Latest National Outdoor News Press Releases

Merger of Animal Rights Organizations Spells Trouble for Sportsmen- (09/05)
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On September 1, the Humane Society of the United States announced that it has merged with the Doris Day Animal League. The merger results in an additional 180,000 members for the Humane Society of the United States, already the nation’s largest animal rights organization.

The merger comes on the heels of the 2005 merger of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals.

The Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) was formed in 1987 by actress Doris Day and since that time has grown into an active animal rights proponent which works on animal issues legislation at the federal, state and local level.

The HSUS website states that the merger “paves the way for increased public policy activity by the HSUS’ affiliate, The Humane Society Legislative Fund by combining the existing organization’s membership and donor support with DDAL.”

The merger serves as an indicator of the active growth of the HSUS under president and CEO Wayne Pacelle. The merger with the Fund for Animals in 2005 led to the creation of a campaigns department within the HSUS which focuses efforts on sport hunting among other animal use practices.

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Information on this website can be reprinted with a citation to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and www.ussportsmen.org

World Hunting Association Alters Format of Competition- (08/28)
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The World Hunting Association has reconsidered its original plan for its competition which included using darts as a means to drug animals for prize money. Last week’s announcement came after months of criticism from pro-hunting organizations including the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, conservation groups, wildlife agencies and thousands of sportsmen.



The two major concerns among the opposing groups were the use of non-fatal darts which delivered tranquilizers to immobilize the animal for scoring and a competition format that results in monetary reward.



Due to the strong message sent by sportsmen and sporting businesses, the World Hunting Association (WHA) will now use traditional hunting techniques during its competition: archery equipment, rifles, and muzzleloaders. The WHA has stated that its goal is to increase participation in hunting among youth, women, and minorities. The WHA sees itself to be the catch-and-release version of hunting, similar to fishing tournaments held around the country. However, it is not practical to hold a hunting event in the same manner as a fishing tournament.

The whole notion of a hunting competition turns most hunters off. Is that what hunting’s become - a body count contest?” said Rick Story, senior vice president of the USSA.

Animal Rights Extremist Gets Prison Sentence for Interfering with Hunt- (08/21)
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Rodney Coronado, a well-known animal rights extremist was sentenced to eight months in federal prison this month for interfering with U.S. Forest Service agents who were trying to capture mountain lions in Arizona two years ago.

The sentencing comes after Coronado and two others were convicted in December of 2005 on misdemeanor charges of interfering with a forest officer and depredation of government property, as well as felony charges of conspiracy to impede or injure an officer of the United States.

In the spring of 2004, federal officials were alarmed at a growing number of encounters between mountain lions and humans in Sabino Canyon. The U.S. Forest Service organized a hunt to trap the cats and move them out of the area.

Coronado has served prison time for setting fire to a mink researcher’s offices at Michigan State University. In public speeches, Coronado has advocated the use of arson and violence against hunters, farmers and the animal use industries. In 2003, Coronado demonstrated the proper way to build a firebomb during a presentation to a crowd of college students at American University in Washington, D.C.

Besides his prison term, Coronado will spend three years on probation, pay restitution, and has been ordered to stay away from activists involved in such groups as the Animal Liberation Front, Earth Liberation Front and Earth First.

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Information on this website can be reprinted with a citation to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and www.ussportsmen.org


For more information about how you can protect your rights as a sportsman, contact The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, 801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229. Phone (614) 888-4868. E-Mail us at info@USSPORTSMEN.org

Zazzle.com Removes Animal Rights Stamps: USSA Asks for Freeze on Funds Raised- (08/21)
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Thanks to the protests of sportsmen, Zazzle.com will remove postage stamps which benefit animal rights organizations from their website and discontinue their sale. In a recent letter, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance urged the U.S. Postal Service to determine how much money the online business raised for animal rights causes and order it to be returned.

Zazzle.com, the online business which has been selling customized postage stamps featuring anti-animal use and anti-hunting slogans, has reported that it will remove stamps whose sales benefit the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and The Committee to Restore the Dove Ban from its website and discontinue their sale.

In the August 15 letter, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) asked the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to determine how much money HSUS has received from the sale of the illegal stamps and direct HSUS and Zazzle.com to return these ill-gotten proceeds or prohibit Zazzle.com from using those funds to support HSUS’s anti-hunting political agenda.

In an August 17 letter, Zazzle.com marketing director Michael Karns stated, “Zazzle did not anticipate that some of the HSUS designs and the Dove designs would be controversial or could be seen as advocating a specific agenda. Over the past few weeks, we have concluded that the most prudent course of action is to remove the designs from our website, and to discontinue their sale as postage.”

Karns also stated that “no portion of the postage value of custom postage sales benefits any group or individual. In other words, the Postal Service always receives the full face value for every ZazzleStamp sold, and does not approve or endorse any custom postage image.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) first alerted sportsmen in April about stamps for sale on the Zazzle.com website which depicted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) logo and featured anti-animal use slogans. Zazzle advertised that 20 percent of the profit from the sale of the stamps would be donated back to the HSUS. At the urging of the USSA, sportsmen unleashed a firestorm of letters to Zazzle.com, the U.S. Postal Service and state and federal legislators detailing their outrage at this abuse.

Earlier this month, the USSA was alerted by Ed Owens, of Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation, Hunters Heritage Council and Washington State Bowhunter’s Association to nine stamps being sold by Zazzle which featured photos of mourning doves and the slogan “Protect Michigan Mourning Doves.” The Zazzle.com website reported that all profits from the sale of the stamp would go toward protecting the mourning dove in Michigan. In November, Michigan residents are scheduled to vote on a proposed ban on dove hunting in their state.

Because of the diligent work of Mr. Owens and the thousands of sportsmen all over the country who wrote to the U.S. Postmaster General, their legislators and to Zazzle.com these stamps will no longer be sold, putting a halt to a source of fundraising for anti-hunting groups such as HSUS and ending the outrageous misuse of the USPS as a pulpit for anti-animal use political messages.

Sportsmen need to remain vigilant to ensure that businesses are not misled into supporting an animal rights agenda. Businesses such as Zazzle.com, once educated, have terminated their support of animal rights groups, but only because sportsmen took action.


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Information on this website can be reprinted with a citation to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and www.ussportsmen.org


For more information about how you can protect your rights as a sportsman, contact The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, 801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229. Phone (614) 888-4868. E-Mail us at info@USSPORTSMEN.org