Want to see something scary? Follow the link below. May this never be the state of affairs state-side!

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=74322

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In September, 4 Minnesota hunters filed a class-action lawsuit against Scent-Lok (view  court documents here). According to a recent post on The Michigan Sportsman.com, the case was dismissed on January 18th. It seems that the plaintiff’s allegations were too vague to continue in a court of law.

NOTE: This doesn’t mean the case is closed - just delayed for some time. Also, this doesn’t mean that the company’s claims are true or false…it’s no decision at this point.

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The glory of cell phones! Mine just rang — I answered to find an invitation to do some doe hunting on this final weekend of the Ohio Archery Season. There’s a long story behind my relationship with the person who invited me on the trip, but I’ll save that for another day. For now, just know that he’s been featured in North American Whitetail and Buckmaster’s Magazine for a non-typical whitetail that grossed over 218 inches! He and I also co-authored an article on the mental side of hunting that was published in North American Whitetail.

Forecast for Saturday: 35 degrees, cloudy, 7-11 MPH winds

This trip will offer an opportunity to try my new boots! I’ll be taking my crossbow and my camera - so check back next week for a full report! I’ve never hunted this late into the season - so I’m really looking forward to the trip.

I should also say explicitly that I’m very thankful for my wife, Ericka, who supports this last minute weekend getaway!

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If you checked cnn.com this monring, you may have found the following Title: Fishermen beat dolphin to death.

If you decide to read the entire article, you’ll find a staunching lack of detail about what went on.

I find this VERY frustrating. Studies suggest that most news consumers don’t read entire stories, and they take in their news primarily from news headlines. In this case, fishermen are portrayed as brutal murderers.  To someone who opposes outdoor pursuits, titles like this add fuel to the fire. Where was CNN when so many GOOD things happened in the outdoors?

Times like this make me very thankful for the Write About the Good Series that is circulating the blogosphere (see Kristine’s Archive of WAG posts at the Outdoor Bloggers Summit).

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Well, here we are: the first Wednesday of the New Year, so according to my weekly calendar, it’s time for a Psychology post.

When I’m about to give a lecture on Psychology and Hunting, I frequently catch other people asking each other (or sometimes they ask me directly), “What does Psychology have to do with Hunting?” Well, here is my response - A TON!!! Here are just a few examples:

• Psychology of Sport:  Anyone who has read my Tacking Buck Fever Series knows that I believe whole-heartedly in the importance of mental preparation. Everything in hunting boils down to the individual hunter having what it takes to deliver a perfect shot under intense pressure. Why not stack up odds in your favor by using the same techniques professional athletes and Olympians use to help them perform?
• Injury Prevention: Did you know that injuries are the leading cause of death to children in most industrialized nations? As hunters, we should know the risks of injury while hunting, but how often to we take all steps necessary to prevent hunting injuries? Also, do we do everything we can to instill safe hunting practices in our children? Psychology, by definition, is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes - so its theories apply perfectly to understanding how to increase practices of safe hunting.
• Recreation: The psychological and physical benefits to having hobbies and enjoying physical recreation is well-documented. Hunting falls into both of these categories, so I think we can say that there are many benefits to hunting. However, I would suggest that we must maintain proper perspective to enjoy these benefits. For example, did you ever leave the hunting stand more frustrated and angry than when you walked to the stand? Maybe you missed or maybe you saw nothing. Keeping the proper perspective can help you reap all of the psychological benefits of outdoor activities.
• Teaching Children: My sub-specialty is clinical child psychology. More specifically, I work a lot with parents who have children with behavioral/emotional problems. Much of what I do clinically involves teaching parents strategies to help them manage behavior problems. One of my main goals is to help families learn to teach their children positive behavioral repertoires. Wow does this ever apply to sharing the sport of hunting with children!!! There is much we can use from the psychological literature to help our children learn safe, effective hunting strategies.

These are just a few ways that Psychology relates to Hunting. I’ll expand on these ideas throughout the new year. In the meantime, don’t psych yourself out!

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I’m not one to make a list of New Year’s Resolutions. Most only last a week or so anyways. However, given the spirit of the times, I figured, “Why Not?” My hope is that you all will keep me accountable:

1. Volunteer - At least one time this year, I want to volunteer my time to a conservation effort. I know once is ridiculously low, but it would be a start.
2. Try New Recipes - Many of you know that I am starting a new recipe page on this site (and many of you have contributed!). I want to try a lot more recipes with venison, and I might even try a Steelhead or two…
3. Introduce Someone to Hunting - I believe wholeheartedly that the future of our sport will only be protected by us. Therefore, one of the best ways to protect our future is to get more people into the “us” category! I learned this during an interview I conducted with the CEO of TenPoint Crossbows. In 2008, I want to introduce someone who has never hunted to the wonders of hunting.

Anyone else have resolutions? Feel free to share…

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Brunswick, OH appears to be close to closing a deal with the famed outdoors-related retailer. A recent report in the Akron Beacon Journal quoted Brunswick City Manager Rober Zienkowski as saying the deal is “very close”. The entry of Cabela’s into northeast Ohio would be part of a larger retail project to increase the number of shopping/dining opportunities in the Brunswick, OH area. Cabela’s boasts that its stores are the number on travel destination in Michigan, Ohio, and Kansas, so Ohio may be able to cash-in on this popularity in the near future.

For more details, see the Akron Beacon Journal.

A deal to bring hunting and fishing retailer Cabela’s to Brunswick is just about wrapped up, a city official said Wednesday.

”It’s very close,” City Manager Robert Zienkowski said.

He said the deal was down to final negotiations between Cabela’s and the developer, the Richard E. Jacobs Group.

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I have a couple of confessions to make:

1. On October 12th, at 4:23PM, I sent a text message to a friend (about 23 minutes after arriving to my stand).
2. From about 4:45 to 5:10PM, I played Sudoku on my Telephone
3. At 5:50 that very evening, I harvested my first Ohio Buck.

You don’t have to read between the lines to know that I was texting and playing a videogame in my treestand. Before you rip into me too much, please let me explain my philosophy on videogames/texting while hunting:

• Sitting still for hours on end can be quite grueling. Some mental breaks could be just what the doctor ordered.
• Because stand hunting can be so grueling, video games can keep you on stand for a longer period of time.
• Sound is turned off
• A lot of hunters have their bows handing anyway - I lay mine across my lap
• The phone is small, and it’s covered from all angles by by camouflage gloves.
• I continue to scan the woods
• It keeps me awake
• I absolutely do NOT do it during times bucks are most likely to present in fast order (i.e., last hour of light and during the rut)

My question to the blogosphere: What are your thoughts on technology in the woods? I’m not talking about a cell phone for emergency purposes…I’m talking about a radio to listen to the game (which I never have done actually), video games (I’ve done), texting (I’ve done), or talking on the phone (also never done…unless it was to share a success story).

So, am I alone with my confession? If so, let me have it! If not, it will be nice to know I’m not alone.

FYI, I haven’t even told this one to Big K yet, so I might be in for it…

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We all know the saying, “Be careful what you wish you”, but a recent event makes you want to be very careful about what you blog about. According to an article currently posted on the cover of cnn.com, a school teacher was arrested for a pro-Columbine shooting remark. The teacher allegedly claims that the comments were sarcastic, but others say they were threatened. Personally, I’m not too worried about the specifics. To me, this incident points to a larger issue - there is a large audience on the WWW, and you never know who’s on the other line.

On a related note, a teen recently committed suicide after some arguments on myspace.com. You can catch more details at Foxnews.com. Blogging is a real for of communication with real people. I think we all need to be very careful for ourselves and our audiences and blog responsibly.

With that in mind, I suggest that anyone interested check-out some fairly recent and high quality guidelines suggested by Kristine and Matt.

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The following is a continuation of an earlier post. If you’re new to this site, or if you just haven’t read the first entry yet, I recommend starting there.

—————————

To begin, many thanks to Matt and Arthur for their comments on my first post…which served as some inspiration to continue writing about this topic. I must admit that I am curious to hear where they think I’m coming from (as both alluded to having some ideas). Anyways, where am I coming from?

For me, I think it all stems from the Hebrew Scriptures, which are often cited in defense of hunting:

“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

For many years I thought that this meant that we simply have dominion, the right to rule the entire earth. Actually, I think it still does mean just that  - but I’m really rethinking what the term “subdue” or “dominion” means. I read a recent commentary on this text:

This passage, because of its traditional translation - “subdue the earth, and have dominion over - every living thing on it ” - has been used to excuse humankind ’s penchant for trampling the earth and subjugating its creatures. … But this charge immediately follows the statement that we were created in God ’s image - that is, to be like God - so surely the idea of stewardship and caretaking, not violation and destruction, is inherent in that calling.

I also thought of other contexts within which humans may have dominion. Think of the head of a household, or a company CEO. Yes, they have dominion, but if used carelessly, they lead the entire family/organization down the wrong path … and this path might not be sustainable (i.e., Enron).

So that’s where I’m coming from - but I’m not sure yet where to go with it. I’m trying to think of practical ways in which we exercise our dominion. I guess the examples are endless, but I can’t yet wrap my mind around a model or analogy that really explains it.  Any ideas?

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