I get asked all the time what type of .22 parents should get their kids, so I did a little research and here you go. For my kids’ first gun, we went with a cheap bb gun. Nothing fancy, just something so they could learn the mechanics of loading, cocking, aiming and firing. It didn’t take my son long and he wanted to “graduate”, so we looked at air rifles first, but then decided on a .22 rifle (I almost went with a .17, but that was more for me, so I restrained myself).

I already have 3 or 4 .22’s around the house, but they were all too long for my son and not the right gun for him. So here are some good choices for your kids.

Basically, there are a few different kinds of rifle available for the new shooter: the single-shot bolt action, the bolt action repeater, the lever action repeater, the pump-action repeater, and the the semi-auto repeater.

I’m a fan of single-shot bolt action rifles for first-time shooters, because shooting them requires several steps for loading, time to think about each shot, and the whole process is suitable for teaching. For smaller-statured kids, there’s probably no better than Keystone Arms’ Crickett, which comes in several kid-pleasing colors:

Keystone Arms’ Crickett comes in several kid-pleasing colors

The little Cricketts are just over two feet in total length, weigh pretty much nothing, and are excellent “starter” rifles.

If you’d like something a little more classy, then the Savage Cub is a pretty little thing:

The Savage Cub is a pretty little thing

…the Marlin 915Y isn’t a bad choice either:

The Marlin915 aint bad either.

If your kids are older, and close to adult size, you may want to look at the Stevens Favorite:

Try the Stevens Favorite for older kids

If the budget’s an issue, which it is for me, then a cheaper option is the H&R Sportster:

The H&R’s 5lb weight makes it a natural for kids.

When it comes to affordable bolt-action repeating rifles, my pick is the Marlin 981T. It holds 14 rounds, the action is smooth, and the trigger is good.

A very accurate rifle

For about the same money, you could look at the Savage Mk II series (the only budget .22 rifle available left-hand):

The Savage also has the excellent “Accu-Trigger”, and has a removable 10-round magazine

Lever-action repeating rifles, are more expensive than both the above types. Probably the most common is the Marlin 39A:

the action of the “39” has had the longest uninterrupted production run (since 1891) of any rifle type in existence

Speaking of old-timers, one of the oldest names in rifles is “Henry”, and the Henry Repeating Arms Company makes a very pretty (but quite spendy) lever-action .22 rifle, the Golden Boy:

A good lookin’ gun, but I’m not sure it’s a great choice for kids.

When I was a kid, I had a pump-action repeater, but sadly, the market for them is not big—and I can’t understand why because pump-action .22 rifles are a blast (pardon the pun) to shoot. Winchester no longer makes their ancient Model 62, and even Taurus’s faithful copy, also called Model 62, seems to be getting hard to find. Here’s the Taurus 62R:

Pump action .22s are my favorites

Henry also makes a pump-action rifle, and it has a cool looking octagonal barrel, but it’s more expensive.

If you want to know, I’d get a Henry Octagon in a heartbeat.

And finally, there’s the Remington Mod 572 Fieldmaster.

This is what I had as a kid. I loved this gun.

Now, the only category left is the semi-auto repeater. In my humble opinion, these aren’t the right choice for a kids first gun, so I’m not going to list my picks here. I hope this helps, and I know I’m probably going to get some argument from you. Let me know what you think.

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I was glad to read the article  in the Times News written by Ben Botkin that stated  “Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and Idaho Parks and Recreation Department Director Nancy Merrill announced on Friday plans aimed at shifting the agency’s dependence away from the state’s general fund and making Idaho’s parks more self-sustaining through business plans tailored for each park. . . . “  This welcome plan should have been addressed years ago before they become a drain on our state’s general fund.  According to the article the plan will go before JFAC on February 1.  I have said in several conversations that if they raised the fees slightly, it would help with the cost.   I’m certainly willing to pay $1 more to camp in a state park.  The article didn’t mention any changes to the cost of the annual state parks pass, but a small increase there certainly shouldn’t affect sales.  Until now, I figured very few would even buy the annual pass, not knowing if there were going to be very many state parks still open.  Cudos to those who have worked hard and provided input to come up with a plan.  As a Hagerman resident I am pleased that we will not be looking at closure of the state parks in our area.  Read the entire Times News article.

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In the last decade, Safari Club International has spent $140 million on protecting the freedom to hunt through advocacy, research and education to ensure that the hunting heritage is accessible for future generations. These programs benefit hunters throughout North American, and the majority of the work is funded with proceeds from its Annual Hunter’s Convention,  January 20-23 in Reno, Nevada.

Through direct involvement and partnerships with other conservation organizations, SCI contributes to dozens of projects in the United States and Canada every year. Earlier this year, Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and Mossy Oak joined forces to help ensure healthy white-tail deer populations throughout North America. They have provided funding for white-tailed deer research at the University of Georgia and the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study.

The project will investigate reasons for expansion of epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDV) and bluetongue viruses (BTV), better define the impacts of these viruses on deer populations, and then develop recommendations to control and curtail spread of the diseases if possible. The research findings will be shared with the hunting public and wildlife professionals to better maintain healthy white-tailed deer populations throughout North America.

On the West Coast, SCI’s efforts also contributed to the successful vote by the California Fish and Game Commission against extending the current lead ammunition ban for big game hunting to the hunting of small game and upland birds in so-called condor “range.” SCI filed comments that agreed with the finding of the California Fish and Game Department that the extension of the ban was not supported by the science.

The participation of Safari Club International (SCI) in a federal lawsuit has helped ensure that hunters in Idaho and Montana can continue hunting wolves under state seasons. The Montana federal court denied a preliminary injunction requested by Defenders of Wildlife and other plaintiffs who sued to stop the hunting season, and to challenge the delisting of Idaho and Montana’s wolves.

SCI was also instrumental in successfully challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on the import of polar bears from Canada. When the FWS listed the polar bear as threatened in May 2008, it also determined that imports of polar bear legally hunted from approved populations in Canada would no longer be allowed, as they had been for the previous 12 years. In June, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rebuffed the FWS’s attempt to have SCI’s lawsuit dismissed without full briefing on the merits.

Another key research project funded by SCI involves the decline of woodland caribou in northern Quebec and Labrador. The caribou herds are vital to the local Inuit and Cree Indians who hunt them for subsistence, but also rely on income generated from guiding and outfitting hunters. Early indications have shown that loss of habitat and predation by black bears are two crucial factors that need to be addressed in order to preserve this resource and hunting opportunity.

These are just a few examples of the conservation efforts in North America that are made possible through the generous support of its Convention exhibitors, donors, advertisers, members and corporate sponsors. For more information on these and other conservation projects in North America, visit the SCI web site at www.safariclub.org.

SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 190 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 18 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.

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Every year Safari Club International contributes to dozens of conservation and hunter advocacy projects around the world through the success of the hunters’ auctions held each year during the annual SCI Convention. It is the world’s largest hunting auctions and one of the finest examples of the hunting and outdoor industry contributing to the future of their sport. All the proceeds from the auctions provide a major source of funding to conserve wildlife resources and habitat and protect the freedom to hunt.

Each year Convention exhibitors, donors, advertisers, and SCI corporate sponsors donate an incredible array of outstanding auction items. This year hundreds of items – ranging from dream hunts to fine artwork and jewelry to clothing and gear – valued at over $2 million are up for bidding at the SCI Annual Convention in Reno, Nevada, on January 20-23, 2010.

The auctions occur both day and night and they have something to offer any hunter and any budget. Leading the list of auction items for 2010 is a premier safari package offered by Rungwa Game Safaris. This package celebrates John Rigby & Company’s 275th anniversary and includes two new custom rifles, a 21-day Tanzania safari for lion, leopard, sable and roan. The winning bidder then moves to the Selous Game Reserve for elephant and buffalo. Award-winning hunting personality, author, and DVD producer Marc Watts of Sable Trail Productions will be on hand to film the safari. Estimated value of his package is $400,000.

There are also some great fishing trips on this year’s list of auction items. An 8-day trout and salmon fishing trip for two anglers in the Chilean Patagonia has been donated by Nomads of the Seas. Luxury accommodations are provided aboard the Atmosphere, one of the Nomads’ fleet that comes with a crew of thirty-two and serves as a mother ship for a Bell Ranger 407 helicopter, six Rogue jet boats, a Zodiac Hurricane 920 RIB, and more than fifty strategically located McKenzie drift-boats. This trip is valued at $35,700.

The SCI auctions always feature a variety of original artwork and jewelry and the 2010 Convention continues the tradition. Artwork includes original oil paintings and bronzed sculptures from notable outdoor artists and galleries. One of the premier items of jewelry has been donated by Winston’s Estate Jewelry. It is a lady’s 14 karat, yellow gold Madeira citrine quartz and diamond enhancer/pendant valued at more than $27,000.

The live and a silent auctions include a variety of more affordable items such as taxidermy gift certificates, guns, ammunition, optics and clothing with values as low as $30. No matter what a hunter’s budget or needs, there are some great values and bargains to be found at the 2010 Convention. All the proceeds from the auctions provide a major source of funding to conserve wildlife resources and habitat and protect the freedom to hunt.

For a complete listing and description of the auction items up for bid at the 2010 Convention, visit www.showsci.com. For anyone wanting to attend the Convention, complete information is also available at the SCI website, where you can find a complete of exhibitors, seminars and schedule of events.

SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 190 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 18 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.

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See the original article at OutdoorMediaResources.com

If you want something exciting to do for the next 24 hours.  You can watch Lily the bear give birth.  Researchers believe Lily the bear will give birth today.
Click here to watch live:  Lily The…

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

The Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) issued a report during the SCI Convention on its conservation, education, and humanitarian projects around the world. Among the highlights were Asian projects benefiting the snow leopard, saiga antelope, and argali sheep.

Snow Leopard

The SCIF snow leopard project was initiated to estimate snow leopard abundance, population age structure, recruitment, survival and causes of mortality, home range and movement patterns, food availability and other variables in the Altay-Kayan-Sayan region of Siberia. Now in the third year of the project, the Russian Academy of Science has partnered with the project and is up-scaling the research effort. New information will be collected from ARGOS satellite collars that will be put on captured snow leopards. The project will also
produce an environmental assessment for snow leopard habitat quality to determine whether management of natural resources or game species is necessary to improve snow leopard habitat.

Argali Sheep

SCIF completed its scientific review of argali sheep, testing DNA and using morphometrics (body size measurements) to properly classify species of sheep and to validate the extent and composition of surveyed sheep subpopulations. The taxonomic status of many sheep populations in central Asia was unclear and controversial, and this research has provided a clear way to classify different sheep species. As it turns out, the most useful body measurements taken to differentiate between species are of the lacrimal pit depth, the direction of horn twisting, and the presence of the first premolar.

Efforts continue to work with central Asian countries on issues related to argali sheep management, including hunting. We have confirmation from the Tajikistan government that they will endorse SCIF’s argali survey efforts and SCIF will be finalizing research plans in the next few months. This success is largely due to Safari Club’s Washington, DC staff developing a working relationship with the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Washington, DC.

SCIF recently partnered with Grand Slam Club/Ovis to support a survey of argali in Mongolia by researcher Mike Frisina of Montana. Field work has been completed and a report is being prepared.

Saiga Antelope

SCIF concluded its support of the saiga antelope project. For many years, poachers and the commercial sale of saiga horn were blamed for the regional decline of the species. The decline is one of the most dramatic in all land mammals. Results from habitat studies now show that poaching was only a small part of an ecosystem problem.

Changes in saiga habitat are now thought to be the leading cause in the decline. Nutritionally poor plant species such as needle grass and feather grass have replaced the plant species saiga rely on for food. These species now comprise 70-90% of the above ground plant biomass in saiga habitat. The sudden shift in plant species, large-scale fires in the grassland steppe, and dry summers have deprived saiga of adequate forage. In addition to this stress, high poaching levels dramatically reduced the number of mature males in the population. These factors compounded, among others, and the saiga population crashed.

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