Howl For Wildlife - HOWL CAST

Canada Gun Law will negatively impact hunters, shooters and trappers. Get Involved!

On this episode we have an initial discussion about Canadian bill C21 with Mark Hall.  He's a Hunter, Podcaster and believes C21 will negatively impact all sportsmen.  We dig in with him to get us started on building this action.  
The action is now live at - https://www.howlforwildlife.org/c21
Check out Mark's podcast at  - https://thehunterconservationist.com/podcast/
 
 

Gabriella Hoffman the Equal Access to Justice Act

In this Episode John Stallone and Gabriella Hoffman discuss the Equal Access to Justice Act and how anti-hunting organizations exploit this law to push their agenda and line their pockets. We talk about how hunters need to do a better job at portraying what we do and how we are not only part of the conservation system but how we are the main drivers of its success. We also talk about the differences of Preservation vs Conservation and how anti-hunters have co-opted the word conservation 
 
You can check out Gabriella's podcast District of Conservation here 
Check out her instagram 

New Elk Hunting, Bear Hunting and Deer Hunting Opportunities for California. But we need your help!

On this episode we uploaded a podcast from Mike Costello's "Hunting Ain't Easy" Podcast that he recently did on this issue.  Mike is also apart of the Howl leadership team and you'll probably be seeing him more and more in the future.  
We have the opportunity to add 112 elk tags to the current number of elk tags available in California with the likely possibility to add even more in the future!!  Also discussed will be some additional deer hunting opportunity and the upcoming, updated black bear management plan for California.
We need each and everyone of you to get onboard with HOWL so you can be apart of the impact we all need in winning these battles for hunting & wildlife. 
Take action here - https://www.howlforwildlife.org/jan2023wrc
 
 

Equal Access to Justice Act and Conservation with Gabriella Hoffman

In this Episode John Stallone and Gabriella Hoffman discuss the Equal Access to Justice Act and how anti-hunting organizations exploit this law to push their agenda and line their pockets. We talk about how hunters need to do a better job at portraying what we do and how we are not only part of the conservation system but how we are the main drivers of its success. We also talk about the differences of Preservation vs Conservation and how anti-hunters have co-opted the word conservation. 
 
You can check out Gabriella's podcast District of Conservation here 
Check out her instagram 
 

Montana’s Grizzly Bear Plan. Will they be delisted?

Charles and Matt chat with Jeff Darrah and Keith Kubista of Montana Sportsmen For Fish & Wildlife about the new Montana Draft Grizzly Bear Management Plan.  This is typically how we start to develop actions and this is the first conversation we had about this important issue.  This management plan is an effort to de-list grizzly bear from the endangered species list as grizzly bear numbers have recovered in Montana.
Now a week after this podcast we have an action to take on this issue.
Take action on this issue here - https://www.howlforwildlife.org/montanagrizzly
 

A huge problem - Feral Horses & Wild Horses With John Koleszar

John Koleszar is the former president of Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation and current president of the Arizona Super Raffle.  He has in-depth knowledge about the current wild and feral horse crisis in Arizona and the west.  Habitat is being absolutely being destroyed and there are estimates of over 300,000 wild horses roaming the west!  We need balance. 
Give it a listen!

Oregon is facing the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Measure 114.

Join Amy Patrick of Oregon Hunters Association and David Maccar of Black Rifle Coffee Company & Free Range American as we discuss this pressing issue.  At the very least Measure 114 would put an end to buying new firearms almost immediately simply because there is no process in place to adhere to this law should it pass.  Conservation dollars are at risk.  Privacy is at risk.  2A is at risk.  Hunting is at risk.  This is a ballot box issue that needs attention now!!  
Learn more about measure 114 and why sportsmen oppose it here: https://sportsmenno114.org/
Follow:
Oregon Hunters Association  IG | FB
Free Range American  IG | FB
 

Arkansas bear collaring project

Charles Whitwam and John Stallone Sit down with the Arkansas bear collaring team to discuss why, when, and how of this project 

The “Return Act” GUTS Wildlife Conservation and Hunting

The “Return Act” GUTS Wildlife Conservation and Hunting
Initially I wanted to write a very sophisticated and technical account of the situation. However, I have decided to give you a layman’s view of the bill and the implications.  Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) has introduced H.R. 8167 a bill that would ultimately be the tumbling pebble that initiated the collapse of the hunting industry. This is a bold and polarizing statement, but unfortunately very true. This bill aims to remove Pittman Robertson (PR) Excise tax from the sale of firearms, ammo and sporting equipment. Don’t know what PR is or does? Simply put, PR is an 11% excise tax to the manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment .  The proceeds of the funding is distributed to state governments for wildlife restoration projects, public shooting ranges, hunter education programs and R3 programs.  
How will this destroy hunting?
Anti-wildlife:  Removing a key component of wildlife conservation funding will ultimately result in less sustainable populations of wild animals, both game and non-game species. Less game, means less opportunity, less opportunity means less participation, less participation means less funding, and less funding means even more loss of wildlife. The all mighty dollar is always the number one contributing factor on policy creation, especially when it’s on a resource that is determined by perceived value. Deer have value to people who want to see them on the landscape, but how much are they willing to pay to see them there? Deer also have value to those who want to hunt them and consume them. Historically hunters are willing to pay much more 20-30x more than wildlife viewers for animals to be on the landscape. Removing, funding just shrinks the hunters voice and adds more road blocks for sound management practices which ultimately will end up hurting wildlife.  
Removes a piece of our armor:   One of the most relatable arguments we have as stakeholders in wildlife management and hunting legislation is the funding we bring to the conservation table. It has been very hard for special interest groups and anti-hunting groups to out voice us because we have been protected by the shield of conservation funding. Although PR funds are just a portion of the funding provided by hunters, it is still a very substantial component to wildlife management funding and without question fortifies our right to have a say in what happens in wildlife management. Plus as in the aforementioned example #1, the alternate funding streams would begin to follow suit in a domino effect further stifling the voice of the hunter.
Pitman Robertson protects Hunting: PR funds work on a fund matching base. Many states do not have laws that protect funding from license and tag sales from being used by the state for other projects. The way PR works – To help ensure states use the money for wildlife conservation, habitat , shooting facilities, hunter Ed and R3 programs, each state will receive (roughly) $3 for every $1 they generate for these programs. This is an incentive for state fish and game agencies to keep and use as much of their license sales and even create other revenue streams IE: raffles and auctions etc. to receive more funding from PR. If this mechanism is lost, it is very likely that much of the funding brought in by license and tag sales would be pillaged by the state for projects unrelated to wildlife conservation. I don’t have to state what that would do to our wildlife and hunting opportunity.  
 Cutting off their noses to spite their face!
This bill is likely a political stunt to retaliate to the absurd 1000% tax law introduced by Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia and many of the other anti-gun laws surfacing in the current political climate. Many Republicans have supported this bill touting their 2A membership cards and rallying the “troops” not realizing that pushing this bill forward would be detrimental to the gun industry. According to “American gun facts” 81 million Americans own guns, there are 15-17 million hunters in the US alone so roughly 20% of gun owners are hunters. In order to make an example of anti-gun policy supporters of this bill are willing to punish 20% of their constituency. What happens when hunters can’t hunt anymore and don’t have a need for their firearms or more ammo?
The fertilizer that cultivates 2A: What the supporters of this bill fail to recognize is that PR funds are a main driver for the cultivation of shooting sports. A portion of PR funds are ear marked for public shooting facilities, and youth programs. This not only brings new gun owners into the community but it gives gun owners a place to exercise their right of gun ownership. PR funding is directly tied to the hunting community and hunting conservation, the manufactures of firearms and ammunition recognize and support it because they know that hunting provides an avenue to again exercise the right to owning a firearm. Without these avenues those guns become pieces of furniture in one’s home. What good is a gun in my safe that I can’t go use anywhere?
Stop the tyranny “I intend to stop the Left’s tyranny in its tracks by eliminating the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) The Pittman Robertson act was initiated by sportsmen and women and more importantly the gun and ammo manufactures to ensure wildlife and the hunting heritage go on for perpetuity. It wasn’t introduced by some leftist tyrant looking to punish gun owners. By undoing this legacy Act those who support it are becoming what they claim to be fighting against. To representative Clyde’s point, his goal to prevent taxing people out of their rights is without question important. However, this bill is not the answer in fact it may have the reverse affect. Without low cost public ranges gun owners would be forced to use private ranges, which cost more. As demand for these facilities go up the cost will increase. Moreover, if hunting goes away or becomes privatize like in other countries, gun manufactures would be losing a large portion of the hunting community as consumers. Causing revenue to go down which ultimately if you have any concept of economics, will cause the price of firearms and ammo to rise. So who is pricing the “average Joe” out of their 2A rights?      
Blood in the water: The very same groups that this bill boasts to oppose are the biggest benefactors. Anti-hunting groups have recognized the opportunity to jump on board with this bill knowing the damage it would do to the hunter. What happens when you have 2A advocates and anti-hunting groups fighting for the same thing? You guessed it! The demise of hunting as we know it.
The price won’t change: After speaking with two manufactures of ammunitions and firearms both indicated that pricing to the consumer would likely not be affected. When you purchase a firearm for a $100 at the gun store you do not pay $111 plus sales tax for this firearm you pay $100 plus sales tax. The excise tax was paid for by the manufacture. Yes the cost was passed along to you the consumer because it was built into the cost of the gun. Us gun owners have been paying this additional cost since 1937 it is not a tax we see or even perceive. Based on my interview with the two different manufactures if the tax goes away the cost of guns and ammo mostly like won’t come down 11% you are still going to be paying the same price you have always paid. So who wins here? Guess who loses? Wildlife, hunters and every gun owner in America.  
To Rep Clyde's credit his bill does try to provide an alternate funding mechanism for PR through oil and mineral programs, but at an almost 50% discount to the current level of funding, which is bad enough by itself. His proposed solution also stipulates the funding would go to "those of greatest need", which means elk, turkey, deer, antelope and most animals whom are doing well will not be directly benefitted from this new allocation. Plus, Clyde is basing this funding on an industry that is constantly under fire and depending on who is sitting in the White House dictates the amount of funds generated. Furthermore, this is not the only program that is earmarked to be funded by this industry, in fact it would be last in line.   
Many have dismissed this bill as something that doesn’t have any political traction and that “It won’t go anywhere”. I have seen other seemingly preposterous bills be taking lightly and the sportsman have suffered because of it. There are 50+ sponsors of this bill, do not take it lightly......  It’s is my opinion that we the hunting and fishing community need to stomp it out so fiercely and send a message so loud that this is not an option and never to mess with wildlife or our hunting heritage.  In conclusion nothing good can come out of this bill it doesn’t teach the Tyrants they can’t mess with our rights, It will do irreparable damage to wildlife, it won’t save anyone money, it gives anti-hunters more power, it will be the demise of hunting and ultimately it will eliminate a large portion of gun owners in America which is precisely the converse of the 2A topic.
TO TAKE ACTION CLICK HERE
 

Janis Putelis & Trey Milhoan on Vail Bighorn sheep

A herd of bighorn sheep could soon lose access to its historic winter range if a controversial housing development is allowed to go through in the town of Vail, Colorado. 
The high density housing complex that’s threatening these Colorado big horns is being proposed by Vail Resorts—a multinational corporation that owns and operates 40 resorts in the U.S., Australia, and Canada. 
Vail Resorts is hoping to build multiple structures in the middle of critical sheep habitat to house its growing workforce. That would amount to a total of 61 residential units on a parcel that the company owns known as Booth Heights. This plot sits between I-70 and the Gore Range, and it has served as critical winter grazing ground for the native Gore Range bighorns for as long as most Vail residents can remember. 
The corporation says that this housing project is vital to its long term goals and has ignored pleas from Vail community members and the Vail Town Council to build the development on a different parcel that won’t threaten critical wild sheep habitat. 
Habitat loss and fragmentation of bighorn sheep herds pose significant threats to this already imperiled species, and Vail Resorts’ plan to build on this historic sheep winter range would directly contribute to that troubling trend by forever displacing Vail’s beloved bighorns. 
After completing a thorough on-the-ground study of the proposed development site, the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife’s own biologists advised Vail Resorts against moving forward with this project. They say, in no uncertain terms, that “the impacts to this already struggling sheep herd as a result of this development might not be able to be mitigated.” Translation: the habitat will be lost and the sheep will be gone.  
As previously mentioned, Vail Resorts has chosen to disregard these grave caveats as well the groundswell of local opposition that has emerged within the Vail community. 
Vail Resorts has been given multiple generous alternatives by the Town of Vail to move their development to another location (free of charge) and the ski company has denied all of those offers. 
Additionally, Vail Resorts boldly claims to have a “Net Zero impact on the environment and habitat”. These empty claims are proving to be nothing more than greenwashing, and a ploy to attract investors. 
Please help the Town of Vail and the continued existence of this iconic wild sheep herd by taking action on behalf of bighorns below. 
By taking action below you'll be sending your message to Vail Resort's Executives.  Over 30 messages varying in content and length have been pre-loaded for your use and display a different message each time you return.  You can fully edit and send your own, add on to these messages or use what has been provided. 
 
Please Join The Vail Big Horn Initiative To Get More Involved & Support
Big Horn Sheep Initiative : Web | IG | FB 
 
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