NRANews Executive Producer John Popp and his band of audio/technical wizards stopped by headquarters today to shoot segments for the show. They left with a little more than originally planned.

"Taping at NRA Headquarters accomplishes two things," explained Popp. "First, shooting here provides our viewers with an actual view of the building. We tape our interviews at the museum, in the hallways, on the range - where ever we can find a free space.

"Second is the wild cards. Today, for example, we ran into Competitive Shooting's H.Q. Moody. That impromptu meeting turned into two separate interviews. They wouldn't have happened if we weren't here at headquarters."

In addition to the Moody interviews, Popp and his crew had the opportunity to sit down with Ruthann Sprague from NRA Women's Programs, J.R. Robbins from NRAHuntersRights.org, and (pictured above) National Firearms Museum's Phil Schreier. All of which are scheduled air on NRANews.com somewhere between 9pm and midnight Eastern Time over the next few days.

From Justin McDaniel at www.NRAhuntersrights.org:

If you’ve ever been frustrated by your current riflescope’s inability to perform well in low-light conditions, visit www.NRAhuntersrights.org during the month of September for a chance to win a Trijicon AccuPoint 3-9x40 riflescope.

Trijicon’s AccuPoint line features a battery-free, self-illuminating reticle for a vivid aiming point in any light, be it dusk, dawn, or sometime in between. The AccuPoint is the only variable-power riflescope that combines both fiber optics and a built-in self-luminous Tritium Phosphor Lamp, meaning the aiming point automatically glows in low-light conditions—without the need for batteries. The model we’re giving away comes with a standard crosshair and green dot aiming point.

Other great features include easy-focus eyepieces, multi-coated lenses that gather loads of light with zero distortion, long eye-relief, and a manual brightness override that allows you to easily adjust the brightness of your aiming point. An aircraft-grade aluminum body and matte-black finish ensures this scope is durable and perfectly suited for any hunting situation. A set of lens caps, Trijicon LensPen cleaning tool, and Trijicon’s lifetime warranty are included.

Free to one entrant, this scope retails for $815. For more information on Trijicon’s AccuPoint line of riflescopes, visit www.trijicon.com.

To submit your name for the Trijicon giveaway, visit www.NRAhuntersrights.org and scroll down to “Gift Giveaway” for simple entry instructions. Entries will be accepted Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, and a winner will be announced on Oct. 1.

NRAblog met Dean Toth at the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) Conference in La Porte, Indiana. 

Toth is passionate about hunting. And when he was faced with an obstacle, he was passionate about finding a solution. Below, he explains to NRAblog how he founded Big Game Drag Glove:

I developed the Drag Gloves out of necessity. After the shot we were consistently involved in very long drags with Elk, Deer and Pronghorn.

It was killing my friend Mark Mills and me to hold onto legs, ears and antlers. I was tired of using my belt or ropes and getting my hands pinched. Our hunting camps are very successful, but some people are to old or to young to be very productive in a drag. In our country you cannot use carts or sleds. A person would not want to or be capable of taking these kinds of products into the mountains hunting. Nor would you want to go all the way back to a vehicle to retrieve such things. The Drag Gloves weigh 10 ounces and fit nicely into your back pack.

The gloves come in assorted sizes and colors. They sell for $14.95. Above, NRAblog's Lars Dalseide tries out the gloves on a decoy deer during the POMA conference.

Toth points out two things a hunter will instantly notice when using his product to pull harvested game: 

(1) a vast increase in leverage and
(2) the strap does not gouge, pinch or bind the hands.

Toth says he hears from satisfied customers who have discovered all sorts of (additional) uses for the gloves. His own eight year old son, Kyle, even used the Drag Gloves to haul his own Christmas Tree. "The uses for the Drag Gloves are limited only by the imagination," Toth said.

Learn more about Big Game Drag Glove.

The 2011 NRA Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show is just over four months away, so be sure to mark your calendars for the east coast's newest hunting and outdoor show.

NRA's Hunter Services Department is also please to announce a new website for the show: www.nrahuntingshow.org. Use this site for quick access to information on admission, exhibitors, show hours, and more! You can even order show t-shirts on the site in case you can't wait until January.

We'll have something for every hunter or lover of the great outdoors. From seminars, to the Mason/Dixon Big Buck Contest, and even the Lil' Hunter Scavenger Hunt, there's fun for the whole family. Check out the flyer below for all the information on the NRA Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show.

The Texas Trophy Hunters Association provides a weekly podcast on the issues facing the hunting community. Our own JR Robbins, Managing Editor of NRAhuntersrights.org, is a frequent guest on the show. In current and coming broadcasts, learn about:

• How NRA defends hunters’ rights
• How New Jersey finally got a bear hunt
• The importance of women to hunting
• Blizzards of regulations that are driving people out of hunting.
• … and other news that affects your freedom to hunt.

Download the free podcasts.

For the latest on how NRA defends your hunting rights, be sure to bookmark NRAhuntersrights.org. Send your feedback to huntersrights@nrahq.org.

This just in from NRA's Hunter Services Department:

If you weren't at the 2010 Interational Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) to make it to the sales tent, now is your chance to purchase your YHEC 25th anniversary commemorative t-shirt! Designed for NRA by Buck Wear, Inc., these shirts were a favorite for competitors and their families as YHEC celebrated it's 25 year milestone this year.

There are a very limited number of chocolate brown shirts available, but black shirts are still available in the following sizes: S, M, L, X, XL, 2X, 3X.

Shirts go for $15 a piece, inclusive of shipping and tax. They are available while supplies last. Orders will be filled in the order they are received.

Email your questions and/or order to Rebecca Peak at rpeak@nrahq.org. Please include color, size, quantity and shipping address. Credit cards are accepted.

Every year at the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) conference, we take a trip to a local range for Media Day. That's where participants get a chance to try out the latest in outdoor equipment and accessories. While Lightfield munitions showed off their latest Less Lethal ammunition line and Alpen Optics provided scopes for some, the lines predictably started on the firing lines.

With everything from Remington 1911s to Winchester 20 gauges, there were plenty of firearms to go around. And the folks at the Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area Shooting Range were more than gracious with their assistance. One Range Officer, John Rozinkis, stopped us during a cease fire to show off his BlackBerry's NRA screen saver. He might have been jockeying for a blog mention -- it worked.

A nice addition to this year's Media Day was the opportunity to test drive a Dodge Ram Outdoorsman. Available with a 1500, 2500, and 3500, the Outdoorsman comes with a bigger tank, a bigger bed, and a RamBox Holster. The Holster allows you to store two long guns or six fishing rods in well-hidden slotted flaps above the rear wheels -- a nice alternative to rear window rack. And the suspension performed well through the mud and over the fallen trees we muscled through.

All too soon it was time for lunch and a return to business at hand. We were glad to get back to the seminars and grateful for the Media Day. After all, how else could we keep on top of the equipment and gear you'll be taking out tomorrow.

A flurry of phone calls on Friday afternoon led to the appearance of NRAblog contributor Lars Dalseide on NRANews.com.

"It was great to be back in the studio and see the guys," said Dalseide. "The only odd part was being in front of the camera instead of behind the scenes."

Before he came to work at the National Rifle Association, Lars was a producer for NRANews. Then his days were spent researching stories, booking guests, and producing the live show. Now things are a touch different.

"On Friday's show, for example, I was able to promote the National Rifle & Pistol Championships, the National Police Shooting Championships, Disabled Shooting clinics, POMA, and more," said Dalseide. "If there's a choice between producing the show and appearing on the show, I'll take appearing every time."

Pictured to the right along side NRANews producer Cameron Gray, Lars ended up staying for the entire show. Before long, he started to creep back into his old producer shoes.

"I was helping with the guests, taking a few calls, and even started making camera suggestions," Dalseide recalled. "That's when I knew it was time to step back. The guys who run the show today do an incredible job. The last thing they need is me mucking up the works."

---

NRANews received a number of calls regarding this interview. You can now view the Lars Dalseide interview on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N87yIvCCbNk

Thanks to Chris Manning from Pennsylvania's Daily Review for an article featuring a team of five young men who brought home a win at the 2010 NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge. Read on for more about their journey and their view from the top of the leaderboard:

Troy Senior YHEC team enjoys being on top

TROY - For the Senior Troy Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) team, winning the National Championship has been a long time coming.

"It's finally sunk in," Zach Bixby said. "Now when people ask how we did, we can say 'we are the National Champs.'"

For the team of Bixby, Jason LeVan, Samuel Antes, Cody Wolfe and Garrett Rathbun, the National title had always seemed just out of reach.

"We've been stuck in third place for a while," Wolfe explained. "We finally got through. We took states four times and we've been trying to take Nationals for a long time."

They see this triumph in their own, unique way.

"It's something our five-man team has been working towards for a long time," LeVan said. "It's good to see a lot of effort finally pay off."

Read the rest of the article here.

From Justin McDaniel of NRAHuntersRights.org:

With waterfowl season just around the corner, you won’t want to miss this month’s DOUBLE gift giveaway on www.NRAhuntersrights.org. For the month of August we’re giving away a set of NRA Fold Up Decoys (FUDs) and Final Approach’s new waterfowl hunter’s backpack, pictured at left, quite possibly the roomiest hunting backpack you’ll ever own.

The NRA FUD is the official decoy of the NRA. FUDs fold flat and can be carried into the field hands-free, making bulky decoy bags a thing of the past. These decoys take up very little space in a boat or pickup, and when you’re done they store easily on a hook. Once in the field, it takes just seconds to fold them into lifelike, three-dimensional, full-bodied decoys. The set of six Canadas we’re giving away retails for $90 and comes with anchors, anchor lines, a carry hook, and a manual on decoying tips and tactics.

As the NRA is a shareholder in NRA FUD, Inc., proceeds from the sale of these decoys helps NRA defend hunting rights. Visit www.nrafud.com today for an informational video. NRA FUD Inc. is actively seeking dealers to help sell the NRA FUD product line. Any interested party can contact Tom Kanalas, VP of Sales & Marketing, at (517) 569-3164 for more information.

The second gift, Final Approach’s new waterfowl hunter’s backpack, has the space waterfowlers need to keep their gear organized and easily accessible. The main compartment on this well-built, multi-purpose bag measures 18”H x 15”W x 5”D, and the pack has secondary compartments as well. The backpack, done in Advantage Max-4 camo, also has a cell phone compartment, organizer pocket, computer compartment, two outside water bottle pockets, and an exterior elastic cord for securing bulky items. It’s comfortable, too, with ergonomically designed padded shoulder straps, a padded back and padded waist belt. Free to one lucky reader, Final Approach’s waterfowl hunter’s backpack retails for $79.95. For more information, look here.

To enter the August giveaway, visit www.NRAhuntersrights.org and scroll down to “Gift Giveaway” for simple entry instructions. Entries will be accepted Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, and a winner will be announced on Sept. 1. One winner will receive both gifts.

At 4:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 15, tune in to the Outdoor Channel for a new episode of Elk Chronicles. Friend of the NRA and master bowhuntress Lisa Metheny recently completed a successful elk hunt on the rolling acreage of the NRA Whittington Center. To hear the whole story, you'll have to tune in!

Read more about the show Elk Chronicles here.

NRAblog told you about the 2010 International Youth Hunter Education Challenge winners from the awards ceremony, but complete results are now available online.

Congratulations to this year's coaches and participants who competed in YHEC's 25th anniversary event in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. A big thank you also goes to the parents, volunteers, and sponsors who have helped the YHEC program flourish and succeed over the past 25 years, carrying on the tradition of hunting and the shooting sports in America.

We'll see you next year as the 2011 International YHEC returns to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

Producers, writers, and photographers from across the country are gathered this week in La Porte, Indiana, for the fifth annual Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) conference.

The three-day event features business sessions and an exclusive Product Showcase, pictured above. Representatives from Hunt Comfort, Mossy Oak, Birchwood Casey, Alpen Optics, Otis Technology, Brownells, Hunter Specialties, Ram, and more offered attendees a look at their latest gadgets and gear.

From POMA Showcase 2010

With hunting season right around the corner, many outdoorsmen and women are ready to get in the field and set their sights on a trophy buck. If you need a little a little inspiration before your big hunt, come out to the Virginia Outdoor Sportman Show this weekend in Richmond, Virginia, to see some of the world's most amazing whitetails. 

One of the newest whitetails in the collection is the Melom Buck (shown at left) from Alberta, Canada, which scored a 268-4/8 on the Boone & Crockett scale for non-typical whitetails.

NRA's Hunter Services Department will be at the event from August 13-15 to showcase the Great American Whitetail Collection, which is a display of some of the highest-scoring whitetails in the world. These are the kind of whitetails every hunter dreams of, so check them out in person and tour the show to see the latest in outdoor products and services.

If you can't make it to the show, check out the Great American Whitetail Collection's online gallery -- and prepare to be amazed!

 

 

The 2011 NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show is less than six months away, and our Hunter Services Department has shown NRAblog the new t-shirts for the show. These two designs, featured on different colored shirts, will be available for purchase at the show, scheduled for January 28-30 at the Carrol County Agriculture Center - Shipley Arena.

Can't wait that long for your shirt? The crew from Hunter Services will be at the Frederick County Fair in Maryland September 17-25 selling shirts and promoting the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show. Stop by to learn more about the show, pick up promotional items, and purchase your t-shirt.

Do you have an outdoor or hunting related club or business? If so, there are still exhibit booths available so your company or club can be part of the action. Contact Rebecca Peak at  703-267-1524 or rpeak@nrahq.org to learn more and reserve your booth.