"When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether they should let them hunt, I have answered, yes - remembering that it was one of the best parts of my education - make them hunters."

Henry David Thoreau, 1854


“A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the security of his community is little better than the criminal who threatens it.” - Robert Boatman


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The First Action Pistol Group/IDPA Match of 2011

will be held at the Whitewater Range on Saturday January 8th

1. Registration at 8:30 a.m. PLEASE, DON’T BE LATE. General Meeting at 8:45 .

2. Match begins promptly at 9:15 a.m.

3. Cost is $20.00. Four stages are planned.

4. Bring concealment garment, 100 rounds of ammo, eye and ear protection. It is advisable you also bring at least 3 magazines and mag pouches.

5. IDPA members should be prepared to show proof of their IDPA membership. If you have shot an IDPA Match before you must be a member of the IDPA to shoot with us again. Benefits include a monthly magazine, classification, ability to shoot in local and regional matches.

5. First time shooters and those with no IDPA match experience will be required to attend a First Time Safety and Rules Meeting.

For further information on the Action Pistol Group, the local affiliate of the International Defensive Pistol Association, visit our website:


http://www.actionpistolgroup.com/main1.htm

Or, learn more about the IDPA competition at the IDPA website:

http://www.idpa.com/dps_info.asp

Friday, December 3, 2010

Action Pistol IDPA December match

Dear IDPA Enthusiasts:

We regret to inform you that, due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to put on an IDPA match at our Whitewater Range this Saturday (December 4th).

We will inform you by email if we will be having a match in January. If we are able to have a January match, it will likely not be on the first Saturday (which is New Year’s Day) but rather on the next Saturday, January 8th.

Hopefully, in January we will be able to put on a “2010 IDPA Postal Match.” For those of you who are not familiar with Postal Matches here is an information link:

http://www.idpa.com/PostalMatchInfo.asp

Again, sorry about having to cancel the December match. Hope to see you in the future.

John


Action Pistol Group/IDPA
John Groves, Acting Coordinator
970-241-7701
johngroves@mac.com

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

HARASSING BIG GAME WITH AIRCRAFT IS ILLEGAL, UNETHICAL

MONTROSE, Colo. -- As the big game rifle seasons approach, hunters are getting out in the field for some on-the-ground scouting. Unfortunately, not all scouting activity is done on the ground -- some types of scouting are unethical and may even be illegal.

Some hunters and guides scout for animals using aircraft -- planes, helicopters and ultra-lights. While not all scouting that is done from the air is illegal, the manner in which it is done could lead to violation of federal and state laws. The Colorado Division of Wildlife is asking for help from anyone who suspects that aircraft are being used improperly in the pursuit of big game.

"Scouting an area from the air well before the season starts is not illegal," explained Renzo DelPiccolo, area wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Montrose. "But we have seen and have had reports that aircraft are being used to harass animals so that they move into a specific area. That type of activity is illegal."

The federal Airborne Hunting Act prohibits hunting or harassing animals from aircraft. Anyone convicted of that activity can be fined and sentenced to a year in jail.

DOW regulations prohibit using aircraft for hunting, for directing and communicating with hunters on the ground, and for hunters on the ground to take directions from someone in an airplane. State rules also prohibit hunting in an area the same day or the day aft er a scouting flight was made. The penalties can include a fine of $2,000 and 15 penalty points.

"Hunting for large trophy animals is big business. Unfortunately, there are some people who will behave in an unethical or illegal fashion when there is a lot of money at stake," DelPiccolo said.

Airborne scouting activity would probably not be apparent to a non-hunter. But hunters and people who live near big game wildlife herds might notice unusual flight patterns by aircraft that could indicate animals are being harassed or herded into an area.

Anyone who suspects that aircraft are being used illegally should contact the nearest DOW office or call Operation Game Thief at 1-877-265-6648.

Pilots who are taking to the air to scout for clients should first contact the DOW to talk about regulations.

"The North America hunting model is based on the concept of 'fair chase' for the animal," DelPiccolo said. "It's important that hunters and guides live by that ethic."

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

Concealed Permits up 43% in Pueblo

I sniped a couple of paragraphs from the Pueblo Chieftain for the information included


The surge is because of the 2008 election of Democratic President Barack Obama and, according to gun advocates, his track record on gun issues and the threat they say he possess to the Second Amendment right to bear arms."I think the election was the catalyst to the hysteria. That and a lot of misinformation about concealed handguns," said Taylor, a Democrat who said he's a "strong" supporter of the Second Amendment.

Two examples Taylor offered on the misconception of state gun laws is possessing a gun in a vehicle and the regular carrying of a firearm.

"People think you need a concealed handgun permit to carry a gun in your car. By law, you can carry a gun in your car because it's an extension of your house," he said.

"Colorado is also an open-carry state, which means you can openly carry a firearm, except in places where it's prohibited, like the courthouse and schools. Now, if you walk down the street with a .45 strapped to your leg, that doesn't mean a citizen isn't going to call you in to the police, but you can openly carry a firearm in Colorado."

To read the entire article at Chieftain.com click in the article above

Monday, October 4, 2010

Scores from APG IDPA Match 10/2/2010

Here they are all concise and posted at Scribd. Check it out by clicking on any part of this post.



Questions or comments:

Joseph W. Olt, Jr., Director

Action Pistol Group IDPA
P.O. Box 1421
Grand Junction CO 81502

(970) 243-1155
(970) 243-1177 FAX

joltlaw@fone.net E-mail

Monday, September 27, 2010

APG IDPA in WHITEWATER COLORADO

THE APG IDPA WHITEWATER CREW IS SETTING UP FOR THEIR NEXT MATCH – October 2, 2010

Set your calendars for Saturday, October 2, 2010.

SO’S GET YOUR STAGES IN EARLY FOR FIRST CHOICE OF RANGE AND EQUIPMENT

Stay ready for “GUNS in the SUN” BUT REALIZE IT MAY BE CHILY IN THE MORNING and bring something to keep yourself hydrated. Also be prepared for the NO-SEE-UMS bring plenty bug spray.

Also bring light “cover.”

The Action Pistol Group IDPA Match –whitewater will be held on Saturday October 2, 2010

This will be the 8th APG IDPA Match for the year 2010.

Particulars for this month:

1. Sign-ups at 8:30 am; match starts at 9:30 am with a brief safety meeting. PLEASE DON’T BE LATE. We want to get an early start to avoid the heat.

2. Cost is $20.00 for four stages. (or the Classifier – see special instructions below)

3. IDPA members should be prepared to show proof of their

membership. If you have shot an APG IDPA Match before you must be a

member of the IDPA to shoot with us again. Check the web at

IDPA.COM. It costs $40.00 per year and you get a SNAZZY IDPA cap with the Membership – whoopee!!!

4. First time shooters or those with no IDPA match experience will be required to attend a First Time Safety Meeting to assure that new shooters to IDPA get one-on-one oversight and direction before facing the vagaries of the stages presented at IDPA matches.

NEW SHOOTERS AND FIRST TIME IDPA SHOOTERS

MUST ARRIVE AT THE RANGE NO LATER THAN 8:00 AM

5. Bring a concealment garment (shirt, vest or jacket). You can expect to use cover on some or all stages.

6. We recommend you bring at least 150 - 200 rounds for your firearm.

7. First Timers, we require only a $10.00 entry fee. We are more interested in you coming out and getting the “bug.” In addition, an experienced IDPA shooter who brings one or more First Time IDPA shooters as a guest(s) will pay only $10.00 instead of the usual entry fee for the match. Remember, there is nothing to fear from experienced IDPA shooters. They will usually bend over backwards to assist new shooters (be careful, they might be able to draw and fire accurately from that position).

8. If you bring a first time shooter or someone with no match experience please arrive before 8:00 am and advise us at sign up and before the regular safety meeting that your guest or you are a First Time IDPA Shooter.

CLASSIFIER

IF WE GET REQUESTS FROM FIVE SHOOTERS WHO WANT TO TAKE A CLASIFIER (FIRST COME FIRST SERVED) WE WILL TRY TO ARRANGE a Classifier FOR THEM. Please contact me ASAP if you wish to take the Classifier.

CERTIFIED SO’s WOULD YOU KINDLY GET YOUR STAGES TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.IT WILL HELP IF YOU GIVE US TWO OR THREE CHOICES FOR YOU TO RUN. THIS WILL GIVE US A BANK OF STAGES TO DRAW FROM IN THE COMING MONTHS. FIRST STAGES IN WILL GET FIRST CHOICE FOR EQUIPMENT AND RANGE.

Any Questions? Call or E-mail – I guarantee you won’t be speaking to a person in India.

Okay, now get your gear prepped and come on down on October 2, 2010, and

Keep 'em all in the Zeroes

JOLT

Joseph W. Olt, Jr., Director

Action Pistol Group IDPA
P.O. Box 1421
Grand Junction CO 81502

(970) 243-1155
(970) 243-1177 FAX

joltlaw@fone.net E-mail

Monday, September 20, 2010

Births: September 20, 2010



1842 - Lord James Dewar, British chemist and physician who invented the vacuum flask and cordite (smokeless powder).

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Debunking 9 Classic Myths and Whoppers about Firearms

In this article the author would like to debunk some firearms myths with facts, figures and his personal experience as an instructor of this very cliquish yet globally popular martial art.

Link to the entire article HERE

Thanks to Gene at Living the Grand Life

Friday, August 27, 2010

EPA denies bid to ban lead in hunting ammunition

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition by five environmental groups to ban lead in hunting ammunition.

The agency said Friday that it did not have the authority to enact the ban under the Toxic Substances Control Act, as the groups had requested.

But the EPA says it's still reviewing another part of the petition, to ban lead fishing sinkers.


Click here or anywhere in this post to read the entire article at Yahoo news.

EPA Considering Ban on Traditional Ammunition

— Take Action Now


All Gun Owners, Hunters and Shooters:

With the fall hunting season fast approaching, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Lisa Jackson, who was responsible for banning bear hunting in New Jersey, is now considering a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – a leading anti-hunting organization – to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, a law in which Congress expressly exempted ammunition. If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components, including hunting and target-shooting rounds. The EPA must decide to accept or reject this petition by November 1, 2010, the day before the midterm elections.

Today, the EPA has opened to public comment the CBD petition. The comment period ends on October 31, 2010.


The EPA has published the petition and relevant supplemental information as Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681. If you would like to read the original petition and see the contents of this docket folder, please click here. In order to go directly to the ‘submit a comment’ page for this docket number, please click here.

NSSF urges you to stress the following in your opposition:

* There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

* Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 50 state wildlife agencies.

* A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

* A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle’s recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition – the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

* Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

To see the entire article at "National Shooting Sports Foundation" web page, click on the first paragraph. or HERE

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

JULY IDPA SHOOT

SHOOTERS:

Set your calendars for Saturday, July 11, 2010.

TAKE NOTE: As our normal match day is the first Saturday of the month, this date is obviously the second Saturday as July 4th weekend is the first Saturday.

Get ready for the SUN and bring something to keep yourself hydrated. Bring light “cover.”

The Action Pistol Group IDPA Match –whitewater will be held on July 11, 2010

This will be the 5th APG IDPA Match for the year 2010.

Particulars for this month:

1. Sign-ups at 8:00 am; match starts at 9:00 am with a brief safety meeting. PLEASE DON’T BE LATE.

2. Cost is $20.00 for four stages. (or the Classifier – see special instructions below, and we may have a BUG (
Back up Gun) stage. Check your rule books and bring ammo for your personal backup gun. (five rounds plus a reload may be okay)

3. IDPA members should be prepared to show proof of their membership. If you have

shot an APG IDPA Match before you must be a member of the IDPA to shoot with us again. Check the web at IDPA.COM. It costs $40.00 per year and you get an IDPA cap with the membership.

4. First time shooters or those with no IDPA match experience will be required to attend a First Time Safety Meeting to assure that new shooters to IDPA get one-on-one oversight and direction before facing the vagaries of the stages presented at IDPA matches.

NEW SHOOTERS AND FIRST TIME IDPA SHOOTERS

MUST ARRIVE AT THE RANGE NO LATER THAN 8:00 AM

5. Bring a concealment garment (shirt, vest or jacket). You will be expected to use it on some or

all stages.

6. We recommend you bring at least 150 - 200 rounds for your firearm.

7. First Timers, we require only a $10.00 entry fee. We are more interested in you coming out and getting the “bug.” In addition, an experienced IDPA shooter who brings one or more First Time IDPA shooters as a guest(s) will pay only $10.00 instead of the usual entry fee for the match. Remember, there is nothing to fear from experienced IDPA shooters. They will usually bend over backwards to assist new shooters (be careful, they might be able to draw and fire accurately from that position).

8. If you bring a first time shooter or someone with no match experience please arrive before 8:00 am and advise us at sign up and before the regular safety meeting that your guest or you are a First Time IDPA Shooter.

CLASSIFIER

IF WE GET REQUESTS FROM FIVE SHOOTERS WHO WANT TO TAKE A CLASIFIER (FIRST COME FIRST SERVED) I WILL ARRANGE a Classifier FOR THEM.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET MEMBERS QUALIFIED FOR THE APG WESTERN SLOPE REGIONAL IN AUGUST. NO CLASSIFICATION THERE, NO SHOOT.

CERTIFIED SO’s WOULD YOU KINDLY GET YOUR STAGES TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.IT WILL HELP IF YOU GIVE US TWO OR THREE CHOICES FOR YOU TO RUN. THIS WILL GIVE US A BANK OF STAGES TO DRAW FROM IN THE COMING MONTHS. FIRST STAGES IN WILL GET FIRST CHOICE FOR EQUIPMENT AND RANGE.

Any Questions? Call Or e-mail – you won’t be speaking to a person in Pakistan.

Okay, now get your gear prepped and come on down on JULY 11, 2010, and Keep 'em all in the Zeroes

JOLT

Joseph W. Olt, Jr., Director

Action Pistol Group IDPA
P.O. Box 1421
Grand Junction CO 81502

(970) 243-1155
(970) 243-1177 FAX

joltlaw@fone.net E-mail

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Charlton Heston's "A Torch With No Flame"

Maybe you have seen this before but it is worth another view.

Charlton Heston

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Outdoor Heritage Day April 24


WEST SLOPE KIDS ENCOURAGED TO EXPERIENCE OUTDOORS AT OUTDOOR HERITAGE DAY

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - More than 30 non-profit outdoor and sportsmen's groups, government agencies and outdoor-related businesses from across western Colorado will sponsor the 3rd Annual Outdoor Heritage Day in Palisade on Saturday, April 24. The free event began in 2008 from the efforts of Colorado Division of Wildlife officer Frank McGee. McGee became concerned with how little time today's youth spend outdoors and organized the first Outdoor Heritage Day event to get kids and their families outside and experiencing what Colorado can offer.

"There are so many different things locally that families can enjoy," said McGee. "People don't realize what we have within just a short car ride. We want to give families, especially kids, what they need to know to get out and experience the best parts of western Colorado."

Outdoor Heritage Day is free and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24 at Riverbend Park in Palisade. Activities for school age youth include a fishing clinic, hunting simulator, climbing wall, mountain biking, nature walks, a mobile shooting range and much more. Presentations by outdoor organizations will also be held throughout the day. Lunch and all activities are provided at no cost. Visit www.outdoorheritageday.org for more information and full event schedule.

Outdoor Heritage Day is sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Town of Palisade, Colorado Mule Deer Association, Colorado Sportsmen's Wildlife Fund, Ducks Unlimited, Mesa County School Districts 50 and 51, Colorado State Parks, National Park Service, US Fish an d Wildlife Service, Boy Scouts of America, 4H, Trout Unlimited and Federation of Fly Fishers - Grand Valley Anglers, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Future Farmers of America, Colorado Outfitters Association, Grand Valley Audubon Society, Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, Grand Mesa Back Country Horsemen, North American Grouse Partnership, Camp Redcloud, Red Rock Archery, The Moose 100.7, Mesa County Search and Rescue, US Bureau of Reclamation, Western Slope ATV Association, Army National Guard, US Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service-Grand Valley Ranger District, Girl Scouts of America, Western Colorado Retrievers Club, Outdoors Alive, Colorado State Forest Service, Western Flyers Youth Project, Gene Taylors, Colorado Hawking Club, Rocky Mountain Spearfishing Association, Friends of the Mustangs, Sportsman's Warehouse, REI, Western Colorado Conservation Corps, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and Cabela's.

# # #


For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

RANGE SAFETY OFFICER COURSE

Grand Valley Training Club will be hosting an NRA Range Safety Officer Course on the 19 of June.

If you are interested pleas contact me, I must have all commitments by June first in order to have sufficient materials on hand.

Please E-mail me at YBYBE@acsol.net I will need the following information

Full name
Email address
Why you are interested in completing Range Safety Officer training
Current instructor status (NRA or Hunter Education) .

Friday, April 9, 2010

Concealed Handgun Permits Issued by County Sheriffs


In 2004 Colorado enacted Senate Bill 04-24, a law which established clear guidelines for the issuance of concealed handgun permits by sheriffs. One of the requirements of the law is that each sheriff submit and annual report to the legislature listing the number of permit applications received, the number of permits issued, the number denied and the number revoked. County Sheriffs of Colorado collected the data from sheriffs and submitted in in one report. This report was included in the County Sheriffs of Colorado magazine and is published HERE.

This is provided so that readers may see the permit activity that each county has reported.

If you wish to compare the last few years, I have provided links to the pages that I posted for the last 2 years and this year (2009).

2009 report => HERE

2008 report => HERE

2007 report => HERE

John Lott said: "More Guns Less Crime"

Monday, March 29, 2010

POLL

How safe do you feel knowing there are people around legally carrying guns?

VOTE HERE
Photo of Noel Sheppard.

Full Article HERE

What's the likelihood of an EXTREMELY liberal media outlet publishing an article about firearm related homicides declining while permits to carry concealed weapons increase?

About as likely as Keith Olbermann saying something nice about Sarah Palin, right?

Well, on Wednesday, MSNBC.com actually published a piece with the following shocking headline:

Record numbers now licensed to pack heat--Firearms deaths fall as millions obtain permits to carry concealed guns.

Americans overall are far less likely to be killed with a firearm than they were when it was much more difficult to obtain a concealed-weapons permit, according to statistics collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control. But researchers have not been able to establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
In the 1980s and ’90s, as the concealed-carry movement gained steam, Americans were killed by others with guns at the rate of about 5.66 per 100,000 population. In this decade, the rate has fallen to just over 4.07 per 100,000, a 28 percent drop. The decline follows a fivefold increase in the number of “shall-issue” and unrestricted concealed-carry states from 1986 to 2006.

The highest gun homicide rate is in Washington, D.C., which has had the nation’s strictest gun-control laws for years and bans concealed carry: 20.50 deaths per 100,000 population, five times the general rate. The lowest rate, 1.12, is in Utah, which has such a liberal concealed weapons policy that most American adults can get a permit to carry a gun in Utah without even visiting the state.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Colorado West Gun Club
Action Pistol Shoot

Saturday, March 13, 9:30 AM
Registration & Safety Meeting

Stengels Pistol Range

29051 Hwy 92, Hotchkiss

Four stages Pistol (about 100 rounds) / Tactical shotgun side match (about 25 rounds birdshot #6 or smaller)

Hi everybody, just a reminder of the upcoming CWGC shoot. We keep working on making things challenging, fun, and hopefully to move quickly through the stages. Mike Knehs is joining our RO team and has put together one heck of a blind stage! Of course we will shoot the PPC, and have a couple more defensive scenario stages. Don't forget to practice your shotgun loading skills, causewe'll try our hand at knockin down some more steel.

For more info call me 872-4994 John

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Starbucks sticks to gun policy

Summary Box: Starbucks sticks to gun policy
Associated Press

THE CONTROVERSY: Recently, some gun owners have staged a campaign of walking into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. Gun control advocates have protested.

STARBUCKS' STANCE: Starbucks ( SBUX - news - people ) says it complies with state laws and won't ban guns from stores in states where there is an open-carry law.


To read the response of the Brady campaign click HERE

Friday, February 19, 2010

Getting rid of gun control

One-gun-a-month limits hurt law-abiding citizens, not criminals

An editorial in the Washington Times

Virginia finally is poised to repeal its unusual law that prohibits law-abiding citizens from buying more than one gun per month. It's about time, because the red tape has not had the desired effect in lowering crime. There is no academic research by criminologists or economists that shows that one-gun-a-month regulations reduce crime in either the states that pass them or their neighbors. The laws have merely inconvenienced honest Americans who want to buy guns.


One-gun-a-month rules are similar to gun bans and waiting periods, which tend to disarm victims relative to criminals, and therefore, increase crime. If possible, it's a good idea to keep guns from criminals, but laws that make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to get guns relative to criminals cause more harm than good. In the case of the right to keep and bear arms, safety and freedom go together.

Full article HERE {just a click away}

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Action PIstol Group February 1010 IDPA Match

Shooters:

So far I would not count on shooting this Saturday. The weather is not below freezing during the day for tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday and the range is a mud slick and not safe to shoot on.

Further, I have not received any proposed stages from the SOs to run.

I am therefore officially calling the shoot off.

I will try to schedule a different date this month and will let you know. Continue prayer to the weather
Gods.

SOs get your stages in to me asap.

This shoot has been canceled. For more information contact

JOLT

Joseph W. Olt, Jr., Director

Action Pistol Group IDPA
P.O. Box 1421
Grand Junction CO 81502

(970) 243-1155
(970) 243-1177 FAX

joltlaw@fone.net E-mail

Joseph W. Olt, Jr., Director

Action Pistol Group IDPA
P.O. Box 1421
Grand Junction CO 81502

(970) 243-1155
(970) 243-1177 FAX

Friday, January 22, 2010

Gun check fee proposal running into trouble

From the Denver post dot com.

Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposal to make gun buyers pay for their criminal background checks hit a snag Thursday when Republicans on the Joint Budget Committee refused to support it.

And the proposal may not go far after that, the JBC’s chairman said.

Ritter, a Democrat, in August proposed a number of measures to help balance the budget in the current fiscal year that ends in June. Included in those items was a proposal that would have imposed a $10.50 fee on gun purchases to pay the cost of criminal background checks, which the state currently covers.


LINK to the entire article at The Spot.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

IDPA Match Scores

Match Scores for the January 2010 IDPA Match

HERE

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

POACHER IGNORES WILDLIFE VIOLATOR COMPACT

12/21/2009

CODY - A Worland man convicted of poaching in Colorado found out the hard way that the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact should not be ignored.

After committing violations in Colorado in 2004, Keith Searle had his hunting and fishing privileges suspended until Nov. 2010. "Searle moved to Wyoming and began hunting and fishing," said Worland Game Warden Matt Lentsch. "However, an individual who loses their privileges to hunt in a state that is a member of the wildlife compact actually loses them in all 32 compact member states."

According to Lentsch, Searle pleaded guilty to purchasing eight resident licenses while under suspension over a three-year period. He was also cited for taking a deer without a license, accessory to taking a deer without a license and two counts of accessory to transferring licenses.

Washakie County Circuit Court records show that Searle was ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution to the State of Wyoming and $390 court costs. He was ordered to serve three consecutive one-year jail terms in the Washakie County jail, with all but 90-days suspended. He was fined $840 and lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for 18 years.

"Searle was placed on four-years of supervised probation and ordered to sign a waiver of extradition (which means Colorado may not be done with him). The conditions of his probation are very strict," Lentsch said.

Searle's probation conditions state that he is not to posses any firearms, bow, arrow, hunting knives, binoculars, spotting scopes, fishing equipment, or any item that is used in any type of hunting or fishing in any state. Nor is Searle to be in the presence of anyone that has any of the mentioned items. He is not to engage in any hunting, fishing, trapping and/or shed antler gathering, nor be in the presence of anyone engaged in these activities. "Searle was given 30 days to remove all hunting and fishing equipment from his possession," Lentsch said.

According to Lentsch, wildlife violations are taken seriously by judges and prosecuting attorneys and the wildlife violator compact was created to serve as a deterrent to poaching. Any person whose license privileges are suspended in Wyoming would also be suspended in the other 31 member states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

NRA News: UN Doomsday Treaty With Ginny Simone

The below video is a bit old but the information is still good. It takes about 10 minutes to view and worth it.


Video Here