Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Ducks Unlimited receives historic support for RSP through Climate-Smart Commodities Grant

Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USA Rice – Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership (RSP) will receive $80M in funding through its Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program. Through this new program, USDA finances innovative partnerships that create market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices.

“While DU is synonymous with creating better habitat for ducks, the truth is that, for 85 years, the wetlands we’ve restored have provided cleaner water for communities, protection from flooding, sequestration of carbon, countless opportunities for outdoor recreation and much more,” said Dr. Karen Waldrop, DU Chief Conservation Officer. “The support from this grant will help DU and USA Rice continue that work on a greater scale and magnify our conservation impact across a landscape that is vital to the future of rice production and waterfowl habitat.”

In 2013, USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited forged a model of collaboration between a farm group and a conservation organization – the Rice Stewardship Partnership. For nearly a decade, this partnership has offered rice producers assistance to address water quantity, water quality and wildlife habitat on working ricelands. From 2020-2021, RSP impacted 728,021 rice acres in the U.S.

“The Climate Smart Commodities Grant marks a historic moment in the Rice Stewardship Partnership,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “Ducks Unlimited learned long ago that working together with landowners is the best way to optimize resources for the benefit of both waterfowl and people. If it’s good for rice, odds are it’s also good for ducks. This funding will allow DU and our partners to take this already highly successful program to the next level, and we appreciate Secretary Vilsack and USDA for their leadership in this tremendous investment.”

The new Proximity line is designed as an ultra-quiet system for stationary hunting situations. This insulated hunting jacket and pant are purpose-built for close encounters on cold weather hunts. Engineered to silence your every move, Proximity is complete concealment in every sense.

DIXON, CALIFORNIA  – After requests from our customers and years of design and development, we are pleased to announce the release of the new Proximity line, an innovative technical jacket and pant designed to excel in cold environments when remaining silent is the priority.

“Whether you are hunting whitetails in the mid-west or stalking late-season mule deer in cold environments, the Proximity was engineered with a variety of features ideal for hunting in these conditions. The versatile jacket and pant combined with one of our camouflage patterns excel in an elevated stand, in prairie grasses, and on mountain hillsides.” – Kevin Wilkerson | KUIU, VP of Brand Marketing.

KUIU designed the new line with industry-leading technologies to ensure you remain undetected during close-encounter situations and warm in cold weather conditions. Using proprietary materials and manufacturing processes, the ultra-quiet Proximity Series combines a low-sheen brushed fabric with a highly wind-resistant SynthaCell® foam membrane for superior wind protection and warmth retention.    

Developed from the ground up, the Proximity jacket and pant are engineered with purpose-driven features for stationary hunting in cold conditions. The jacket offers a patent-pending removable hood, safety harness port, hand-warmer holders, and pit vents. The pant features full-length side zippers for easy on/off, removable adjustable suspenders, a structured raised back, and silent snap closures. Leveraging body-mapped 3DeFX+® insulation, Proximity strategically positions heavier insulation in key areas, with lighter insulation where extra breathability is required.

Sometimes, a soft approach is better, and the Sea Falcon® Slow Squid offers a softer alternative for slow pitch jigging. Hand-crafted with soft silicon rubber with embedded lead weight, the Slow Squid provides incredibly realistic lively action that cannot be achieved with traditional metal jigs or conventional soft baits.

The embedded lead weight balances the Slow Squid for a horizontal fall and allows fishermen to fish it like a metal jig, but its soft silicone surface provides all the wings and whistles of a soft bait. Its small shape will enable anglers to fish in deep water, where its luminous glow and undulating action will attract and entice the most finicky finfish. Choose from 8 glow-in-the-dark colors.

To ensure a fine-tuned presentation to get the best performance from the jigs, Sea Falcon has developed a specification chart for each jig indicating the correct fall speed, weight balance, pause time, current, pulling resistance and slide width. Also, the chart maps them out on an easy-to-understand chart on their website: www.seafalconusa.com. 

Every Sea Falcon lure is based on a hand-carved original created by CEO and Chief Designer Tetsuya Itou, one of Japan’s foremost lure designers. Based in Hamamatsu, Japan, they operate under the ‘Total Package’ concept, combining all processes from planning and development to manufacturing, all under one roof. Sea Falcon ensures supreme quality and continues to provide innovative products to the fishing world.

Gamakatsu® hooks are specifically designed to compliment Sea Falcon lures and plugs. Gamakatsu hooks are made with the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail, raising the performance of any Sea Falcon lure.

A specific barrel batch in caliber 6.5×55 SE, which is used in the SAUER 100 model, is being recalled as a precautionary measure. The rifles in question, that we have identified based on their serial numbers, must not be used any longer and should be returned to SAUER USA in exchange for a new rifle. This batch of barrels in caliber 6.5×55 SE has shown that a progressive premature weakening of the barrel material may occur after a high volume of shots, which could lead to severe damage of the rifle and personal injury. The exchange is, of course, free of charge for the customer.

You can check which rifles are affected by the recall by plugging in the serial number of your rifle at the following link:

SAUER Recall

Please reach out to Sauer USA at [email protected] or (210) 377-2527 ext. 243 if you have any questions. For Canada residents, please contact The Gravel Agency Inc. at [email protected].

Triumphantly hoisting up the 2022 Bassmaster Junior National Championship trophy has “definitely been the most memorable moment so far” of young anglers Mark Cerja, Jr. and Gus Richardson’s fishing careers, they told Gamakatsu USA’s sales manager, Ted Thibault, in a recent interview.

The newly-titled Junior Bassmaster National Champions are members of the Lone Star Junior Bassmasters from Texas. They were among the 65 teams from around the country that competed for the Bassmaster Junior National Championship title last month at the Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake in Huntingdon, TN. Each team consisted of two junior anglers and one adult boat captain. 

The 14-year-olds have only been paired as a team since June, but they beat the competition throughout the grueling two-day tournament with a winning weight of 18 pounds, 5 ounces. Bassmaster rewarded them with a $2000.00 scholarship, which they will share.

Cerja’s father, Mark Cerja, Sr., rounded out the winning crew as captain. “I was very thankful to be able to go to Nationals and go up against the best in the country and to be able to work on my skills,” said Richardson. Richardson, “primarily self-taught,” began fishing at about age 5 in the rivers of South Texas. “Catching fish in rivers is hard,” he said, “but it was good practice to set me up for tournament fishing.” Since his move to the DFW area about a year ago, Richardson most frequently fishes from the bank in ponds near his home. 

Cerja, who has been fishing under the experienced guidance of his father since age 2, said, “I kept my confidence up, and it took a lot of grind to bring home the win. “I was always taught to fish hard, never give up, never sit down,” he said. “It’s my passion and what I want to do. I’m addicted to the sport, and the sport is just exploding. I love fishing for largemouth bass because they’re a tough fish to catch, and they take the most skill.” Cerja credits Gamakatsu’s hooks with helping him land bass in even the most challenging and thickest cover. “I love froggin’ and flippin’, and sometimes you’re pulling 20 pounds of muck and fish, and that Gamakatsu hook never bends out; it stays sharp, and it stays pinned every time. It’s the best hook on the market.”

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the leading advocate for sportsmen and women in the political arena, and the Mule Deer Foundation  (MDF), the only conservation group focused on mule deer and black-tailed deer, signed a memorandum of understanding to solidify their collaboration.  Defining and establishing a recognized partnership between CSF and MDF—primarily at the national level, but also at the state level—will allow each party to benefit by providing increased access to the unique resources of the other through collaboration.  

The purpose of this MOU is to advance the shared goals of the MDF and CSF through joint action, collaboration, communication, and interaction between MDF staff and volunteers and the CSF States Program Team and federal staff. The establishment of a coordinated working relationship provides an opportunity to combine the power of CSF’s legislative knowledge and network with MDF’s membership numbers and state chapters to effectively guide policy in a way that encourages active sportsmen participation in the legislative process and supports science-based wildlife management.

“CSF and the Mule Deer Foundation have worked together on western conservation efforts for many years, but this MOU will increase our ability to work together to ensure that MDF members and supporters can be even more engaged on the policy issues that affect them,” said CSF president and CEO Jeff Crane. “We are excited to establish a formal partnership to further conservation interests of this nation’s great outdoor traditions.” 

“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation plays a unique role in our community through their strong relationships with members of Congress, governors, and state legislators,” said MDF President/CEO Joel Pedersen. “Conservation and sportsmen’s issues go hand in hand in the West and this partnership will increase our effectiveness in working with our elected officials to restore deer habitat and sustain our sporting heritage.” 

About Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation

We’re Sending One Pope and Young Youth Member on a FREE California Black Tail Hunt

At Pope and Young, we value the youth, and see them as the future of bowhunting. In order to preserve, promote, and protect our bowhunting passion, it has to be passed onto the next generation of hunters. So, we want to send a Pope and Young youth member on a free hunt, tags and license included, a California Black Tail hunt with our good friends from Arrow Five Outfitters. 

Next Monday, September 19th, Pope and Young will be drawing one Pope and Young youth member to win this 4-day Northern California Blacktail hunt. We will be announcing the winner on our podcast, available next Tuesday morning, the 20th, wherever you get your podcasts. The youth must be 12-18 in age to go on this hunt, but all youth, ages 0-18 will be entered for our convention drawings in April of 2023.

With a $10 youth membership fee, you’re investing in their future as a bowhunter, and helping to ensure their rights as a bowhunter for generations to come, but also getting the opportunity for not only a FREE hunt, but lots of great prizes next April at our 2023 Pope and Young Convention! 

Sign up a youth hunter today to become a member of Pope and Young, or visit the link for more information, https://pope-young.org/products/26911/Annual-Youth-Membership-Under-18-Years- .

New Ulm, Minnesota – The 2023 ATA Trade Show in Indianapolis, Jan. 11-13, is the buying opportunity of the year and the industry’s first chance to see new products launched for 2023.

The ATA’s New Product Showcase will display newly released products submitted by exhibiting ATA-member manufacturers. In 2022, 74% of manufacturers launched a new product at the ATA Show. The Showcase, located on the Show floor, makes it easy for buyers and media to see the industry’s new, innovative products in one place.

Each product will be eligible to win a gold, silver or bronze ATA Best in Show award, voted on by a panel of industry experts and announced at Connections,  the opening night celebration, on Jan. 11. 

The ATA will also work with each winning exhibitor to produce a 90-second video detailing the winning product. The videos will be posted on the ATA’s social media channels and provided to the exhibitor for their own promotional use.

Don’t miss the most-exclusive industry event of the year and your chance to see all these exciting new products in one convenient location. The ATA Trade Show is a members-only event. Join the ATA right now to register for the 2023 ATA Show.

The legacy that Kevin Hisey left behind is a very hard one to follow. We wanted to honor him by naming the youth award program after him. He sadly passed away in 2015. He leaves behind an outstanding legacy to follow.  Glenn Hisey his father was very honored and gave us his blessing.

Kevin was a devoted father and grandfather and enjoyed every one of them. He began his career with the Pope & Young Club in 1992 working side by side with his father Glenn Hisey and later his sister Karla Hamersma. Kevin filled many hats while employed at the club and in 2000 became the Executive Secretary; which was the longest term served in club history.  Kevin was very well liked by everyone that he had the chance to visit with.  He knew all the workings of the club and was very efficient in doing so. 

By naming the youth program after him, we are hoping that the parents and youth of today and the future, learn of Kevin’s love for the outdoors and fair chase bowhunting.  Staying involved with the youth of today will keep his dreams of keeping youth involved in the outdoors and archery.  This will lead us to a great future of youth bowhunters.

The club has worked very hard at trying to keep our youth hunters involved in fair chase bowhunting.  We are hoping that this new program will do just that.  Starting off with not only large game awards but enhancing their bowhunting skills with a small game awards program by adding various award levels and give them a sense of greater involvement. 

The Kevin Hisey youth program is very simple and can all be done online.