Passport to the North

Guide Carman Kelly and USA Outback TV host Denny Snyder

Graduation ceremonies are all but over, caps have been tossed into the air, and high school and college graduates embark on their life journeys to their own paths of success. Along the way, some even partake in the "hunting trip of a lifetime" as their graduation gift of choice. Many travel to the far reaches of Canada in search of monster black bruins. Here it is June already, yet "spring" bear season is alive and well in the far north of New Brunswick, Canada. Up until a month ago, American hunters could cross the Canadian border without a passport but times have drastically changed thanks to unknown terrorist enemies wishing to destroy our way of life.

In less than a week, I will be traveling to Kelly's Sporting Lodge in the heart of New Brunswick, Canada to film a bear hunt with my good freind Bob Walker and his outdoor television show Sportsmen's Outdoor Strategies. Much to my dismay, I realized at the last moment that my own passport had expired- requiring me to scramble for a renewel. In order to prevent any confusion with the process of obtaining a new passport or renewing an old one, I thought I would write this week's blog as a simple guide to help hunters through the entire process of getting a U.S. passport.

The first step is to obtain the necessary paperwork. These forms can be obtained at most local post offices or can be printed out and/or filed online with the Department of State at their web site( http://travel.state.gov/index.html ). If you are filing for a new passport, you will need to use form DS-11. When filing for a renewel, you will need to use form DS-82. It is a fairly simple process of filling in the blanks with the appropriate information and submitting the required documentation- including two passport photos that can be taken at most post offices that carry passport application forms. The toughest part of getting your passport might be locating your own original birth certificate or an acceptable replacement that has an official notary seal to submit as proof of your Amercian citizenship.

Not to long ago, applying for a U.S. passport was a long and tedious process that would sometimes take up to several months before you would see your little blue book as proof of American citizenship. Thanks to modern technology and the ability to file online, these expedited services can help you get your passport in as little time as two weeks- of course for an additional fee. As I write this article, I patiently await the return of my own passport renewel through the services of A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors( http://www.abriggs.com/passports/new_passport.php ).

By following the directions listed with each application form, obtaining your passport will allow you to travel to those far away Canadian provinces, Mexico, or even Africa for that matter - in pursuit of big game or other exotic adventures.

Hopefully, all of my own papers will be in order, my new passport will be received and next week's article will cover what YOU should pack to participate in a Canadian spring bear hunt.

Magnet Gun Caddy teams up with USA Outback Outdoor Television for 2009

Indianapolis, IN- USA Outback Outdoor Television executive producer Denny Snyder has announced that the award winning popular outdoor television program ‘USA Outback’ has joined forces with Magnet Gun Caddy to help hunters protect their most valuable possessions - their guns and their vehicles starting in 2009.

Magnet Gun Caddy is a portable magnetic gun rack that acts like an extra hand- but much smaller than your fist. The Magnet Gun Caddy conveniently holds your gun when you need to temporarily set it down and also holds just about any long barrel gun upright against your car (or your gun-safe when you are opening and closing the door). The patent-pending design makes it possible to secure and remove your gun from the holder with just one hand. Magnet Gun Caddy protects your gun and your car and is small enough to fit in your pocket - making it truly portable and easy to store.

“We are always looking to find new and innovative products to introduce to our viewers and I am happy to be one of the first companies to feature Magnet Gun Caddy on our show USA Outback” says host Denny Snyder. Snyder adds- “The Magnet Gun Caddy is one of those products that when you see it and use it, you just say to yourself what a great idea- why didn’t I think of that.”

Whether you are getting ready to begin your hunt, just taking a break to water your dogs, or returning from a rewarding experience in the field, the Magnet Gun Caddy provides a fast and convenient way to rest your gun. Remember, NEVER use the Magnet Gun Caddy with a loaded gun.

Next to our dogs, our guns and cars are our most important (and expensive) hunting assets. For around $10 you can protect both! The Magnet Gun Caddy is so affordable you may as well purchase a few extra for when your hunting buddies are riding in your car. You'll gain additional peace of mind knowing their guns (and your car) are safely secured. It’s a smart investment. Plus you and your friends will all benefit from the convenience, and maybe even enjoy, a little more, the sport we all love. Look for the Magnet Gun Caddy on new shows of USA Outback coming this fall.

Contact Magnet Gun Caddy by calling toll free at 866-226-9123 or visit them on the web at www.magnetguncaddy.com. the ultimate portable gun rack.

Doctors vs. Guns

Food for Thought

With the NRA convention well underway, guns and gun control will be the major topic of discussion at the convention and for many evening news casts this week. In conjunction with this hot topic, I received this interesting email(below) that I thought might generate some discussion from anyone that reads this blog.

"Doctors:
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician are 17.1%.
Statistics courtesy U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.

Now think about this:
Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.00188%- as compared to the 17.1% accidental deaths per physician.
Statistics courtesy FBI.

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR."

Statistically, doctors are not fairing too well. However, if someone decided to start driving over pedestrians with Ford F150 pickup trucks, will the government outlaw ALL pickup trucks? I don't think so. Sort of puts things in to perspective doesn't it?

Regardless of what laws are put in to place, regulations are added, taxes levied on sporting arms and ammunition, schooling requirements and special training added for doctors, etc., etc.- none of these things will eliminate accidental deaths. That's because they are just that- accidents.

The Second amendment was written for a good reason. Take a minute and look up what has happened in countries where the "right to bear arms" was taken away from citizens. Civil liberties were also soon to follow as well as increases in violent crimes and murders. This week in Phoenix, AZ, the NRA convention is the ultimate meeting place for members and gun owners to share their thoughts and hopefully shape a bright future for the protection and continuation of our Second amendment.

Getting back to the title of this blog- are doctors more inclined to cause accidental deaths than guns?

Could the statistics be wrong?

Doctors AND Guns save and protect lives everyday.

Draw your own conclusions.

Denny :)

Genesis Lamp and USA Outback mix Business with Pleasure

Whenever you get the opportunity to mix business with pleasure- it’s a good thing. Genesis Lamp VP of Sales Mark Zukowski recently traveled with USA Outback host Denny Snyder to the turkey hunting heaven of Missouri to investigate the possibilities of expanding the long list of Genesis Lamp corporate customers- and hopefully tag a couple of long beards.

After meeting at Lambert International Airport, the first stop along the way would be the Bass Pro Shops retail store in St. Charles where Mark and I had the opportunity to speak with facilities maintenance manager Darin Johnson. The sheer number of retail lighting and specialty lighting required for a facility of that size is astounding. After you start to add up all of the ceiling fluorescent lights, sodium halides, spot lights and bulbs used for displays and showcases, it really makes you wonder just how many of the lights used are in fact energy efficient lights. The energy savings alone by switching to energy efficient lighting would cover the costs of quite a few turkey hunting trips to Missouri.

A little more than a stone’s throw away from Bass Pro Shops is the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa conveniently situated just off of I-70 along the scenic Missouri river. Re-lamping a retail store would seem like child’s play compared to illuminating the Ameristar casino facilities.

Located in historic St. Charles, Mo., Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles is a short drive from downtown St. Louis. The property features a 400-suite luxury hotel, a full service day spa, an indoor-outdoor pool, 22,000 square feet of state-of-the-art conference and meeting space, seven restaurants, 12 bars, a 130,000-square-foot casino and three entertainment venues. The 130,000-square-foot casino is decorated with ornate architectural details, lighting and stained-glass skylights. With more than 3,000 slot machines, 60 table games and a 19-table live poker room, the Ameristar is a far reach from the turn of the century cabin where we would be turkey hunting.

We arrived at the cabin just before nightfall and proceeded to unload our gear from my 2008 H3 Hummer. The inside of the vehicle looked like either a Bass Pro Shop retail store or a Cabela’s warehouse had exploded and it was all contained inside the Hummer. It is amazing just how much gear you THINK you need to kill a turkey. Between the two of us, we probably had a dozen different slate and box calls, “B” mobile decoys, enough 3D Seclusion camo for ten guys, a couple dozen different Butski mouth calls, guns, and enough Winchester and Federal ammo to wipe out all things gobbling in Missouri. You would think we were going to war- and we were- with the turkeys once again.

Several weeks earlier, Mark and I had come to Missouri to help out with the early youth turkey hunt capturing the opening day festivities for my outdoor television show USA Outback. We had a successful hunt with my shooter 12 year old Rebecca taking a nice long beard at first light. This time it was all about us. Mark has hunted the area for over 14 years and pointed us in the right direction to roost birds- thus ensuring us of a successful first day's hunt.

One of the best tips I can give the beginner turkey hunter is to let nature take its course. Missouri is abundant with coyotes and owls who(get it- who who- LOL)sing in unison enough to inspire any long beard on a limb to gobble and give up his location. After listening to over a dozen birds sound off just behind our camp, we were certain for some early morning turkey hunting action.

You would think that having a good connection with a lighting company that we would have sufficient lights for our stay. NOOOooooo- we get back to the cabin and sure enough the back porch 60 watt incandescent light bulb was burned out. To add insult to injury, we walk in to the kitchen to find a replacement bulb and sure enough- the overhead Circleline fluorescent over the kitchen cabinet was burned out as well. “You have got to be kidding me” I said looking in Mark’s direction. “Do you know where a guy can get a couple of light bulbs?”- knowing full well we were in the backwoods of Missouri and wireless service for the laptop to order lightbulbs at www.genesislamp.com. would be a few days away. Replacement bulbs would have to wait until our next trip because we didn’t want even the delivery guy to know about our turkey hunting hot spot.Long story short- both Mark and I tagged out opening day on a pair of long beards all captured on camera for a future episode of USA Outback. Not only did we tag toms, we also experienced some terrific fishing for crappies on Lake of the Ozarks and spoonbill fishing on the Osage river.

I look forward to returning to Missouri and our little turkey hunting heaven. One of the landowners where we were hunting is even building a new house equipped with Genesis Lamp energy efficient compact fluorescents to light things up for his guests.

What does all of this have to do with Genesis Lamp? It does not matter whether you are gambling at the Ameristar in the city limits of Saint Louis or hunting and fishing in the backwoods of Missouri, Genesis Lamp is there for all of your lighting needs. Contact Genesis Lamp at www.genesislamp.com. or call toll free at 1-800-685-5267.

Turkeys,12 Gauges and 12 year olds

USA Outback host Denny Snyder with 12 year old Rebecca
and 2009 opening day gobbler


Indianapolis, Indiana- To me, there is nothing more exciting than hearing the ol'kettle rattling of a boss tom gobbler at daylight. One of THE best places in the USA to hear just that is the heart of Missouri.

Myself and Genesis Lamp VP of Sales Mark Zukowski recently traveled to the "show me" state of Missouri to share our skills with a sibling pair of girls- only 12 and 14 years old- for the opener of the youth turkey season. If someone had not told me any different, you would swear these two girls were twenty year veterans.

After roosting birds the night before, the stage had been set for what we all hoped would be a successful hunt. One of the hardest things in the entire world to film for an outdoor television show is a turkey hunt. In most cases, there is a shooter, a caller and a cameraman who all must be in synch to avoid detection by the 270 degree turkey radar vision. In this case, my shooter would be 12 year old Rebecca - her sister Victoria would be hunting with my hunting partner Mark Zukowski of Genesis Lamp. Mark had hunted the area for over 14 years and pointed us in the right direction to pin-pointing gobblers at first daylight- thus ensuring us of a successful first day's hunt.

At only 5:35 am, the first long beard started gobbling- and then another - and another until we counted a total of six different birds we could potentially go after. A quick survey of the land had us setting up on the north face of an open field overlooking the valley where we thought the birds would fly down to at first light. A big cedar acted as Rebecca's backstop while I would call and film from just behind her location.

It wasn't long before a lone hen appeared to investigate who the other "hen" was making the commotion in her neck of the woods. The seductive purrs and clucks I made with a Butski diaphragm call in combination with a Knight and Hale slate had every bird in the valley fired up but she was the first to appear. At only a mere 10 feet away, the hen eyed up the strange bush that consisted of Rebecca and myself. Rebecca remained steadfast as the hen tried to catch the slightest movement from this odd conglomeration sitting at a stone's throw away. More than one hunter has joined the alarm putt club by getting busted by an alert hen. The entire sequence is all captured on camera for our new season of USA Outback TV.

It wasn't long before the hen was followed by a pair of jakes- one being quite a bit larger and trying his best to strut which eventually lead to his demise. At less than fifteen yards away, the pair of jakes strolled over to the decoys to make friends only to be introduced to some not so "friendly fire". The Browning 12 gauge roared, the bird was down and another 12 year old had a severe case of "permagrin".

Turkey hunting isn't fishing by any means but I think Rebecca is now "hooked for life" to the wonderful sport of turkey hunting. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Tax Time for Sportsmen- Save your receipts

View from elk camp-Spicer peak, Colorado

Indianapolis, Indiana- Once again it is that time of year when the piles of receipts that have accumulated in the glove box, the shoebox under the desk and also in the bulging grocery bag in the closet are all carefully brought together- to finally justify why they have been saved for the past 12 months. Somewhere in this mass of organized chaos is a receipt that proves to the IRS and your beloved that you did actually have a business dinner meeting last November on the second day of deer season. If only it were that easy to prove where the money has been spent on gun hunting, bow hunting and all other shooting sports- which is my point precisely.

Where has all the money been spent by sportsmen?

Back in 1937, a bill was sponsored by Senator Key Pittman of Nevada and Congressman A. Willis Robertson of Virginia and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Sept. 2, 1937. The Pittman-Robertson Act created a 10% excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. A few years later the tax became 11%.

So where does all this money go?


The tens of millions of dollars generated by Pittman-Robertson each year were mandated to go back into state and local organizations to increase game populations, expand habitat and train hunters. As the money kept piling up, a repeal bill was drawn to relieve sportsmen from the financial burden of the excise tax. However, because dramatic results could be seen nationwide, sportsmen insisted on keeping the tax in place.

The generated revenues from Pittman-Robertson were placed in a special trust under the control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and were to be allotted to state wildlife conservation programs for wildlife restoration and to ensure the future of hunting sports. The trust was to be kept separate from the general fund, meaning the monies were not to be part of the accounted annual budget.

For years the Pittman-Robertson Act functioned soundly--generating $150 million in funds each year--and, more importantly, produced results. Numerous species including migratory birds (ducks and geese), elk, deer, antelope, wild turkey and many other species were rescued from the endangered list and are now not only surviving, but thriving. Pittman-Robertson was a rare legislative model for efficiency and a godsend for hunters and animals alike.


The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 precisely re-defines what USFWS can spend the excise taxes on and in what manner the monies can be spent. The NRA backed bill passed the House 423-2 and became law on Nov. 1, 2000.

Today, Pittman-Robertson is back on track, supplying wildlife with vast amounts of habitat, resources and practical ecological study, while supplying hunters with game to hunt and eat, thus ensuring necessary funds never run dry. America`s sportsmen contribute $3.5 million each day to wildlife conservation.


Now the National Park Service has a goal to eliminate any type of lead ammunition or fishing tackle on ALL national parks by the year 2010. I say TIME OUT- FOUL. Whenever a decision of this magnitude is made, you would think that it is based on scientific research, years of data, economic impact statements, etc., etc.. but NOOOOOoooooooaaa. .......

The restrictions, set to take effect by the end of 2010, were announced without regard to science or soliciting feedback from sportsmen’s groups. The ammo you bought for that elk hunt or even the lead-head jigs for that vacation trip to your local national park- better use them in 2009 because someone thinks that your gut pile will kill a condor- or the jig head you lost in the lake might be ingested by a loon- after 2010.

Do I smell a hidden agenda here?


Whatever it is- once again , sportsmen pay the price- we have the receipt.


Denny :(

www.usaoutbacktv.com

Turkey Hunting- or is it the Boogey Man ?

"The Fab Five"

Rocky Branch Manager Diane Hafford & USA Outback host Denny Snyder

Billy McCoy & Paul Butski

Back- Bob Walker

Indianapolis, Indiana- Today I saw my first robin- certainly a sign of spring and the upcoming turkey season.

The groundhog was wrong- I hope.

It has been quite a few years since I have been spring turkey hunting with my good friend Bob Walker of Walker's Game Ear fame. We have been on many hunts together but there is one particular morning that specifically stands out. While listening for the distant gobble of an ol' long beard, Bob made the following comment. "Turkey hunting is like going after the Boogey Man- you know he's out there - and then he's coming for you."

If you know how to "speak the language"- quoting the tagline from Will Primos.....mimicking those soft clucks and crying purrs made famous by guys like Paul Butski & Billy McCoy, the Rohm brothers, the Kirbys, Knight and Hale, Ray Eye, Donny Shipp and Larry Shockey,Walter Parrott...the list goes on........by learning from these masters of the art of turkey calling- the Boogey Man will certainly come for you to.

This brief lapse in the hunting season is almost over and I get excited thinking about investigating new territory. There is nothing like the Butski/McCoy strategy of run and gun gobbler hunting to get the blood pumping on a cool morning in the Alabama woods or Sullivan county hills of Pennsylvania- or anywhere else for that matter.

Smelling the damp earth beneath your feet as you go stumbling through the dark to reach that highest morning vantage point before day breaks. Hearing the crashing of a whitetail bumped from its bed- listening to the trickling of a spring as it gurgles down the mountain carrying with it sluggish worms to the mouths of hungry trout waiting at the merger of the runoff. Coyotes yip and cry in the distance as they return with their pack to the den.

Adding to this spring sonata are the raspy caw caws of crows chasing an owl who(get it...who..who.....LOL)is returning too late from its nocturnal hunt. It is then that this aerial ruckus is dwarfed in volume with a throaty gobble. A mature tom declares that this portion of the world is his and damn anyone for disturbing his roost. The ol'man gobbler you spooked last spring made it through yet another winter. A group of his bothered ladies join in with their own clucks and tree yelps.

The jakes half-hearted attempts at gobbles are almost comical when the ol' man cuts them off with his bellowing gobble that reverberates the very ground where you stand. The fog starts to lift off the green field at the edge of the woods making way for the rising sun.

This experience happens every spring. My senses are all in over-drive- sensory stimulation in Mother Nature's high definition.

This my friends is the essence of spring turkey hunting. Share this experience with someone close to you so they too can see why we hunters are so passionate about our sport. Trust me on this one- they WILL get it.

Squeezing the trigger is such a small part.

Try to get the Boogey Man and just maybe- he'll come get you.

Denny :)
>>>--------->