Skinny Moose Media’s “Desert Rat” Interviews Ted Nugent

Marshall, Desert Rat, had the opportunity to interview rocker Ted Nugent the other day. Check it out!

Tom Remington

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Field And Stream Interviews McCain And Obama

Staff at Field and Stream interviewed both presidential candidates about issues that matter to outdoor enthusiasts.

Tom Remington

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Sen. McCain’s “Outreach Program” Reaches To Skinny Moose Media

This afternoon I had the opportunity to participate in a telephone conference call with Sen. John McCain. As part of his Outreach Program, bloggers/journalists are invited to listen in to comments made by the presumptive republican nominee to run for the presidency of the United States and pose questions or comments if time permits. Although this was my second invitation, this was the first time I have been able to participate due to time constraints.

Mr. McCain was running late, but once on board he took about 5 minutes to make some brief comments. He congratulated Hillary Clinton for the efforts she put into her campaign and then acknowledged that Sen. Barack Obama would be the presumptive counterpart in the race for the White House representing the democratic party.

From there Sen. McCain informed us that he has already extended an invitation to Sen. Obama to participate in 10 town hall-type debates/meetings between now and November’s general election. The first one is tentatively scheduled for June 12, 2008 at Federal Hall in New York City. McCain awaits a response to his invitation from the Obama camp.

John McCain also took the opportunity to begin what appears to be the theme for his upcoming campaign telling us that Obama’s perspective of things is skewed, he is inexperienced and cannot lead this country. He says that Obama denies that the troop surge in Iraq was effective and pointed out that in all this time, Obama has not sought any kind of briefing with Gen. Patreus.

The facilitator of the conference then instructed us to press *1 on our phone dials if we had a question or comment for the Senator. By the time I fumble with my cell phone, of which I totally despise, I got put on the “first come first served” list but didn’t get to ask a question. Maybe I’ll be faster next time.

I would say Sen. McCain fielded around six questions dealing with an array of topics, none of which were any I intended to inquire about. I was surprised in a way to listen to the questions asked and found myself asking, “Why ask that?”

Most of the questions were non confrontational, except for one that asked the Senator if he was going to change his tone with conservative voters and stop using liberal talking points in dealing with them. Needless to say that question didn’t get a lot of response.

Jim Geraghty of National Review got me chuckling.

Is it accurate that June 3, 2008, was the moment that America began providing care for the sick? And on a slightly more serious note, when your opponent goes on these rhetorical flights of fancy, how do you bring him back down to earth? How do you persuade people that this isn’t so world-changing, and that Americans did in fact care for the sick before yesterday? (emphasis is mine)

From there McCain explained that this was one of the reasons he is seeking the town hall meetings, so that both can respond to the same questions.

I was surprised at the brevity of the conference but grateful that I had a chance to participate. I need to practice with my fingers and get that *1 down pat.

For those wondering what I was going to ask the Senator, here is my question exactly as I had written it down in preparation.

Senator McCain – Thank you for taking time and addressing my question. In an email you sent to supporters yesterday, you spoke of “the right change” in comparing your ideas with those of Senator Obama. At what price does a gallon of gas at the pumps have to reach before you will reconsider your position of no drilling in the United States and offshore?

Maybe next week!

Tom Remington

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Learn More About The New TwisterNock by Tree Apron Products

John Stabley, the host of Stabley Outdoors got a chance to Interview Jeff Hajari, President of Tree Apron while attending the 2008 ATA Show.

To find out more about Tree Apron Products, visit them on the web at www.treeapron.com.

Listen to the interview now. (18min 47sec)

[AUDIO:http://www.skinnymoose.com/downloads/stabley-tree-apron.mp3]

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Update With John Stabley At Archery Trade Show

I just got off the telephone with John Stabley, V.P. of Global Operations at Skinny Moose Media, who is covering the ATA trade show in Indianapolis, Indiana for us. He gives us an update about the show, some information on new products and prospects for the coming year.

Listen to our conversation now!

[AUDIO:http://www.skinnymoose.com/downloads/stableycall.mp3]

Tom Remington

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PETA Founder Shares How To Humanely Kill And Eat An Animal

Ingrid Newkirk, founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), was the subject recently of a documentary entitled, “I am an Animal” by Matthew Galkin. Galkin’s award winning documentary he claims was to focus on the fight PETA has waged in their attempt to stop the killing of all animals.

I received an email from Josh May, Web Editor for Plum TV. He gave me the link to a video of an interview done by Plum TV of Galkin and Newkirk about the documentary. In the interview, when Newkirk was asked if PETA had to present itself as being so radical in its beliefs in hopes of “landing somewhere in the middle”, she alluded to much of the truth behind PETA’s efforts to lie or say anything in order to get people’s attention. She was quoted as saying, “We have to say something people haven’t heard before.” She went on to explain that if PETA just keeps repeating itself about the inhumane treatment of animals, nobody will pay any attention so they have to resort to more radical measures in order to get our attention. I guess this could be likened to that of a spoiled brat demanding their way or an entire host of other analogies.

Later on in the interview, Newkirk was asked if there was any compromise in finding a humane way to kill and eat an animal. This is what she said: “If you could go into a barn with an animal alone and shoot him in the head when they wasn’t expecting it and no other animals were looking, go on then if you just can’t give this up.” (meaning give up eating meat)

As I’ve said numerous times before, I could care less whether Ingrid Newkirk eats vegetables or dirt. That’s her business. What isn’t her business, is her radical, terroristic approach to force her ideals on others. If her lifestyle is so wonderful then let those who agree flock to her party and eat fake chicken wings.

Watch the video of the interview with Galkin and Newkirk.

Tom Remington

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Open Air With Tom Remington

This is a reminder for you to tune in to Open Air With Tom Remington today at 3 p.m. for a brand new show. Today my guest is Erik Simpson and resident of Idaho Falls, Idaho and avid hunter. He details us with his once-in-a-lifetime moose hunting trip in which he took a bull that he believes will make the record books as perhaps maybe the top ten bulls in Idaho. I know the story is thrilling and you don’t want to miss it.

If for some reason you are unable to listen in a 3 p.m. today, visit the Skinny Moose Radio website after the show and you can stream the audio or download it for podcasting or to your own computer. Either way, this is a show you’ll enjoy.

Below is a photo taken of Erik holding his moose rack.

Tom Remington

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Skinny Moose Media Donates $14,000 In Advertising To Hunt Of A Lifetime

Steve Remington of Skinny Moose Media, a major Internet media source for hunting, fishing and outdoor magazines as well as a bloggers network, audio and video presentation, announced on Tuesday his growing relationship with a nationwide program for the disadvantaged called, Hunt of a Lifetime.

I encourage readers to visit the Skinny Moose Media site and read the story which contains an interview with Tina Pattison, founder of Hunt of a Lifetime.

Tom Remington

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J.R. Absher Interview

My son, Steve Remington, corners J.R. Absher, “the outdoor guru of the Internet”, for an interview about his past and present. Check it out.

Tom Remington

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Interview With Jim Zumbo At Field And Stream

If you haven’t found it yet, Dave at Field and Stream has an exclusive 10-question interview with Jim Zumbo, followed by a host of comments from readers. Find out what Jim had to say and how readers are responding to Jim 2 months after the famed blog entry to end all blog entries.

Tom Remington

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Maine Public Broadcasting Interviews Me Today About Megan Ripley Hunting Accident

This morning, Susan Sharon, deputy news director for Maine Public Broadcasting Network, contacted me about the tragic accident of Megan Ripley, the 18-year old who was shot and killed behind her home on the Christian Ridge Road in South Paris, Maine.

Although there still remains very few facts about the case being released by the Maine Warden Service or Maine State Police, we do know that today, Timothy Bean, 51 of South Paris has been charged with manslaughter. A February 22 court date has been set.

For those interested in the story that aired on Maine Things Considered tonight, you can follow this link and listen to the broadcast. The story runs right after the headlines about 4 minutes into the broadcast.

*Update* I recorded only the portion of the news broadcast that contains the story and interview. It is about 4 minutes long. Click this link to download in mp3 format. I must say though that the quality is not the best and you’ll need to turn up your volume too.

Or listen to it in our own player.

[AUDIO:http://ushuntingtoday.com/audio/mpbn.mp3]

*Previous Posts*
Tragic Hunting Accident Turns Maine Town Upsidedown
Maine Hunting Related Tragedy Has Another Tragedy
Maine’s Shark-Infested Hunting Grounds
Timothy Bean Charged With Manslaughter In Death Of Megan Ripley

Tom Remington

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U.S. Hunting Today’s Product Review Specialist

Steven and I have been trying for some time now to find the right person who we feel we could work with and has the experience and expertise to be U.S. Hunting Today’s Product Review Specialist. We think we have found such a person.

We would like to introduce you to Richard “The Bee” Becraft.

I’ve been hunting Indiana whitetails since about 1978. Shooting longer than that. I really just don’t remember a beginning to it. I mainly just hunt deer and turkey since I started having kids in 1984. One boy and a girl – born in 84 and 85.

I started working in the auto industry as a machinist and after 13 years served an apprenticeship as a Stationary Powerhouse Engineer. In 1995 I served another one in the Millwright trade. I spent the rest of my career dividing my time between maintenance and operations jobs in the power house as a welder, carpenter, millwright, machine repair as well as a couple years as a health and safety trainer.

I do enough gunsmithing and archery tuning to suit my own needs. I upgrade my skills as the needs require. I pay my tuition in mistakes on my own stuff and reaping the rewards is better than any classroom pat on the back when I get it to work. I have attended several colleges satisfying my apprenticeship requirements and my own desire to learn – from accounting and communications to tool engineering and thermal dynamics at colleges from Indiana to Wisconsin and back.

I hunt and fish all that circumstances will permit and live on property located adjacent to Hoosier National Forest.

Steven and I look forward to our future of working closely with “B”.

“B” has just completed his first product review on a Maine Vue Optics 3×9x40 Riflescope. I think you’ll find his work extensive, honest and provides the information necessary for the hunter in deciding whether or not to buy this product.

You can read his review at New Hampshire Hunting Today, Vermont Hunting Today, Indiana Hunting Today and Maine Hunting Today. We will be adding it to all U.S. Hunting Today’s hunting websites in the near future.

If you have a product you would like Richard to review you can contact us at U.S. Hunting Today

Tom Remington

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Verifying “One Heck Of A Wolf Story”

On July 8, 2006, I brought you a story called, “One Heck Of A Wolf Story“. It was sent to me via email from a friend of mine in West Virginia, Rod Davis. We all have received emails with stories and photos attached and most of them make for good entertainment. It is safe to say too that the majority of us assume that what we are reading is true and accurate, for the most part.

It is my policy not to publish any stories that I cannot verify as being true. In my brief attempt to authenticate the story, I was unsuccessful but decided that as long as I explained to readers it may be a ficticious story, it was still good reading material.

If you followed the story, you would have seen a few comments that followed the posting. One comment claimed to be able to verify the story while another said the photos that accompanied the story where created with Photo Shop software.

Then I received a comment from the author of the story, Scott Richards, saying the story was true and I could contact him for more details. So I did.

According to Richards, he has no personal agenda for or against wolves. He told me that he doesn’t want to eradicate the state of Idaho from wolves but feels strongly, even before this incident, that wolf management needs stricter controls. He says the wolf needs to be removed from the endangered list and numbers reduced.

I asked Scott what he had to say about those who say his photos of what’s left of one of his dogs, were created with photo software. He told me that he has sent so many pictures to many different media groups etc. that he didn’t know exactly which photos I was refering to. The photos that I posted at the previous post showed the remains of one of his dogs after wolves had eaten most everything except the backbone and the head.

All he could tell me was that the photos were taken by federal wildlife warden Justin Mann and he gave me a phone number to reach him for verification. I have not been able to do that.

I also asked Scott why he wasn’t carrying a weapon while he was in the woods. He explained to me that he has been training his dogs for 34 years and he seldom carries a gun, only a camera. It is legal in Idaho to carry a weapon while training dogs but Richards claims that at the time his dogs were attacked by wolves, he didn’t know that. He claims that once while on a training mission 12 years ago, he was stopped by an Idaho Fish and Game officer named Mel Hedberg. The officer told him it was illegal to carry while training and that if he was found carrying again he would be charged.

The grey wolf is a protected species by federal law. This poses many problems in dealing with human/wolf and other animal/wolf encounters. I inquired of Richards if he would have been in trouble with the law if he had been carrying and used his gun to defend himself and his dogs. The law states that a person has the right to defend themselves and their property, in this case his dogs. He was very emphatic in stating that should you choose to use deadly force with wolves to defend yourself, you better have absolute proof that you needed it.

Richards went on to explain some of the difficulties residents and in particular ranchers, have had in receiving compensation for loss of livestock etc. from wolf attacks. He claims that one problem is the length of time it takes for federal agents to get to an attack scene. Often there is little or no evidence left to examine.

If federal inspectors cannot prove beyond a doubt that a wolf attack occured, there is no compensation but also the attack is not listed as a wolf attack. Richards claims that a very small percentage of claims are actually recorded as wolf attacks and compensation made. This would explain better the reason pro-wolf groups state that very few wolf attacks actually do happen.

Richards will not receive any compensation for the loss of his dogs. Even though officials believe wolves were what killed them, the laws governing federally protected species does not recognize hunting dogs or pets as personal property the same as they do livestock.

What concerns him the most is that people are being told false information about wolves. Justin Mann, the officer who investigated Richards’ claim, said he had never seen wolves eat a dog they had attacked. It is not unusual for wolves to attack dogs. Wildlife biologists state that wolves consider a domestic animal like a dog as a threat, particularly if that animal enters an area where the wolves are rearing their young. According to Mann, the usual part of this incident is that after the kill, the wolves returned and ate the dog – as the photos show. He said the dogs must be very hungry.

If the wolf population is growing at a rate that exceeds what the habitat will bear, starvation is one natural way of reducing the numbers in a real but extremely cruel way. Richards claims the wolf population is 800% above management goals set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Richards also wanted pointed out the fact that places like schools, church camps, summer camps, etc. have had to hire armed guards to watch over kids while outside playing because of the increase in wolf attacks and sightings.

Today, July 18, 2006, Scott Richards is assisting CBS News in a documentary that is being done about his story and the grey wolf in general. Richards says the story will be showing the side of the wolf that pro-wolf and animal rights groups don’t want us to hear. The show will not be ready for airing for quite some time. If I can get a date, I will certainly let all readers know.

Tom Remington

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Interview With Field & Stream

Just recently I have been in touch with Nate Matthews who is the Online Editor for Field & Stream. Currently there are a few blogs running on the site that are fairly new. He agreed to do an interview and I would like to share it with you here. The following is 12 questions I asked which I thought might give us a better idea as to where Field & Stream is going with their blog network. Enjoy!

Steve: Hi Nate and thanks for being able to answer some questions about Field & Stream’s new blog network. First off, can you tell us what exactly you do for Field & Stream and how long you have been a part of the team there?

Nate: I’m the online editor. Been here for about a year and a half. Before coming to F&S I ran the web site for the National Wild Turkey Federation. My job, basically, is to update, maintain, and improve upon the main fieldandstream.com site and our three blogs: Field Notes, The Gear Hound, and The Gun Nut. It’s an odd combination of coding drudgery and creative insanity. I spend half my time entering data online, and half brainstorming ideas, new programs, story assignments, anything I can think of to increase traffic on our sites. Which all basically boils down to the fact that I don’t get out in the woods often enough.

Steve: All three of your blogs are off to a great start. The Gear Hound is only a week old and the others are about a couple of months old. Some of us are wondering, are you planning to create more blogs at Field & Stream?

Nate: Thanks Steve. We’re working on a massive overhaul of our web strategy, and these blogs are a big part of that effort. The idea here is to provide daily, top-notch content that acts as the nucleus around which a community of hunters and fisherman can form. We’re learning as we go, so expect lots of tweaks, but so far the response to what we have up there has been fantastic.

As to what’s coming down the pipeline, I can’t really discuss that in detail, but I can tell you to look for more blogs in the near term, and for a more streamlined integration of them all into the main fieldandstream.com site a bit further down the road.

Steve: You mentioned community. Recently blogs have been a growing tool for businesses to relate to consumers. Is the vision more about community or business?

Nate: That’s an interesting question. The key thing about the web in general, and blogs in particular, is that you can immediately track what people are doing and saying on your site and adapt to what you learn. This means I can fine tune my content so that it interests more people, which means I’m growing my community. Since my job, ultimately, is to sell eyeballs to advertisers, then ultimately it’s about the business. But I think the two are joined at the hip.

Steve: Blog networks seem to be the recent rage. Who ultimately came up with the idea to put together this Network at Field & Stream? Did it sort of happen, or was it a person or group of people who sat down and came up with this great idea?

Nate: As you say, they’re all the rage. It wasn’t that hard to see the potential in them. We’re all part of a big team here at the magazine, so everyone’s input has contributed. But I give most of the credit to my boss, Sid Evans, our editor-in-chief. I think he’s very forward-thinking about integrating the magazine and the web site.

Steve: As an avid hunter and fisherman myself, I see that there are still limited places on the web to retrieve sound information regarding hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors in the form of blogs. Blogs are a great way to easily share that information and do so quickly. Some of the smaller blogs will be wanting to link up to your network to get good quality information. In saying that, do you recommend hunters and fisherman from all over to start their own blogs and will you allow trackbacks on your network, or will that depend on who is doing the blogging? Right now I only see where Field Notes allows trackbacks.

Nate: We’ve got a big advantage in the authority of our brand, and in the resources we have to work with to support original content. And we’re also making everything we run in the magazine available for free on the main fieldandstream.com site. If other hunters and fishermen out there want to link to that content as they start their own blogs I’m happy to help them out. We’re looking at adding trackbacks to all our blogs to facilitate this.

Steve: That sounds great Nate. Now, you mentioned we should expect more blogs in the near future. Do you have bloggers already lined up ‘in house’ or will you be looking for bloggers to fulfill your Network goals?

Nate: We like to depend on writers who’ve established themselves in the magazine because they then lend their presence to our online effort in a way that someone without name recognition can’t do. That said, I’m always looking for ideas. We have a limited amount of resources to devote to managing these things, and I don’t want to spread our community too thinly across multiple sites, but if a well-polished writer has something really unique to blog about I’d love to hear a pitch. My advice would be to find a subject only you have access to and focus on that.

Steve: One of the biggest struggles every blogger faces is to continue posting fresh content on a regular basis over a long period of time. Is Field & Stream prepared for this challenge and can we expect to see fresh content every time we go there?

Nate: Yes. Dave Petzal already posts new content every day, our gear blog is daily, and Field Notes is updated with three stories each day. Any future blogs will most likely follow the same schedule.

Steve: While we are on the topic of blog content… What do you see as the potential for blogging? Do you think its got a shelf life or do you think its here to stay?

Nate: Hard to say. As a format I think that it’s just starting to reach its potential. But I also think that blogging will outgrow itself, and that we’ll see new trends in online formats that can’t be contained by the term. This is already happening. Look at some of the major sites out there labeled as “blogs” … like engadget, gawker, boingboing. These things are professional daily publications with staffs and salespeople; they’re not that different from magazines or newspapers. The only real thing they have in common with the more traditional meaning of the term blog … which I’ve always taken to be “someone’s personal online journal with comments” … is the simple, chronological format.

Steve: I guess my next question has two parts to it. First off, some people believe the future is complete digitalization, which could mean a steady decline of magazine and newspaper sales soon. We all know that there are people who will always enjoy the “hardcopy”, but if what people are saying truly happens, what does this mean to the Field & Stream magazine publication? AT&T, for example, kept up with the sudden telephone industry shift and restructured their business to accommodate cellular phones as landline telephones bacame less poplular. Would you equate your sudden vision involving a blog network, to be in-line with keeping up with the demands of the consumers in the magazine industry?

Nate: Complete digitalization is still a pretty big “if”, and it’s a problem I think our magazine is much less susceptible to than are, say, the big news outlets. You don’t read your laptop in the bathroom, you read Field & Stream. You don’t take your computer to your hunting camp. So our web effort is not so much about competing with or propping up our magazine as it is about taking advantage of a new medium, a new source of readers using our content in an entirely different way.

Steve: Let’s get back to your website for a minute. I know you are doing a massive web overhaul and in the process of change, but I noticed there aren’t any links from your home page to the blogs. Do you plan on placing those links on the Field & Stream home page to make it easier to navigate?

Nate: There are actually links on the home page to all of our blogs right now (look under the Field Notes heading), but I understand how they’d be hard to recognize as such. Yes, our redesign will most definitely be featuring them much more prominently.

Steve: Where do you see Field & Stream’s web site in ten years?

Nate: I see it as a vibrant online community, a place where every sportsman comes to find the latest how-to service, the most diverting entertainment, the chance to create and critique their own tips and advice, discussions of the important issues facing sportsmen, and the ability to develop reputations, to gain status, based on the content they generate.

Steve: Nate I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions and would be happy to keep in touch with you in the future as your blog network develops. I will certainly be checking in on a daily basis. I have one last question to ask you before we part ways. As a person, Nate, do you enjoy hunting or fishing? I am curious as to what sort of things you enjoy doing in the outdoors. Would you be happy to let us in on your hobbies and passions as an outdoor enthusiast?

Nate: Sure I do. Avid fly fisherman, turkey hunter, venison lover. I tie my own flies, hunt with a bow and a muzzleloader, enjoy backcountry fishing trips. This past weekend I was up at 3 a.m. catching herring in the Potomac River, right where it flows through D.C., for use as striper bait. And we caught some big stripers, too, up to 30 pounds.

-Steven Remington

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