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June 8, 2013

Why Water Matters to Sportsmen

Water touches everything we care about as sportsmen. It’s hard to imagine a hunting trip or fishing expedition that doesn’t, in some way, depend on quality water supplies – supplies that often are unavailable for fish, wildlife and habitat due to competition from other uses or simply dwindling water resources.

Yet, if you lookaround Washington, D.C., today, no one is delivering that message to decision makers. Many hunting and angling groups work on a variety of water issues, from protecting coldwater fisheries to restoring wetlands critical to waterfowl and improving dam operations for the benefit of fish and wildlife. However, a piecemeal approach can only go so far – especially given the magnitude of the water management challenges facing the country today.

Water management decisions have a range of economic, environmental and social impacts that stretch from headwaters to oceans. Whether it affects local access to water, regional water supplies or national conservation efforts, sportsmen must engage on decisions impacting water use. If hunters and anglers don’t speak up, water for fish, wildlife and habitat will be the first on the chopping block.

What is missing, therefore, is a dedicated and cohesive sportsmen’s voice in comprehensive, long-term water planning.

The TRCP and our partners have a unique opportunity to bolster our mission to you – “to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish” – with the creation of the Center for Water Resources. This new, sportsmen-driven initiative will ensure that decisions about water resources management benefit sportsmen. We are committed to communicating to you – and educating the broader public about – the importance of these issues.

 The new TRCP initiative comes along at a time when we face daunting water management challenges. Municipalities are struggling to secure water supplies for their residents, farmers’ fields are going fallow due to depleted aquifers, and large swaths of the country suffer from severe droughts and floods.

Each of these challenges will become more difficult as population growth and climate change exacerbate current conditions. If we do nothing, water scarcity and increased competition for resources may put an end to our long-held hunting and fishing traditions.

The good news is that, as a community, sportsmen have an opportunity to confront these challenges – with help from the TRCP Center for Water Resources. The Center is committed to improving your hunting and fishing experience through water conservation efforts.

Your voice is needed in the fight. Keep an eye on the TRCP Blog for future updates, and sign up to receive email updates about the latest actions and how you can help.

Have a question about your water resources? Leave it in the comment section below.

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June 7, 2013

Dall’s Sheep Species Background

Dall’s Sheep Species Background.

– There are four subspecies of North American wild sheep:

Thinhorns which consist of the Dall’s and Stone’s sheep; and

Bighorns which consist of the desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

– More than 90 percent of North American wild sheep reside on public lands.

– State, federal, crown land agencies as well as tribal entities play an important role in wild sheep management.

– Disease transmitted from domestic sheep to wild sheep is the No. 1 limiting factor to successful recovery of wild sheep populations.

– Some public lands allow domestic sheep grazing in suitable historic wild sheep habitat causing large scale die-offs with many years of poor wild sheep lamb recruitment.

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A Gift for Dad

Father’s Day is coming quick. What are you getting for Dad this year?

A donation to the TRCP in your Dad’s honor is a thoughtful way to thank him and support the places where he loves to hunt and fish. Whether it’s your dad, husband, brother, son — every father will appreciate your generosity on his special day.

No matter how he spends his time afield, these gifts will help the TRCP’s mission to guarantee all Americans a quality place to hunt and fish.

Make a donation and choose from one of these special gifts that Dad is sure to appreciate »

Hurry! These Father’s Day gifts are at a special discount for a limited time. Order by June 9 and save up to $25.

TRCP Buck Knife

TRCP Buck Knife & Hat Package

TRCP Father’s Day Package

     
$35 Donation
(Includes the TRCP Buck Knife)
$50 Donation
(Includes the TRCP Buck Knife & Camo Hat)
$100 Donation
(Includes the TRCP Buck Knife, Camo Hat & The Gigantic Book of Hunting Stories)

 Make a Donation in your Dad’s honor. 

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June 4, 2013

Why I’m Not a Hunting Widow

In almost any small town across the US, there are a few things you can count on. Neighbors help each other. You will almost always meet someone you know at the grocery store. Lots of guys hunt. And many of their wives or girlfriends don’t.

I have often wondered if this gender gap is a holdover from our prehistoric hunter-gatherer days when physically stronger men did the majority of hunting, or if women in general find the testosterone fueled stereotype of hunting distasteful.

Whatever the cause, there is no shortage of “significant others” who stay home and disapprove of their guy disappearing each fall to hunt. But I am not one of them – I’m part of a small but growing number of women who refuse to become hunting widows, because we take to the field with, and without, our men.

While recent studies show the overall number of hunters in America is holding relatively steady, the percentage of new hunters that are women is increasing, and sporting journals are filled with speculation on the reasons behind this demographic shift.

While I don’t speak for everyone of my gender, I’d like to share a few reasons why I hunt:

  • I did not grow up in a hunting family; in fact, I didn’t begin hunting until I was in my mid-30’s.  As an adult, I started finding out more about factory farming and the conditions animals are raised in, which encouraged me to become personally responsible for my own meat. I value the knowledge that it has lived a natural life, is always taken under fair chase conditions, and is treated as respectfully as possible.
  •  You can’t beat wild game if you are looking for lean, truly organic meat.  With the growing awareness of genetically modified food, and the secondary effects of commercial food additives, I prefer to know that the meat I eat is free of these types of concerns.  Additionally, being a successful hunter here in the Rocky Mountain west means I’m going to be hiking multi-day backpack trips at high elevations, and that’s a pretty good incentive to eat healthy and stay fit year round.
  •  I’m not embarrassed to say I love the great hunting clothes available to women these days. There was a time when any camouflage clothing that fit the female figure wasn’t designed for rigorous in-the-field use; that level of performance could only be found in gear designed for a man’s body shape.  Happily, the days of rolling up the cuffs on your husband’s or brother’s hand-me-downs are over. Today, clothing companies are making camouflage specifically for us, providing both the fit and functionality we need.  And the fact they look great doesn’t hurt.
  •  There is so much more to hunting than the split second it takes to fire a rifle or release an arrow. There’s an entire spectrum of mutual experiences that bring my husband and I closer – the anticipation of drawing tags, the planning and preparation, and the days spent together in nature away from cell phones and email. To me, the most significant moments aren’t the ones captured in the “hero shots” of a successful hunt.  They are the nights spent on a mountaintop in a tiny tent during a spectacular thunderstorm, the delight in stumbling across a patch of ripe wild raspberries and sharing the quiet, unrivalled beauty of a sunrise with the most important person in my life.

Ladies, if you have never hunted, keep this in mind – women today can and do hunt without having to become “one of the guys.”  Whether you have the opportunity to take to the field with your husband as I do, or whether you join one of the many women’s hunting groups that are springing up across the country, don’t mentally write hunting off as a “guy’s only” activity; to do so is to shortchange yourself some of the great personal rewards and satisfaction that come with it.

Guest blogger Catherine Thagard is the wife and hunting partner of TRCP’s Western Outreach Director Neil Thagard. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

For more than twenty years, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has been at the forefront of conservation, working diligently on behalf of America’s hunters and anglers to ensure America’s legacy of habitat management and access is protected and advanced. Your tax-deductible donation will help TRCP continue its mission, allowing you to keep enjoying your favorite outdoor pursuits. Whether those pursuits are on the water or in the field, TRCP has your back, but we can’t do it alone. We invite you to step into the arena with us and donate today!

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