Bernhardt, beaming with pride, tells me the massive antlers belonged to the moose he harvested in Alaska’s Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

It’s rare to encounter individuals, let alone Cabinet Members, who openly talk about this in “The Swamp.”

But for the Rifle, Colorado native, hunting and fishing are in his blood. He credits his grandpa for hooking him on fly fishing at an early age. From there, he was soon drawn to shooting sports and hunting.

The December exit of his boss, Ryan Zinke, presented Mr. Bernhardt an opportunity to become the next Secretary of the Interior.

This past February, President Trump formally nominated him to succeed Zinke. In addition to serving as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, he held various roles in the same department in the Bush administration and served as a member of Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Board of Directors.

Despite a contentious confirmation process, the U.S. Senate approved his nomination by a 56-41 vote on April 11th, 2019.

For the 53rd Interior Secretary, he wants to bring together different stakeholders to advance a collaborative approach to conservation stewardship.

Bernhardt’s Goals at Interior

On March 3rd, 1849, Interior was established to address the country’s internal affairs. Initial responsibilities ranged from building Washington, D.C.’s water system to Indian affairs to managing public parks.

Bernhardt’s agency currently employs 69,000 people and is tasked with overseeing 483 million acres of public land, or 75% of all federal land, across all 50 states and U.S. territories. It also boasts nine bureaus—including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

He tells me it was a top priority to first reform the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 through Secretarial Order 3373, which now permits BLM to weigh public access considerations for outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, and hiking.

“When I got here, one of the first things I said is, we will ensure one of the most important things we can do as the land management agency is ensure that hunters, fishers, recreationists of all sorts, have an opportunity to access that land,” he said.

“It’s very important that we ensure that there’s public access and we facilitate public access. I’ve issued an order that says for any piece of property that we’re looking at exchanging, acquiring or disposing of, we need to think about what is the impact…on that public access.”

A Return to Multi-Use and Sustainable Yield Public Lands Management
Many Bernhardt critics believe his unique management style will destroy natural resources and kill wildlife.

He understands a multi-use approach to public lands management will effectively promote true conservation policies.

“There are communities, entire communities, that have been built throughout the West that are dependent on the activities that take place on the public lands for their economic future—their economic hopes,” he noted.

“My belief is those activities can take place in harmony with sound management, with sustainable programs and smart regulation.”

Congress mandates BLM lands for multiple uses including ranching, livestock grazing, timber, energy development, and outdoor recreation. Under the Trump administration, the agency’s goals are listed as “energy independence, shared conservation stewardship, keeping our borders safe, putting Americans back to work, and serving the American family.”

The bureau, which is slated to move from D.C. to Grand Junction, CO soon, now wants to be a good neighbor and help restore trust with Western stakeholders.

Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily.

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The earliest evidence of storytelling, especially the outdoor variety, traces back to the Lascaux Caves hollowed out in the Pyrenees Mountains of southern France.

Dating back to 17,000-15,000 B.C., historians believe the 600 paintings of mostly animals were inspired by “hunting magic” — a ritual practice by prehistoric people to overpower prey to foretell successful hunts. Experts believe the artwork displayed was the earliest form of communication before spoken word and writing took hold.

For the hook and bullet crowd, stories have united us spanning generations, geographic regions, socio-economic statuses, and changing times. Our outdoor heritage sustains itself by way of fish tales, hunting stories, and yes, even folklore. Without retelling these, our interconnectedness with wilderness and the creatures we pursue gets lost.

One project hoping to keep cherished hunting allegories alive is Blood Origins, a video storytelling endeavor led by Robbie Kroger. Their tagline reads: Every pulse has a story.

Originally published June 28, 2019. Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily.

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Originally from Vancouver Island, Canada, Shockey has charted her own hunting course here in the U.S., largely with the help of social media. She’s not simply the daughter of renowned hunter Jim Shockey or his co-host on the Outdoor Channel program, Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures. She’s a hunting trailblazer in her own right.

Although she took up hunting at the age of 20, the former classically-trained ballerina and salsa dancer has gained traction over the years for making the outdoor lifestyle, especially hunting, relatable on her social media channels. In a past interview, she said she enjoyed being on the forefront of the women’s movement in hunting. She is certainly on the cusp of it alongside other notable ladies like Jana Waller, Kristy Titus, Melissa Bachmann, Julie McQueen, and Tiffany Lakosky.

In 2014, Eva was the second overall woman and first Canadian woman to grace the cover of Field & Stream magazine. She served as a 2015 co-chair of National Hunting and Fishing Day. Her Brand Ambassador roles have included stints for Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s, GSM Outdoors, Crosman, MTN Ops, and other notable outdoor companies. More recently, she released her inaugural book Taking Aim: Daring to Be Different, Happier, and Healthier in the Great Outdoors (2017). It became an instant hit and reached the top 150 books on Amazon shortly after its release. She debuted on The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 10 TV Personalities chart in late 2017. Last May, she was appointed to serve on the Department of Interior’s Hunting and Shooting Sports Council with other conservation leaders.

Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily.

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The rise of outdoor influencers has equally good and bad consequences—with the latter getting more attention. Few influencers adequately capture the essence of hunting and fishing well. However, one person who does is Jeremiah Doughty—a Southern California-based wild game chef.

If you’re active on social media, chances are you have stumbled upon the name From Field to Plate. With over 40,000 Instagram followers, Doughty has undoubtedly built a name for himself on and off the platform and elsewhere on social media.

Jeremiah showcases the full spectrum of the cast and blast life—from the harvest to field dressing to meal prep to the final dish. His goal isn’t to just bag a trophy or get “likes”; he hunts for the joy of knowing where his food comes from. He wants to teach hunters, seasoned and newbies alike, how meat put on tables can not only be presentable but equally taste great.

Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily. 

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Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed an executive order on August 20^th that would outright ban black bear hunting for the Fall 2018 season. This will specifically prohibit harvesting these apex predators on any public lands that fall under the purview of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Anti-hunting organizations like the Sierra Club and Humane Society naturally welcomed this ban on managed hunting but suggested it doesn’t go far enough.

“Although this is a step in the right direction, this executive order does not go far enough,” said Brian Hackett, New Jersey state director of the Humane Society of the United States. “We urge Governor Murphy to heed the wishes of his constituents and keep his campaign promise to end the statewide bear hunt. New Jersey’s beloved bears are neither ornaments nor rugs.”

Murphy, in a recent Facebook video, said he was eager to fulfill his campaign promises to stop this “cruel” practice. The governor’s rejection of scientific-based wildlife management practices will not only undermine the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, it will lead to more unnecessary human-bear encounters.

Perhaps the most horrific case in recent memory came in 2014 after a Rutgers University student was mauled to death by a black bear during a hiking trip. More recently, black bears have been spotted in suburban backyards and near Princeton University as recent as June.

Sierra Club has falsely claimed black bear numbers have depreciated as a justification to stop the hunt. Are black bear numbers on the decline as the Sierra Club suggests? The evidence actually points to the contrary.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife notes the black bear population has grown exponentially since the 1980’s. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also puts the black bear’s status under the “least concern” category. Given their widespread reach across the country in places like New Jersey, with their population exploding in recent years, IUCN notes wildlife management agencies have encouraged hunters to help control their population growth through controlled, legal harvests over further growth and expansion.

Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily.

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The post Sporting Classics Daily: Hunting is a Bear Necessity appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

I never thought I would take up mushroom hunting.

My parents are seasoned foragers who hunted them in their native Lithuania where it was a national pastime. The prevalence of wild mushrooms, with over 100 edible species available, made the tiny country a household name for it.

In fact, it’s the Baltic nation’s second favorite sport after basketball. Chanterelle, botelus, porcini, and morels are a staple in meat and potato dishes. My parents, like others there, found joy in mushroom hunting – it was a much-needed escape from the Soviet horrors that dominated the country during the last century.

Their love of mushroom hunting should have transferred to me, but apparently it didn’t. Despite two past forays into mushroom hunting in Lithuania and Canada, my interest waned. That along with limited opportunities compounded this dilemma. There was a real possibility I would not follow in the footsteps of my Baltic forebears.

Continue reading at Sporting Classics Daily. 

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