The Great Outdoors
Unified Sportsmen announced statewide deer meetings Just when you thought the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) couldn’t possibly crank up the heat on deer management any further; they come up with another brilliant idea.
“Hey, why not sponsor a series of statewide meetings about deer management and get Jim Slinsky to be our guest speaker?” one USP board member suggested. I’m told the phone calls didn’t take very long and the plan gained unanimous board approval.
All that was needed was to approach yours truly to see if I was willing to sacrifice my marriage to heed the call to duty. Needless to say, there wasn’t any hesitation in my response. “I’m in” was my immediate reaction. (Confidentially, I may be sleeping in the guest bedroom for a few months and doing all the vacuuming, but I wouldn’t miss this giggle for a lifetime supply of Viagra.)
So the plan was set. A few towns were picked and some phone calls were made. Then, the phone began to ring requesting that Unified bring the show to their town. Just planning this statewide tour has been exciting and the response by our sporting class from across this state has been nothing short of overwhelming. Truthfully, I can’t wait to get out there and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing, but the truth.
So far things are unfolding like this: Feb. 20 – Mifflinburg, Feb. 27 – York, March 10 – Lancaster, March 13 – Milesburg (USP State Meeting), March 18 – Reading, March 20 – Erie, April 3 – Coudersport, April 10 – New Stanton, and April 24 – Huntingdon.
Additional requests have come in from Renovo, Butler and Johnstown. Recently, I discussed with a faithful reader a visit by Unified to the Lehighton/Jim Thorpe area, my hometown.
Unified is not coming to town empty handed. Legacy Sports International of Alexandria, Virginia has donated 10, 12 gauge, 3-inch chamber, semi-automatic turkey shotguns with a 24-inch barrel and a 28-inch duck barrel in a special hard case for these events. Go to the Legacy website at www.legacysports.com and go to Escort shotguns. Check out their Turkey/Waterfowl Camo Combo. Wow!
While I am honored to be asked to participate in such an unprecedented effort, let us not forgot the reasons why this has come together.
Deer management is in shambles across this state and the freight train (herd reduction) has been rolling along with no effective method of stopping it.
Our sporting class has lost the right to provide input into deer management decisions and our voices have been completely ignored.
Someone once said “desperate people do desperate things”. As you are aware we are barreling down the path of a major lawsuit to stop the current deer program.
Unified wisely realized we have no options left, but to turn to the court system. With that said, I want to remind everyone that these statewide meetings are being brought to you by the greatest sportsmen’s advocacy group ever established in the history of Pennsylvania.
I have watched Unified closely. I know every board member and officer, personally. These are men of impeccable honesty and integrity. These are unpaid, true grassroots activists who relentlessly fight for your rights to hunt, fish, trap, shoot, own a gun, buy a spit of land and speak your peace.
These are volunteers that have a common purpose – to make certain our great outdoor traditions and core American values are protected for the next generation of freedom-loving Americans.
It is matter of documented history that Unified was opposed to this debacle the PGC is calling deer management five years ago.
Their predictions have come true. Now, Unified is engaged in the battle to correct a great wrong. They need your support.
If you are with government or a special interest group and plan to attend with pen and paper in hand hoping that I will make a mistake and put myself out of business, don’t bet on it. Frankly, the odds are better that Pamela Anderson will be waiting for you at your car after the meeting than Jim Slinsky making a mistake during the meeting.
My talk will be informative and entertaining.
Deer management, forestry policies, predators policies, the Commissioner system and the pending license increase will be discussed.
I will take questions afterward and not run out of the building. I encourage every sporting person who cares about the future of deer hunting to attend these meetings.
I assure you that you will learn more about deer management and our state of affairs in one night than you have in decades.
Besides, you will have an excellent opportunity to win a terrific shotgun.
Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Sportsman’s Connection,” a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com