 10 winners as they venture to Argentina to hunt majestic red stag, hit the water with professional bass angler Byron Velvick for world-class Texas bass fishing, trek Canada’s expansive tundra to hunt caribou and run and gun for upland birds at a top-notch lodge in Oregon--and those are just a few of the exciting adventures lined up for the best season yet.
Complete Schedule (subject to change): Idaho Black Bear--January 4 at 9:30 a.m. EST Argentina Stag--January 11 at 9:30 a.m. EST Colorado Elk--January 18 and March 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST Quebec Caribou--January 25 at 9:30 a.m. EST Panama Big-Game Fish--February 1 at 9:30 a.m. EST Newfoundland Moose--February 8 and March 22 at 9:30 a.m. EST Texas Bass--February 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST Alberta Waterfowl--February 22 at 9:30 a.m. EST South Dakota--Whitetail March 1 and March 29 at 9:30 a.m. EST Oregon Upland Birds--March 8 at 9:30 a.m. EST
For more information on TRCP's Escape to the Wild and TRCP'sLife in the Open, visit www.trcp.tv
Brian with a Montana mulie
Photo credit: Chad Schearer
Brian McClintock joined the TRCP as communications manager at the beginning of the year. McClintock comes to the TRCP after serving two years on the editorial staff of Field & Stream in New York City, where he was the editor responsible for their Heroes of Conservation program. A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, prior to working at Field & Stream, Brian was a member of the editorial staff of Men’s Health magazine in Allentown, Pa.
A native of central Pennsylvania, Brian was introduced to hunting, fishing and the importance of conservation by his father and grandfather, who had him stocking trout as soon as he was old enough to fish for them. While he has been living in major metropolitan areas the past few years, he still retreats to his rural roots every chance he gets to hunt and fish for whatever may be in season at the time. He is looking forward to the upcoming striper and shad runs this spring in the Potomac.
Now one-month old, Edwin Franklin Cooper joined the TRCP family on December 13. Affectionately nicknamed Teddy, he weighed in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. George, TRCP President and CEO, and his wife, Caroline, also have a 2-year-old daughter, Eleanor.
9. Initiative In-depth: TRCP Energy Initiative Enters 2009, Ready to Build on Record of Success
Oil development in the Pinedale area of Wyoming.
Photo Credit: Cameron Davidson
A new year and a new administration bring with them the possibility of change – and, for millions of American hunters and anglers, hope that the federal approach to public-lands energy development will be fundamentally revised and that fish and wildlife populations and sporting opportunities on these lands will be better safeguarded in the years to come.
The TRCP is actively engaging with the new administration on behalf of sportsmen, meeting with transition team officials and ensuring that the interests of hunters and anglers are well represented in its policy agenda and goals, particularly as they affect fish and wildlife management and public access to hunting and fishing.
Reflecting the views of a majority of sportsmen, the TRCP supports responsible use of the public’s energy resources. Yet only through significant revision of the federal energy leasing process and post-leasing management will our fish and wildlife resources, along with our opportunities as sportsmen, receive the attention they deserve.
In 2007 and 2008, the TRCP exercised the public’s only recourse for speaking up for fish and wildlife during the leasing process: Filing a “protest.” Overall the TRCP protested close to 2.5 million acres of proposed leases in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. These actions were founded in concerns that fish and wildlife resources or hunting and fishing opportunities would be significantly affected if the areas were leased. The TRCP thoroughly reviewed each proposed lease for actions or protections for fish and wildlife and protested only those leases that, based on this analysis, could not be managed to sustain fish and wildlife resources during development.
Responses by the BLM to these protests ranged from removing protested parcels and cancelling lease sales (the agency withdrew more than a half-million acres from sale and outright cancelled two sales in Montana and Utah during that time) to ignoring the concerns of the TRCP. In 2007 and 2008 alone, the BLM proceeded to lease approximately 3.4 million acres of federal public lands.
Protests and actions like them are one way that the TRCP is working to guarantee a place to hunt or fish for every American. Energy development on our public lands has become troublingly one-sided, with the demands by energy companies frequently superseding the needs of fish and wildlife and the interests of sportsmen. A recent BLM lease sale in Utah illustrates this dynamic.
Overall, the Utah sale could have opened development on 276,000-plus acres – or more than 430 square miles – of federal public lands. The sale was marked by controversy for months, with a range of diverse interests roundly criticizing BLM plans to allow drilling on lands bordering wilderness areas and national parks. The TRCP’s protest comprised approximately 188,000 acres of big-game habitat, crucial mule deer winter range, vital sage grouse habitat and native trout streams. The BLM’s decision to withdraw more than 100,000 acres from sale closely followed the TRCP protest.
The areas deferred by the BLM include thousands of acres located in and around the Deep Creek Mountains near the Nevada border; the agency cited the need to finalize environmental plans as the reason for their withdrawal. (The TRCP successfully petitioned the BLM to defer many of these same areas from energy development in August 2007 because environmental planning had not been completed then, either.) The BLM withdrawals also deferred development near a waterway called Birch Creek, where, in 1974, Bonneville cutthroat trout were “rediscovered,” long after the species was thought to be extirpated in Utah.
Utah's Book Cliffs
Photo Credit: Dave Beedon
On Dec. 19, the BLM sold development rights on the remaining acreage. The parcels that the TRCP had protested will be evaluated and the TRCP’s action either upheld or denied. If the protest is denied, the BLM will issue the contested leases to the high bidder, and the TRCP can opt to submit a formal appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals, a panel of judges who review and issue rulings on agency decisions. Further action would take place in U.S. District Court.
While commending the BLM’s withdrawal of some of the Utah lands from development, the TRCP criticized the agency’s decision to proceed with leasing other important areas – specifically, parcels on the East and West Tavaputs plateaus – until impacts from energy development there could be addressed and potentially mitigated. These plateaus and the Book Cliffs provide some of the finest mule deer and elk hunting in the West, and the TRCP maintains that energy development there must be pursued carefully if sportsmen hope to continue enjoying these traditions.
Ultimately, if our shared natural resources are to be maintained, the BLM approach to land and resource management must be substantially revised. Energy development must proceed only with adequate consideration of fish and wildlife resources values and sporting opportunities. Development of public-lands energy reserves is important to our nation, but poorly planned and potentially damaging proposals such as these in Utah do little to achieve this goal.
The TRCP believes a better way exists to manage energy resources on public lands. Conflicts with wildlife and our sporting heritage can be minimized. But this new approach must start in Washington, and it must start now.
The TRCP believes that to better balance the concerns of fish and wildlife in the face of accelerating energy development, federal land management agencies must follow the conservation tenets outlined in the FACTS for Fish and Wildlife, a set of principles to guide energy development on public lands.
A big thanks to everyone who sent in an answers to last month's T.R.ivia question. Congratulations go to our November winner, William Jones. He was the first person to correctly identify that T.R. didn't like the dining room chairs in his boyhood home because they were covered with horsehair and scratched his legs.
We are sending William a TRCP hat. Congratulations, William.
Email your answer to brianm@trcp.org for your chance to win a TRCP knife, made by Buck Knives.
Updates from TRCP Partner Organizations -
News from the National Conservation Community
American Fisheries Society AFS gears up for their 139th meeting. More>>
American Sportfishing Association
The ASA's Future Fishermen Foundation continues its Physh Ed to hook young anglers. More>>
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
AFWA lauds President-elect Obama's commitment to addressing climate change. More>>
BASS/ESPN Outdoors A Pennsylvania BASS chapter successfully restores Lake Latonka. More>>
Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited becomes the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. More>>
Coastal Conservation Association
CCA calls for a denial of longline permits to protect conservation zones. More>>
Delta Waterfowl
Delta Waterfowl president Ron Olson holds a town hall meeting to discuss the group’s impact on the Atlantic Flyway. More>>
Ducks Unlimited
Will Primos and Fred Zink team together to help DU save the Duck Factory. More>>
Federation of Fly Fishers
Check out FFF’s online auction. More>>
International Game Fish Association The IGFA kicks off their 25th annual banquet and auction. More>>
International Hunter Education Association Donate $10 to the IHEA to get their 2009 calendar. More>>
Izaak Walton League of America
Take the League’s Clean Boat Challenge. More>>
Mule Deer Foundation
Register today for the MDF’s 2009 National Convention in Salt Lake City. More>>
The Nature Conservancy
Read The Nature Conservancy’s letter to Barack Obama. More>>
North American Grouse Partnership
Find out how you can charter a North American Grouse Partnership chapter. More>>
Pheasants Forever
PF gets ready for the 2009 Pheasant Fest, which kicks off on Feb. 6. More>>
Quail Forever
QF is urging all Illinois members to contact their state legislators and ask them to support legislation restoring funding to dedicated conservation accounts. More>>
Quail Unlimited
QU welcomes new chapters to their covey. More>>
Quality Deer Management Association
The QDMA updated its deer density map to help local conservationists and hunters. More>>
Trout Unlimited
Colorado TU stresses the problems with the proposed Windy Gap Firming Project that could threaten the health of the Colorado River. More>>
Trust for Public Land
Read the TPL’s website update. More>>
Whitetails Unlimited
The Whitetails Unlimited field directors gather to discuss its plans for 2009. More>>
Wildlife Management Institute
The WMI reports that after three years of research, scientists have published a conservation plan for spruce grouse. More>>
The Wildlife Society The Wildlife Society is seeking nominations for their 2009 awards. More>>
Kinsey Robinson, International President, United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers
Kinsey with his wife, Mona, on a bird hunt in Spain.
Who got you involved with hunting and or fishing?
My father taught me about hunting at an early age. I first started taking hunting excursions with him for grouse, pheasant and squirrels, and began target shooting when I was 8. I was soon accompanying him on duck hunts and began actively hunting when I was 12. My father is now 86 and no longer hunts, but he was still proudly taking to the field for ringneck pheasants at 85. Both my grandfathers were also hunters.
My maternal grandfather introduced me to fishing when I was 5, and I went on to spend a lifetime of fishing experiences with my father. Hunting and fishing are part of who we are as a family.
What is your most memorable experience afield?
I have been extremely fortunate to have experienced many memorable trips afield. Forced to choose, I believe the experience of tagging along with my wife on a 14-day leopard hunt was the most memorable. On the evening of day 14, with only a few minutes of daylight left, my wife shot a big tom leopard that had approached impala bait hung in a tree. The cat, hit hard, moved off into the surrounding brush and trees. After cautiously following the spoor for approximately 200 yards in total darkness, except for flash lights, I shot the mortally wounded leopard as it savagely charged my wife and her PH. The cat fell dead a mere 12 feet from them.
Why is conservation important?
It is our responsibility to be the stewards of all that man has been given: the land, water and all the life they sustain. Without proper conservation we will certainly destroy what God has so benevolently granted us and rob future generations of the treasures that rightfully belong to them. I believe it is my duty to help others understand the principle of protecting our natural resources so that those future generations may enjoy them.
What do you think are our most pressing conservation issues today?
We must act quickly to address a sensible conservation agenda with President-elect Obama and his new administration, especially the Department of Agriculture. President-elect Obama will have many pressing issues on his plate, and if we expect to make gains for conservation, we must get to the head of the line. I believe the focus needs to be on protecting existing public lands, expanding public lands, reversing wetland loss and maintaining proven programs that protect wildlife habitat like CRP, WHIP and WRP.
What is your approach to facing conservation challenges?
The most important thing I can do, any of us can do, is set a good example for those that may not understand the importance of conservation, including good sportsmanship and adhering to all game laws when hunting and fishing. And be prepared to express our views to others about conservation, speaking intelligently and in a noncombative manner. Because of my keen personal interest in hunting, I am intensely concerned about the appalling loss of game animals throughout the world, especially in Africa where the problem is most acute. The trend toward increased consumption of bush meat and the illegal taking of animal body parts by poachers pose serious problems in some countries for the conservation community. My approach to reduce, and eventually eliminate, such activity is to promote sustainable hunting. Only through sustainable hunting can a solution be found where there is an economic incentive to protect a valuable resource. Sustainable hunting has a proven track record whereby government, land owners and the hunting community have forged a partnership to protect game animals and at the same time improve living standards in the targeted area.
Why are you involved with the TRCP and the USA?
Simply put, I’m involved with the TRCP because they are dedicated to the stewardship of the American landscape, helping to expand fish and wildlife habitat and increasing public access to quality hunting and fishing. The TRCP’s mission is to “Guarantee all Americans a place to hunt and fish.” The TRCP works to preserve our tradition of hunting and fishing.
Unions are about a better quality of life for working men and women, not only in the workplace but also in the outdoors, where millions of union members enjoy hunting and fishing. Today’s union members are finding that access to lands and water for them, their children and grandchildren is becoming increasingly more restricted. To help answer that need, USA was founded as a hunting and fishing club affiliated with the TRCP, exclusively for union members and their families. While union members enjoy many benefits when they join the USA, their greatest benefit is that the USA and the TRCP strive to protect and maintain access to the best places to hunt and fish in America.
Every gun has a story. Whether it’s a new shotgun on its first upland hunt or a hand-me-down rifle that generations have shot their first deer with, firearms are one of the many material objects that have a history.
Hal Herring’s new book, Famous Firearms of the Old West, tells stories of 12 of the most notorious guns in the history of the United States. From Wild Bill Hickok’s Colt Model 1851 Revolvers to Geronimo’s Winchester Model 1876 Carbine to Pancho Villa’s Smith & Wesson Model 3 American Revolver, Herring uses these iconic firearms, many of which are able to be seen in museums, to tell the stories of the Old West.
Steven Rinella, author of The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine, drew a rare permit to hunt wild buffalo in the Alaskan wilderness. This narrative chronicles his hunt, where he manages to kill a buffalo, even though only 20 percent of hunters who win the lottery are successful, and then raft the meat back to camp despite being trailed by grizzly bears, all the while battling hypothermia. While the story of the hunt is exciting, Rinella manages to capture the historical importance of the American bison. He also uses this book to explore the modern day significance of buffalo as predominately a ranch-raised meat animal.
Check out How Your Fellow TRCP Partners Fared this Season
Don Wilhelm, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service state coordinator for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Arlington, Texas, shot these five quail with the help of his 10-year-old son, Sam, and their dog, Heath.
TRCP Senior Staff Writer and Host of TRCP's Life in the Open, Ken Barrett with a fat rainbow caught during his off-camera time in Canyon Ferry Reservoir.
TRCP Marine Fisheries Initiative Manager Jared Mott (right) and Dan Wrinn of Ducks Unlimited with a day's worth of mallards from a prairie pothole hunt in northeastern South Dakota.
Greg Singleton, Union Sportsmen's Alliance mid-Atlantic regional manager, with his best buck of the year that he shot in Fairfax County, Va.
We want your photos. Send photos to photos@trcp.org.
Electronic photos only please.
Like so many of us, Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting life began near home. In his case, his introduction to hunting was along the banks of the Hudson River, not far from New York City. At age 13, with a new shotgun his father gave him, T.R. took to the woods near Dobbs Ferry in pursuit of birds and squirrels.
T.R. getting ready to ride out on his African safari.
photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
He shot his first deer shortly afterward in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, and a few years later, he began hunting in the wilds of northern Maine with guides Bill Sewell and Will Dow. Following those outings, he made his first forays to the American West. First, hunting waterfowl and grouse in Minnesota with his beloved brother Elliot, and later as a rancher and hunter, during his Dakota years. It was then that he hunted extensively across the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho with the same Sewell and Dow, who he brought west to help him run his cattle ranches.
Along his hunting trail, T.R. progressed from shooting songbirds for his childhood museum collection to hunting whitetail deer to heading west to hunt bigger game like elk, moose, bison and even grizzly bears. He also loved hunting mountain lions, which he did before and after becoming president. For many years, his biggest cat held the number one spot in the Boone & Crockett record book.
Then, in 1909, just after leaving the presidency, he and his son, Kermit, departed America for an 11-month African safari, where they would hunt for and shoot all five species of dangerous game and countless species of plains game.
Many sportsmen have followed the same hunting path as T.R., which is not surprising in the least, given the irresistible call to greater adventures, new and exotic locations and bigger and more challenging game that inherently draw hunters to the lonely places and life in the open.
Steven Rinella, author of The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine, drew a rare permit to hunt wild buffalo in the Alaskan wilderness. This narrative chronicles his hunt, where he manages to kill a buffalo, even though only 20 percent of hunters who win the lottery are successful, and then raft the meat back to camp despite being trailed by grizzly bears, all the while battling hypothermia. While the story of the hunt is exciting, Rinella manages to capture the historical importance of the American bison. He also uses this book to explore the modern day significance of buffalo as predominately a ranch-raised meat animal.
